Richard Spaven - Whole Other* (Fine Line Records)

Second stop this week in UK nu-jazz scene land, with drummer Richard Spaven debut solo LP, Whole Other*, out now on Fine Line Records.

Alongside his majesty Chris "Daddy" Dave, Richard has been one of my favorite jazz/groove/beats drummer for the last few years, mainly for his brilliant contributions to Cinematic Orchestra as well as Jose James recordings, but also for his great first solo EP, Spaven's 5ive, released in 2010.

Whole Other* sounds like a kaleidoscope of this already rich musical career, wandering between abstract modern jazz atmospheres and groovier moments. If his delicate drumming style naturally leads the way, Richard also demonstrates a remarkable writing and producing talent, notably finding the right space to his high-profile list of guests musicians. Among them, let's mention Cinematic Orchestra's fascinating guitarist Stuart McCallum, but also Jose James trumpet player Takuya Kuroda, both of whom were mentioned several times on this blog.
Don't miss out on this organic dose of smoothness!

Extract below:

Second détour en une semaine par la scène nu-jazz UK avec le très joli premier album solo du batteur Richard Spaven, Whole Other*, qui sort sur Fine Line Records.

Dans la lignée de sa majesté Chris "Daddy" Dave, Richard est devenu l'un de mes batteurs jazz/groove favoris ces dernières années, notamment pour ses brillantes contributions aux productions de Cinematic Orchestra et Jose James, mais aussi à la faveur d'un excellent premier maxi solo, Spaven's 5ive, sorti en 2010.

Whole Other* est un véritable patchwork de sa déjà très riche carrière musical, alternant avec aisance les moments d'abstract jazz avec les passages plus groove. Si la batterie mène évidemment la danse, on y découvre aussi un Richard Spaven talentueux compositeur et chef d'orchestre, laissant le juste espace à une série de musiciens de haute volée. On citera notamment le génial guitariste de Cinematic Orchestra, Stuart McCallum et le fantasque trompettiste de Jose James, Takuya Kuroda, deux musiciens dont j'ai déjà évoqué le travail sur ce blog.

V4YS Concert Review - José James - Live At New Morning (Paris) - 071112

After his recent visit to Paris on a trio format in the intimate Duc Des Lombards Jazz Club, José James was back last wednesday on the hotter New Morning to officially present his forthcoming LP No Beginning, No End to be released January 22nd on Blue Note.


Touring with his quatuor (among which his inseparable drummer Richard Spaven & Japanese trumpet player Takuya Turoda) he is now also playing a bit of acoustic guitar as if his vocal talent was not enough !

Echoing his previous Blackmagic tour, this new set-up is a perfect bridge between the world of Jazz, classic Soul and 90's Jazzy Hip-Hop.

Focusing on his exciting new album, this breathless 2h30 gig also hinted at some of his musical heroes, like Bill Withers or Al Green in the form of beautiful covers.

It may get a little repetitive to regular readers of this blog, but I'm gonna say it again : José is one of the defining singer of his time !

Richard Spaven

Takuya Turoda

Below three video extracts :

Little Bird, performed for the first time on stage and which was one fo the most beautiful song from Jazzanova's brillant 2008 album Of All The Things, then Come To My Door, which will feature on the new LP, and finally Ain't No Sunshine, cover of the timeless classic from Bill Withers.

Merci à Vincent B. pour ses superbes photos !

V4YS EP Review - José James - It's All Over Your Body EP (Blue Note)

It seems José James forthcoming LP No Beginning, No End will be released on Blue Note in early 2013 instead of end 2012 as I originally thought. Anyway, to calm our nerves, here comes a first splendid EP !

Gathering the studio versions of It's All Over Your Body and Trouble, that we discovered live a few months ago through his great All-Saints Basement Sessions, it also offers a couple of lo-fi/hip-hop remixes from Dj Spinna and Oddisee and a beautiful acoustic duo with singer Emily King.

Starring Robert Glasper on piano/keyboards, his friend Chris "Daddy" Dave on drums as well as the legendary bassist and producer Pino Palladino the EP is an absolute delight.

Extracts below :

En attendant la sortie, probablement début 2013, de son nouvel album No Beginning, No End sur le label Blue Note, voici de quoi calmer temporairement l'attente des fans de José James.
Entouré d'une véritable armada jazz/groove (Robert Glasper au piano/claviers, son compère Chris "Daddy" Dave à la batterie et le légendaire bassiste et producteur Pino Palladino) José dévoile dans ce premier maxi les splendides version studios de It's All Over Your Body and Trouble, titres dont nous avions découvert les airs en live il y a quelques mois lors de l'excellente All-Saints Basement Sessions consacré au chanteur. N'oublions pas enfin les deux excellents remixes lo-fi/hip-hop de Dj Spinna et Oddisee aisni que le duo acoustique avec la chanteuse Emily King qui concluent ce véritable sans-faute !
Extraits ci-dessus.

