Jose James - Black Magic DC! :: Thur 8/5

Back in September of '09, we had a magical evening with a vocal monster, the likes of whom it is hard to compare to another artist. Jose James. He is equally comfortable on a stage singing classic jazz ballads with a pianist tinkling a 9ft. grand piano, and leading the soulful electronic production from today's electronic musical visionaries (Flying Lotus, Taylor McFerrin). On one hand you close your eyes and you think Andy Bey, Joe Williams...the great jazz male jazz voices. Then you open your eyes and you don't know what to think. Does this guys have a Yankees cap on with jeans and sneakers? Sho nuff he does. And why not?

At the time he had just fled the streets (and closed club doors) of NYC for the open arms of Gilles Peterson's Brownswood label(see The Dreamer)...and thank God for that. Since then Europe has embraced James as the wonderful artist that he is. The States...well we tend to take a little longer to recognize true talent sometimes. Just a couple days prior to our show, Jose wowed audiences as the surprise of the Charlie Parker Jazz Fest in NY.

Well he's back now. With a fresh new album Black Magic and For All We Know, a wonderful collection of duet recordings with he and Jef Neve out on the Impulse label.

Young, fresh and maybe our favorite voice on the planet. Check it out for yourself. Then realize...THIS GETS EVEN BETTER LIVE!! See you at the show.

"The strongest performances of the day ... belonged to the baritone singer José James. Mr. James, in his mid-20s, has made only one record so far, “The Dreamer,” full of smart, trancelike, mysterious funk. But on Saturday he showed how supremely able he is at a more traditional kind of jazz singing." - NY Times



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