Jesse Fischer x Takuya Kuroda at DROM 5/31
Jesse Fischer and Takuya Kuroda sat down ahead of their show later this week to ask each other some burning questions that have been on their minds before having an impromptu jam at the Motherbrain studio in Brooklyn.
José James & Taylor McFerrin: Collaboration At Its Best
José James and Taylor McFerrin have both been on the minds of music makers, consumers, and tastemakers for a while now. We sat down to take a look at how they have collaborated over the years, their friendship, common influences, and what comes next for the pair in our video feature below.
Full Audio: José James ft. Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest
We’ve long been singing the praises of the the live band José James has out together, but this is just on another level. James and crew headed out to Amsterdam to team up with Amsterdam’s Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest (The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) for a performance captured by Het Radio 4 Concerthuis.
José James at the Soho Apple Store
On the tails of releasing his latest, No Beginning No End, José James has been participating in a lot of interesting events that bring the audience into his world. This past weekend saw James live-tweeting his thoughts and recollections of the process while he listened through the album. Today, José will be at the Soho Apple Store as a part of their “Meet the Musicians” series. Check out the details below!
NEXT Collective: Kris Bowers (Piano)
Leading up to the February 26th release of ‘Cover Art,’ we will be bringing you interviews with the musicians and previews of the songs each one arranged for the record, so check back with us often! Today we’ve got an interview with Kris Bowers, one of two pianists on the record, who arranged “Wonderfox” by The Stepkids and “Little Brother” by Grizzly Bear for ‘Cover Art.”
Feature Giveaway: Giant Step Presents José James at the Highline Ballroom
José James is gearing up to drop his highly anticipated No Beginning No End (NPR First Listen) and we’ve got a pari of tickets to giveaway to his Highline Ballroom Show! “No Beginning No End sums up how I feel about music right now, I don’t want to be confined to any particular style. I decided I didn’t want to be considered a jazz singer anymore and that was really freeing. Once I realized that jazz singing is just something that I do and it’s just a label, it freed me as an artist to just write without any boundaries.”
2013 is Approaching!
We’re about to welcome in 2013 and subsequently there is a lot to be excited about. Concerts, albums, artists, artwork, and more are coming in the new year. Check out just a few of the things you should be excited about in 2013!
José James Performs “Trouble” on Conan
This week José James performed “Trouble” off of his upcoming album No Beginning, No End on the Conan O’Brien Show. As always it was a stellar performance with his band that boasts Kris Bowers on keys/piano, Solomon Dorsey on bass, Nate Smith on drums, Takuya Kuroda on trumpet, and Corey King on trombone. This is without a doubt one of the baddest live bands around now.
Robert Glasper Interviews José James in a 3-Part Series
Ahead of the highly anticipated release of José James’ No Beginning, No End, the team released a series of videos featuring iconic pianist and collaborator Robert Glasper interviewing James about the new record, his unique voice and influences, and what’s next.
Robert Glasper & José James To Perform at the iTunes Festival 2012
2012 has been a big year for both José James and the Robert Glasper Experiment. José is set to release his new album No Beginning, No End, while The Experiment continued touring for their release of Black Radio (and the release of Black Radio remixed). Both are set to take the stage at the 2012 iTunes Festival with José James at 7:45pm GMT (2:45pm ET) and The Experiment at 9:00pm GMT (4:00pm ET) this Sunday, September 23rd.. Performing with the Robert Glasper Experiment will be a slew of special guests including Bilal, Lalah Hathaway, Lionel Loueke, Doom, and Phonte, so be sure to tune into the festival (streamed from London).
Grant Windsor: Voicing the Organ
As we began conducting interviews for the Organ Issue, it quickly became obvious that Grant Windsor was the kind of musician we were looking to talk to. His resume boasts projects with José James, Richard Spaven, Randy Brecker, Femi Temowo and so many others, but it is his feel that separates him from so many other musicians. A master of hitting all the right spots, Windsor brings the heat whether he’s layering in organ to fill a void, delving into a hip-hop feel, or laying down some funk. Check out Windosr’s brand new joint “Pusher” with Femi Temowo and Troy Miller that we’re premiering and read on as he breaks down his story for us.
DJ Spinna Presents: The Eccentric Movements of José James Mixtape
If there is one thing you should know about DJ Spinna it’s that he is an auteur. No matter the context, Spinna’s creative vision shines through project after project with each new idea bringing together an original piece of artistry with an overarching theme that lets listeners appreciate the originals in a new light. With his latest mix tape entitled “The Eccentric Movements of José James,” Spinna intertwines the early releases James put out with some of his favorites as well as a peak at some music from James’ forthcoming No Beginning, No End.