V4YS Concert Review - José James - Live at Duc des Lombards, Paris - 020712

For any nu-jazz/nu-soul fan, José James's forthcoming third solo LP titled No Beginning, No End certainly is one of the most awaited new record of 2012 ! 


Featuring a phenomenal list of guests, it will be released in a few months. While he already revealed a couple of extracts a few months ago through a live session, the best way to get warmed up in the meantime is to catch him on stage either in an intimate jazz club or a hot summer festival.

I was lucky enough to see him yesterday at the cosy Duc des Lombards club in Paris where I could once again enjoy his unique style, brillantly bridging the classic jazz era with the nu-soul world. 


On a quartet formation (drums, bass, piano, trumpet) he alternated between new tracks and songs from his reference LPs, The Dreamer and Blackmagic. His ability to mix a wide range of singing styles coupled with his natural class made a killing yesterday but so did the talent of his musicians whom he leaves ample room to digress and offer brillant solos.

José James & Takuya Turoda

Special mention to his trumpet player Takuya Turoda and his long-time drummer Richard Spaven (who should by the way release soon a second solo album after his brillant first record Spaven's 5ive).




Below you'll find a few videos extracts of the show with Do You Feel and It's All Over Your Body (which should be on the from the forthcoming new album), as well as Save Your Love From Me (from Blackmagic) :








Le troisième album solo de José James intitulé No Beginning, No End est l'un des disques nu-jazz/nu-soul les plus attendus de l'année. En attendant sa sortie probablement à l'automne, le meilleur moyen de se mettre l'eau à la bouche est d'aller voir ce chanteur hors-pair sur scène dans l'intimité de petits clubs de jazz ou la chaleur d'un festival d'été.
Ce fut la première option pour moi hier à l'occasion de sa venue à Paris au Duc des Lombards où il nous a offert un remarquable récital en formation quartet. Conjuguant à merveille via ses multiples variations au chant l'âge d'or du jazz et la sphère nu-soul contemporaine, José prend visiblement un plaisir énorme à roder son nouveau disque en compagnie d'un nouveau groupe au sein duquel on ne retrouve que le fidèle batteur Richard Spaven et où l'on peut découvrir le subjuguant trompettiste japonais Takuya Turoda.
Ci-dessus quelques extraits vidéos.

V4YS Ep Review - José James - It's All Over Your Body & Trouble - All Saints Basement Session

Here are a couple of great new tracks from José James recorded during a recent live session set-up by Uk clothing brand All Saints (dubbed "All Saints Basement Sessions" the brand regularly invites underground artists to perform live sessions on its original loft-shop in Spitalfields, London).
Supported by his usual musicians, among which drummer Richard Spaven (that we mentionned last week following his first solo LP and his participation to the recent Cinematic Orchestra live show in Paris), José unveiled two brand new tracks titled It's All Over Your Body & Trouble.
Discover them with the streaming below as well as a long interview and enjoy once again his fantastic voice as well as this warm & groovy band!





La marque de vêtements britannique All Saints organise régulièrement des sessions musicales live en invitant des artistes relativement underground dans le sous-sol de son magasin originel de Spitalfields à Londres. Jolie surprise avec la publication d'une session enregistrée fin août avec le chanteur José James comportant notamment deux excellents nouveaux morceaux intitulés It's All Over Your Body & Trouble.
Découvrez-les sur la chaîne YouTube de la marque (streaming ci-dessous) et laissez-vous bercer par sa voix sublime et son groupe toujours aussi groovy avec notamment l'excellent batteur Richard Spaven que j'ai mentionné la semaine dernière suite à sa participation au concert de Cinematic Orchestra lors du festival Jazz à La Villette.

Jose James Soundcloud site - Live at Kcrw radio & Coltrane Project studio versions

A quick post to urge you to visit José James' Soundcloud site where I just realized he recently (kindly) put streaming & free download links of many unreleased gems.
Among different things a great live session of his 2010 "Blackmagic" tour recorded at KCRW radio in LA as well as several studio versions of his brilliant project around the music of John Coltrane with belgian pianist Jef Neve that I have already mentionned several times on the blog. Below a couple of extracts :




"Blackmagic" live at Kcrw radio (LA, 2010) :


Studio version of "Central Park West", a timeless John Coltrane theme :


Many more on his soundcloud site!

