Many thanks to our Jazzology guest this week Michael Su for this discovery...wow, I love it when I hear someone new and incredible...his baritone is whisper soft evoking a tenor solo..at least on this tune. He apparently appeared on the scene in 2008 and has won lots of critical acclaim - with his voice being compared to the great Gil Scott Heron...
According to his website www.josejamesmusic.com, the Brooklyn based singer was born and raised in Minneapolis, on a diet of Prince and hip hop with lots of John Coltrane for extra nutrition...he was a member of an avante garde jazz and poetry ensemble called Ancestor Energy. He moved to NYC to attend the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music where he was mentored by Chico Hamilton and Junior Mance. "The Dreamer" is his debut album and he has since released two more in addition to performing worldwide at such spots as the North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Ronnie Scott's in London and the Cotton Club in Tokyo to name a few.
His latest projects include a tribute to Billy Strayhorn with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Centre Orchestra and a tour with McCoy Tyner and the music of Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane...can't wait to hear him at a venue near me..
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