Ancienne Belgique

[Answering a question about who his influences were] "Coltrane rewrote the alphabet of jazz, so that's an example in itself. I've even written lyrics for his compositions, but the people who manage hi...

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[Answering a question about who his influences were] "Coltrane rewrote the alphabet of jazz, so that's an example in itself. I've even written lyrics for his compositions, but the people who manage his legacy apparently found that sacrilege. A huge disappointment, as my version of 'Equinox' was to primarily serve as the basis around which the rest of the record would be constructed. I see it especially as a missed opportunity to introduce a new, younger audience to his music." (José James in De Morgen)

Or: how a simple quote in a newspaper can lead to an international AB-production… Stop! Rewind! Back to November ’08. That was when the barely 30-year-old José James appeared on the AB-stage together with pianist Jef Neve and provided a set bursting with improvisation and playing pleasure. Immediately one of the musical highlights of '08! De Morgen – with a rare *****-review – wrote of it: "staggering concert … magic … dazzling". And also: "James broke some sacred jazz rules by scatting to the work of the legendary John Coltrane". More than enough reasons to speak to José James after the show and invite him to participate in a project at the AB, with as goal: to realise his dream. Or rather, to put lyrics to the music of John Coltrane and again with the assistance of none less than Jef Neve. ‘I would love to!’ was his answer. And see: this will now take place on Wednesday 23 September, birthday of the deceased John Coltrane. If you want to know what the result might sound like: be sure to check out James’ MySpace where you can hear, and be convinced by, the track ‘Equinox’ (from Coltrane in ’60, from the album ‘Coltrane’s Sound’) - once released as a promo-only copy on 10".

Stop! Rewind! José James?
This singing Brooklyn resident debuted last year with ‘The Dreamer’ - a contemporary mix of jazz, blues and soul – which immediately impressed. To quote Humo "this cast-iron debut makes quite an impression." Or De Standaard: "Aside from being a sublime interpreter, José James is also a gifted writer and composer." Barely thirty and already bombarded to the position of jazz' great new hope. He quotes his greatest influences as being Billie Holiday and John Coltrane. But vocally he sounds like Gil Scott-Heron or Terry Callier. His goal? To make jazz for the hip-hop generation. It's not without reason that he reworked the likes of hip-hop song ‘Park Bench Life’ from the late Freestyle Fellowship. His candour is a virtue. He's already worked together with Warp-artist Flying Lotus (whose cousin was none less than the late Alice - wife of - Coltrane) and also Jazzanova. His new album will be released at the end of this year.

Line up:

José James: vocals
Jef Neve: piano
Michael Campagne: tenor sax
Neville Malcolm: bass
Richard Spaven: drums

Stop! Rewind! John Coltrane?
Without a doubt one of the most influential musicians of modern jazz, both technically and spiritually. ‘Trane’s legacy under his own name covers a mere 10 years (from ’57 until his death in ’67) but can certainly be considered awesome. From his first solo records via Prestige to his famous ‘Blue Train’ (Blue Note) and his most famous albums on Atlantic (all to be found in the 7 CD box ‘The Heavyweight Champion') including ‘Giant Steps’ (the first Coltrane record consisting completely of own compositions) and also ‘My Favorite Things’ (with that immortal interpretation of the ‘Sound Of Music’ classic of the same name). In ’61 he was the first artist to sign to Impulse! where he made the most recordings with his classic quartet containing – aside from Coltrane himself, of course - McCoy Tyner (piano), Elvin Jones (drums) and contrabassist Jimmy Garrison. Impulse! milestones were indisputably ‘A Love Supreme’ (‘a spiritual suite’) and also ‘Ascension’ (Coltrane’s answer to ‘Free Jazz’ by Ornette Coleman).

Seenematic VJ demo José James from krewcial on Vimeo.