Bruno Bollaert (cc)

The first time we saw José James perform was at the gig with Lefto, Marc Mac and Drumlesson in Depot (Leuven), soon after releasing his debut album ‘The Dreamer’ in 2008 that left everybody stunned. Later that month his performance at the Jazz Middelheim festival led to lots of exposure in the local press and was by many considered one of the highlights of that year’s festival season.
Jef Neve invited him to his radioshow Neve (Klara), and that guest performance was breeding ground for 3 more shows to happen. They were brought together on stage for the first time on a night in Brussels’ Ancienne Belgique. That concert got one of Belgiums quality newspapers De Morgen so excited, they gave it a rare five-star-rating.

Neve: “We played the standard Lushlife. Just for fun, no rehearsing. It’s a complex piece of music, but it went so easily. It felt like playing around.” Magic was happening, so they decided to get into the studio together.
Neve: “After that first concert, we recorded some songs in “The Galaxy Studio”, a little studio in Mol. We listened to the recording in the car back home and it was so fresh and sparkling; we both agreed it was the best thing we’ve ever put on tape. I hardly listen to myself, but that moment, I thoroughly enjoyed.”

The recording will be released as the album “For All We Know“. Each track from the album was recorded in one take, “only piano, voice and good acoustics” and features ballads and standards. They didn’t explicitly choose for an album full of jazz standards, though.
James: “The whole idea was a short process, and standards just felt right. And it didn’t actually become just a standard jazz album. Jef plays in his own way.”
Neve: “For me José is a story teller. He really impresses with his own way of sculpting the text and atmosphere of a standard. In fact, for most of the standards, I now only realize what the lyrics are all about.”
James: “Standards are universal. They allow you to tell more. I approach my own compositions in an abstract form, open for the listener to create his own story. A same kind of intimacy can be found in this collaboration.”
The album will be released in the spring of 2010 on Verve Recordings.

Last summer, Gent Jazz was smart enough to program the duo at the 2009 edition, and again they struck a chord. Around that time they confirmed more details about the Coltrane project “Facing East“. Two days from now, we’ll see José realising one of his dreams; scatting to the work of the legendary John Coltrane. Jose and Jef both cite Coltrane as one of their main influences.
James: “I’ve been writing lyrics to Coltrane’s compositions for the past 13 years. I can’t just sing anything, but with Trane’s music it just feels right.”

From an interview with De Morgen more then a year back we knew José James had some plans in this direction.
James: [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.” But now it is happening!
James: “I’m very thankful for being invited to bring this to the public. I’m doing my very best to make this something very personal and unique.”
Neve: “You see he’s grown up with Coltrane’s music. It’s in his blood. It’s not just about copying Trane’s music, we’re adding our own arrangements. It’s a challenge for both of us.”

The first concert of this series will be on Coltrane’s birthday, 23rd of september. James and Neve will play with a quartet, including the relatively unknown tenor saxophone player Michael Cabana.

Also on the solo front, the coming months will be exciting for the two. Jef Neve has written the score to Belgium’s contender for the oscars De Helaasheid Der Dingen, which will be screening soon. The film recently won the “Prix Art et Essai” at this year’s International Film Festival of Cannes. And José James will release his second solo lp in October. About that album Jose says: “I see my debut lp ‘The Dreamer’ as my love letter to John Coltrane and Billie Holiday. “Blackmagic“, the new one, focuses on todays music, and is an ode to Marvin Gaye. Eclectic, with touches of soul and hiphop.’

Update: (22 sep) On his MySpace blog Jose James shares some more info on tomorrows concert and the upcoming Blackmagic LP.

The show at Ancienne Belgique will be recorded live and some snippets from those recordings might appear on his MySpace soon after. The full line up for the concert is: Michael Campagna on tenor saxophone, Jef Neve on piano, “Level” Neville Malcolm on bass, Richard Spaven on drums and José James on vocals.

Due to additional production needs Blackmagic will be released only in 2010 on Brownswood, and not next month as stated above. The new release date will probably be mid January.

Update (23 sep): Looks like ABconcerts.be will be streaming the concert live. From 8.30PM tonight.

More:

• Facing East at Ancienne Belgique, Brussels (NL)
• Love Is Supreme, at Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
• More about Jame’s upcoming album Blackmagic
• MySpace José James

Sources: Jazz Magazine, De Morgen, De Standaard.