It's always an exciting time when legendary Blue Note Records pays attention and signs young new talent to the label (Norah Jones, Amos Lee, Robert Glasper, Ambrose Akinmusire, Ravi Coltrane). Most recently Blue Note records signs modern jazz singer José James. Think Jon Lucien, Terry Callier and Kurt Elling but with a warm, hip yet classic, forward thinking edge. James is no stranger to U.S. underground jazz audiences as well as the always vibrant international jazz audiences. His debut album The Dreamer (2008) and sophomore album Black Magic (2010) were both released on UK's Brownswood Recordings label spearheaded by DJ/Tastemaker Gilles Peterson. Three months after the release of Black Magic, James teamed with Belgian pianist Jef Neve to release For All We Know, a collection of jazz standards on the prestigious Verve/Impulse label.
In between recording his own albums and touring worldwide José James collaborated with a wide range of jazz, club, electronica and hip hop artists such as Nicola Conte, Timo Lassy, Jazzanova, Flying Lotus, Eric Reed, OH NO, Christian Mcbride, Taylor McFerrin, DJ Mitsu, Basement Jaxx, Chico Hamilton and Junior Mance.
José James spoke to giantstep.net right before his show at Le Poisson Rouge (NYC) in early May. He talked about his forthcoming debut album on the legendary Blue Note records label entitled No Beginning, No End. James didn't reveal an exact release date but he did reveal the guests on the album and what his fans could expect from the project. It's safe to say No Beginning, No End is a highly anticipated debut on a jazz label that continues to define the future of jazz. Read the giantstep interview here.
BLACK MAGIC - Brownswood Recordings (2010)
FOR ALL WE KNOW - Verve/Impulse (2010)
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