Takuya Kuroda: A Day In The Life
As we prepare to release some tracks from Takuya Kuroda’s upcoming album entitled Six Aces, we are excited to release an exclusive documentary-short featuring a day in the life of Kuroda, specifically May 18th, 2012. Shot by the talented Ryosuke Tanzawa, the video follows Kuroda from sunrise to sunset through recording, practicing, hanging with friends, mixing, and more.
Kris Bowers: Layering In The Organ
We caught up with Kris Bowers the other day to get the facts on some rumors we had been hearing around town about him picking up the organ in addition to his repertoire of skills. He gives us the story on how and why he took up the organ in the past year as well as what he’s working on now (HINT – Debut Record!). Read on as we break it all down.
Jose James + Taylor McFerrin at LPR 5/11/12
Tonight, 5/11/12, Jose James will be showcasing new material from his upcoming album, No Beginning, No End. On the heels of being signed to Blue Note Records, James has been on a performance stretch that has covered the world. For this concert his frequent collaborator, Taylor McFerrin, will also be showing off his one-man production/performance show, no doubt with some help from James.
Jose James Performs the Music of Billie Holiday
Our feature media for the day features the full concert stream of Jose James performing the music of Billie Holiday in Belgium Ancienne Belgique. Throughout the 88 minutes and 54 seconds, James and his band re-interpret the beautiful yearning and raw emotion Billie Holiday possessed in her voice and music. The group does a nice job of staying true to the music while still making it their own.
Upcoming Duo Concert: Jose James & Taylor McFerrin presented by Giant Step
Our friends over at Giant Step are putting on a real stellar double bill with Jose James & Taylor McFerrin, coming up on May 11th at Le Poisson Rouge (NYC). We are excited to share this event with our readers, make sure you reserve your advance tix sooner then later !
3/9: Mark de Clive-Lowe’s CHURCH f. Jose James & DJ Spinna
World-renowned DJ, Producer, Remixer, Composer, Musician, and Tru Thoughts recording artist Mark de Clive-Lowe (MdCL), joined by Nate Smith (José James/Dave Holland) on Drums and Matt Penman (Joshua Redman/SF Jazz Collective) on bass, with special guest Jose James and DJ Spinna.
Jose James f. Special Guests Taylor McFerrin & Emily King at Harlem Stage
Soulful, Poignant, inspirational…only a few words to describe the breathtaking voice of José James. In a landmark event, Harlem Stage welcomes him back for the first live performance of all new material from his upcoming album No Beginning, No End.
José James: Unlocking the Code
I think it’s just different with jazz. Once you decide you’re going to do jazz, you realize it’s going to take you your whole life to do anything original and to get to a level that’s anywhere close to Ella, or Miles or any of these people, stylistically. I think anybody who thinks they’re, like, soaking in right away, is just not going to last long in jazz. It’s a whole different mindset. I wasn’t thinking about making a record, because I didn’t have anything original to say. I just wanted to learn the standards, and that takes years of practice and jam sessions and buying real books and trying to figure out what people are doing. It’s like trying to unlock a code.
Kris Bowers Presents Snapback at TPAC
Check out the indelible Kris Bowers performing as part of the Monk in Motion series at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center tomorrow 1/28/12. Between his all-star band (Casey Benjamin, Kenneth Whalum III, Burniss Travis, and Joe Saylor) and a special guest list that encompasses some of his frequent collaborators (Jose James, Taylor McFerrin, MIke Cottone & Jehbreal Muhammad), Bowers continues to represent a major impact on the scene.
Jose James No Beginning, No End
he consistently busy Jose James has announced the lineup for his upcoming album No Beginning, No End and to say it’s intriguing would be an understatement. With the likes of Robert Glasper, Kris Bowers, Pino Palladino, Chris Dave, Richard Spaven, Emily King, and more.
Live Recording: Jose James ft. Guests
Check out this explosive live recording of Jose James at the Triple Door in Seattle from 12/6/11. His band for the night included a talented cast of musicians, each known for exemplary musicianship and creativity in their own right. James hit the stage with Kris Bowers on piano, Solomon Dorsey on bass, Takuya Kuroda on trumpet, and Nate Smith on drums.
The Revivalist | Friday Round Up!
We know this week has passed you by too quickly and so we planned ahead and made you this week’s roundup! Here is what you missed!
