Features
Jazz (He’s Got): An Interview with José James
Loading ...
Is Black Magic a metaphor for love?
Yeah, to me the word means the magic of Black people and Black music all over the world. That’s really the enduring, worldwide commodity of Black culture, of African culture, of African American culture, of Black London culture. It’s this music. And whether or not people on an individual basis are accepted into society the artist, the artist, that’s why you have someone like Jay-Z building a fortune on his words, or someone like a John Coltrance being like a cultural icon, and that kind of power of the culture and the art transcends the social realities, its magical in that sense.
What makes the culture of Black music so rich, and the culture and music so intertwined?
I just think that music and especially music, has been the main source of expression. So many other roads of expression have been denied to be people all around the world not just Black people. Not being able to vote, not being able to hold certain positions in society, for a long time in Black American culture the jazz musician was one of the only things you knew you were the best at. If there was a Black doctor and a white doctor, the white doctor is going to be better that’s just the assumption of society. Obviously that has changed, but that’s just where it comes from, all of that, that need to express was put into music, in the church or in the club.
On Black Magic, your style is starting to blur the line between Jazz singer and MC, obviously leaning towards singer, who are your vocal influences that pushed you in that direction?
Honestly, I have to say Marvin Gaye, along with like Al Greene, the way they recorded. You add all these extra layers to your vocals and you double and triple your track. Marvin Gaye was doing that on ‘I Want You Back’ and it really comes from that doo-wop musical culture. That record he made with Leon Ware, that’s a big influence, not having a lot of vocals intertwining. Because, I definitely feel Soul is where Hip hop and Jazz each balance each other out. Because I think whenever you try to blend Jazz and Hip hop in an organic way one of them sort of suffers, or they both suffer. I haven’t really heard anything that feels like Hip hop and feels like Jazz, but I think, especially the stuff with Flying Lotus is starting to get there.
What does the future hold for José James?
Man, a lot of touring. I’m going to be touring this year right up until Christmas. So that is interesting.
I’m doing three different projects this year. Black Magic, and as you mentioned the ‘For All You Know’ album coming out on Impulse!, which is really exciting to be on that label, with all that musical culture and legacy, with Alice Coltrane and Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane. I’m also doing my John Coltrane project all summer and into the fall at the Jazz festivals.
It’s a busy year, it’s a really ambitious year, three projects two records. I just feel excited and creative and feeling good about music it’s the time to just get out there and record as much as I can.
Is the Coltrane project going to be recorded?
We have a live recording from Ancienne Belgique, so that is probably going to see probably going to see a release, at least in Japan, next year, in the fall. It’s a little tricky, I’ve already put out two albums this year, so I cant do three. But we definitely have all the live pro tools sessions of the live concert and I would definitely like to see a release of that.
Pages: 1 2
Simon is a regular contributor to Deft Magazine and active in the hip hop community in Paris. He earned his Bachelors of Law and Arts from New Zealand's University of Otago, Simon was also a DJ on Radio One Dunedin, in Otago, New Zealand.
You might also like
|
|
|
|
|
