Posts from — February 2010

Released: 01/02/2010

José James came to prominence when Gilles Peterson signed him to Brownswood Recordings a couple of years ago. His debut album, “The Dreamer“, has been one of my most frequently played records over the last two years, and I think it is now widely recognised for the great piece of music that it is. Finally, his new album, “Black Magic” is here.

His voice comes across as a modern Gil Scott-Heron, with influences ranging from Marvin Gaye to the unmistakable John Coltrane. ”Black magic” as José describes in the booklet, conveys a lot of meaning, from the roots of black music across genres with its emotional expression ranging from passionate uproar to the beauty of love. [Read more →]

I was on a short weekend break in London last weekend. And when I saw the band was playing, seeing Joey Negro’s Sunburst Band live at the fantastic Jazz Café in Camden took prominence over the activities that was originally planned. I Broke away from my schedule, and jumped on the northern line. I arrived 20 minutes into the show, and worse, all tickets sold out. Coming all the way from Oslo I was determined to find away. Using a combination of conversation skills and the odd bribe, the doors finally opened and I got to enjoy 35 minutes of an enthusiastic live band in front of a pleased audience. [Read more →]