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Jose James Makes Music For 'Party And Politics'
by Leo Sidran
Singer Jose James has been a consistent and insistent musical presence ever since he released his first album, The Dreamer in 2008 on British dj Gilles Peterson's newly formed Brownswood Recordings label. Since then he's made a dozen albums, recorded for iconic record labels like Impulse! and Blue Note, and eventually formed his own label Rainbow Blonde with his partner (in business and in life) Taali. The richness and depth in his baritone voice is reminiscent of classic ...
read moreBen Wendel: All One
by Claudio Bonomi
Classe 1976, canadese di nascita, cresciuto a Los Angeles e attualmente residente a Brooklyn (New York), Ben Wendel è considerato un astro nascente del jazz contemporaneo da diversi anni. Sassofonista e compositore, oltre ad essere stato nel 2001 tra i fondatori dei Kneebody, si è costruito negli anni una solida reputazione di solista e leader firmando ben sette album che hanno suscitato l'attenzione di pubblico e critica. Questo All One non fa eccezione. È stato concepito in tempi ...
read moreBen Wendel: All One
by Jerome Wilson
Saxophonist Ben Wendel came up with a unique approach for this album of duets. He plays with a different musician on each of these six tracks, but while his guests stick to their primary instruments, Wendel fills in the space around them with multiple saxophone and bassoon parts, electronic effects, and percussion. The most conventional results of this approach are heard in the two vocal tracks. Cecile McLorin Salvant's sensitive singing on I Loves You Porgy" and Jose ...
read moreJosé James: Why The Female Of The Species Is Groovier Than The Male
by Peter Jones
Jazz singer José James considers Erykah Badu to be the Joni Mitchell of his generation, a woman who has constructed a world of her own in order to tell her own alternative story. To prove the point, earlier this year he released On & On (Rainbow Blonde), a whole album of Badu songs, which he has been performing on tour. This tribute to Badu's songwriting follows previous albums dedicated to Billie Holiday (Yesterday I Had the Blues, Blue Note, 2015) ...
read moreJosé James: Lean On Me
by Franz A. Matzner
Already known for his crisp production values, astute musicianship and eclectic presentations, Jose James delivers again with his tribute to Bill Withers, Lean on Me. The album reaffirms James' signature attention to stylistic pastiche while further refining his thematic focus on the subtleties of human relationships. Here James' narcotic blend is simultaneously steeped in tradition and floats at the horizon of modernity. The beats penetrate with unabashed eroticism. James' voice coos with soul and cuts with the dirty ...
read moreLean On Me: José James Celebrates Bill Withers @ NYC Winter Jazzfest
by Dan Bilawsky
Lean On Me: José James Celebrates Bill Withers Le Poisson Rouge NYC Winter Jazzfest New York, NY January 1, 2018 By the time José James took to the stage for his headlining slot on a quadruple-bill event that served as the second stand-alone concert in the 2018 NYC Winter Jazzfest schedule, three hours of music had already come and gone. Knower's electro-pop, complete with an expletive-laced introduction, ushered in the evening; the No ...
read moreJosé James: Love In A Time Of Madness
by Angelo Leonardi
Chi conosce José James a partire dal recente disco dedicato a Billie Holiday (Yesterday I Had the Blues , Blue Note, 2015) rimarrà sorpreso da quest'incisione, quarta per la Blue Note su un totale di sette album. Love in a Time of Madness consta di 12 brani incisi tra Los Angeles e New York, e prodotti principalmente da Antario Holmes, operante nell'area di confine tra soul, rap ed elettronica. Il lavoro è profondamente intriso di quell'estetica ma non ...
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