Be there : July 13th in Paris La Bellevilloise
Soyez là : Mardi 13 juillet à la Bellevilloise !
NEWS : Here is a podcast of José James’s songs by Gilles Peterson. Here is the tracklist of this podcast with new songs : The Dreamer, Save your Love For me, Vijay Iver Trio : Mystic Brew (only song that is not from JJ – great tho!!), Touch, Blackmagic, Warrior and Dretoit Love Letter.
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Here is the tracklisting of the upcoming album (January 2010) “Blackmagic“:
1 CODE (prod. by Flying Lotus)
2 TOUCH
3 LAY YOU DOWN (prod. by BILO)
4 PROMISE IN LOVE (prod. by DJ Mitsu the Beats)
5 WARRIOR
6 MADE FOR LOVE (prod. by Flying Lotus)
7 SAVE YOUR LOVE FOR ME
8 THE GREATER GOOD
9 BLACKMAGIC (prod. by Flying Lotus)
10 DETROIT LOVELETTER (prod. by Moodymann)
11 LOVE CONVERSATION feat. Jordana de Lovely (prod. by Taylor McFerrin)
12 BEAUTY
13 NO TELLIN’ (I NEED YOU)
I just realized that the website schememag.com wasn’t working anymore. I had done an interview of José James for this mag in early 2008 so I just wanted to put it back here.
I’ve seen José James for the first time in Paris in 2007 for a free show at La Flèche D’or. It was an amazing night with Soil and Pimp after José James’s show. The music was beautiful, the energy unique. When I was living in NYC in 2008, I’ve decided to contact again José James to do an interview of him, he nicely accepted it. We’ve met in NYC, at this time I didn’t really know the city as I was new there. If my memory is well, we’ve met in West 4 with his drummer at this time Steve Lyman and had a nice walk until we found an empty place to sit, eat and do the interview. I really like the energy of JJ, on stage and as a human being, it’s all about positive energy without avoiding the reality. Rare and unique artist, I am truly waiting for his new album in January “BlackMagic”.
Hope you will enjoy the reading.
Can you tell me more about your debuts? How did you start playing Jazz?
José James : One day I was listening to the Radio, I was like fourteen, « taking the A train » , and I’ve never really listened to big band’s stuff. All the Jazz I knew was very confusing, I didn’t understand it. And I heard this very powerful song, I got very excited. It was so much different from the hip hop of the 90′s that I was use to. And I really liked this thing it made me very happy. And then I heard Duke Elligton, Chalie Parker, so I bought those people. And I just listened to it over and over, for like a summer. And I said « whoah, i really like this music, it‘s interesting». But I didn’t think I wanted to do Jazz. I just liked to listen to it. Then, I just bought more and more album of everything, but a lot of jazz stuff, like Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, and I just sort of work my way through Nate King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Wes Montgomery, un till I got to John Coltrane, and when I heard that song « Equinox », I felt very passionate about it. And I was trying to find singers who are like sort of complementing the instrumentals too, like Lester Young and Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker. But when I heard John Coltrane, I couldn’t find any singer who could sing the same stuff. You have Betty Carter but she wasn’t as avant-garde. So I felt like there was something missing, and I couldn’t find any recording like « central park west », so I started writing lyrics to it because I started singing in high school a little bit. It was just for fun, not professionally, but then I started showing that to the people and they were very impressed. So I started performing really at seventeen and became very serious about jazz and John Coltrane, I would do « equinox », I would do « Mingus » just stuff like that. But also « Blackeyesusan , “summertime”. So that’s how I started it.
Why did you choose to do a jazz album as a first musical project? Knowing that you told us 2 months ago you were planning on doing a soul record? Did you want to introduce yourself as a jazz singer? Read more
Jesse Boykins III is a singer I am still discovering – his voice, his music, his spirituality. I totally slept on his music when a friend of mine told me to listen to him because he was « the new (and nowadays the only one) neo soul singer » – dixit Jamal. As for me neo soul is Bilal and D’angelo, nobody can really do better than them but we have to leave a chance to the new generation, mine, the youngest. I listenned and weren’t that much impress at first. Then I saw a video live of Amorous and I totally felt in love with the music. The song is beautiful, Jesse Boykins III is really great on stage. He looks like he did that forever; He is natural, funny, plays with the audience (the feminine part of the audience, lol), is in harmony with his band. It’s really pleasant to see artists like this on stage, just having a great time and so giving a great time to the public. This is why I contacted him to ask him a few questions about his music, his influences, his move to NYC, his friendship with Bilal and the future. Yes, Jesse Boykins III is working on a new album called « Love Apparatus ».
You were born in Chicago but grew up in Jamaica. How long did you stay there and what was the music you were listening to ?
I was in Jamaica for about 8 years… most of my childhood. I grew up listening and being around mostly gospel, church hymns but my uncles always jammed reggae in the car and when the family get togethers.
Why did you move to Miami and what did you do, musicaly speaking ?
At the time my mother was in miami, while I was in Jamaica. I just wanted to be with my mom, hence the move. I owe a lot of my sound and influence to my move because that is where I met my mentor Ms Shenita Hunt. She was my middle and high school choir director. She basically open my ears as far as what and how I listened to music.
How was it to come to NY to the New School University ?
The New York move happen so fast. I remember getting a phone call on tuesday requesting me to make the orientation and being on a flight the next day, with one suitcase some socks and underwear, a pair of jeans, 3 t shirts and a sweater. I forgot to pack a towel… HA! I was glad to be in a new surrounding though. I was on edge for my 1st week in NY.
click here to read the rest of the interview
[ English Version after the french one ]
Spaceship George (aussi connu sous le nom de Kwesi abbensetts) est un photographe qui habite Brooklyn, un endroit, une atmosphère qui l’inspire énormément. L’énergie de Brooklyn, les ombres, les lumières, les habitants propres à ce lieu sont présents dans beaucoup de ses photos. Un des autres ingrédients de George est le naturel, comme dans ses nus dans lesquels il rend un bel hommage aux femmes, on sent une grande part de spontanéité, « je ne peux pas dire que je prépare vraiment – les séances photos. Cependant je peux avoir une idée et partir de ça mais pour la plus part tout se fait spontanément. ensuite ça dépend aussi de comment se déroulent ces moments entre toi et cette personne. »
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