Ce court post pour vous suggérer de vous précipiter sur la page soundcloud de l'incontournable chanteur jazz&soul José James.
Je viens en effet de réaliser qu'il y a récemment ajouté plusieurs splendides morceaux inédits (downloadable gratuitement). Parmi ceux-ci une superbe session radio live de sa tournée 2010 suivant la sortie de l'album "Blackmagic" mais aussi quelques enregistrements studio de son remarquable projet autour de la musique de John Coltrane partagé avec le pianiste belge Jef Neve qu'il ont présenté live lors de quelques rares concerts en 2009 et 2010.

V4YS Album Review - José James & Jef Neve - For All We Know (Impulse! Recordings)

We mentionned in late 2009 José James & Jef Neve remarkable live jazz project paying tribute to Alice and John Coltrane (we even included it in our 2009 favorite records even though it was only a live act, check the link for the full Brussels live video).
At the same time they signed on the legendary Impulse! Recordings label and were supposed to release an album this year. So here is "For All We Know".
Contrary to what I expected this record is not a studio version of their Coltrane project, but their interpretation of 9 timeless jazz classics. The sensibility of Jef Neve's piano play and the mesmerizing baritone voice of José fit perfectly together. The duo manages to create an intimate soul-stirring musical atmosphere that should appeal to many jazz fans.
Almost all of the record was recorded in one take during a half-day-long session in a Belgian studio, thus preserving the spontaneity of each adaptation.
Among the standards they decided to refresh let's mention their fantastic version of "Autumn In New-York" from Vernon Duke, the sweet cover of George & Irva Gershwin's "Embraceable You" made famous by Billie Holiday, the bluesy take of Andy Razah & Don Redman's "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You" or the juicy "Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)" from Duke Ellington & Lee Gaines made famous by Ella Fitzgerald.

So after his own second album "Black Magic", released earlier this year and which explores nu-soul and abstract beats, and then the phenomenal live show he recently gave in Paris (review here) to promote it, José once again demonstrates the extent of his talent with this album focusing on his pure jazz side.

A true moment of refinement and class!

The duo is perfoming in many countries this summer, all dates here!

Below a small video with José & Jef discussing this album, you can also listen to several tracks among which "Autumn In New-York" HERE.

V4YS Concert Review - José James - Blackmagic Release Concert, La Bellevilloise, Paris 28/03/10

Well, well, well, I'm gonna need the help of an online fr/eng dictionnary to write this short review as my english vocabulary may quickly fall short of superlatives to accurately describe the phenomenal performance I've been attending last sunday night at La Bellevilloise in Paris.

I was particularly curious to see how Jose James would present his second album, "Blackmagic", on stage, as he enters new musical spaces (beats/nu-soul) compared to the pure "nu-jazz" sound of his already legendary first album "The Dreamer". The result is the best live act I've seen so far this year.

First interesting surprise, on top of his three outstanding musicians (a drummer, a pianist/keyboard and a bass player) Jose was joined by a female singer, Jordana De Lovely, who happened to be a remarkable addition to the show.
Whether she was singing together with Jose, as an amazing leading singer like on "Love Conversation" (a track that she contributed to on the album) or as a backing chorist, we could feel the amount of work and preparation that the two of them did together. She also has a great stage presence, full of sincerity and sensuality, that blends beautifully with Jose's own charisma.

 The concert started by a long nu-jazz instrumental track by the band that was in direct filiation with "The Dreamer" nu-jazz sound.
Then came Jose and Jordana on stage and the atmosphere changed to a darker and bewitching sound when he started to sing the first verses of the single "Code", written by abstract hip-hop artist Flying Lotus.
Actually "sing" is not the correct word, "sermonned" or "chanting psalms" would be more accurate. Like a hip-hop sample loop being repeated or a (good) broken record, his long and powerful vocal intro flow was absolutely stunning.

The transition to the second extract from the new Lp, was also amazing. Like a great Dj, the trio imperceptibly changed the rythm from "Code" to "Save Your Love For Me" and Jose slowly came back to his more traditional singing style to interpret this classic jazz song.
A bit later came a fantastic cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" (sung in tandem with a mesmerizing Jordana De Lovely) that served as an intro to "Detroit's Loveletter" where Moodyman signature was obvious in the warm and laid-back groove played by the brilliant Rhodes keyboard player.

They repeated this cover pattern for the track "Blackmagic" with an intro glimpsing at Santana's "Black Magic Woman".
The band also made a small tribute to Alice and John Coltrane who play such a prominent role in Jose's artistic influences. His hypnotic psalmoding quoting the title "A Love Supreme" backed by a dismantled free jazz tempo acted as a deep praise to the memory of the Coltranes' genious .
This was also  a reminder that he should soon be releasing an album on Verve with belgian pianist Jef Neve on this matter (more on this here).
Other highlights of the evening include his soulful interpetation of "Lay You Down" and the 20 mn-long "encore" : the band came back to play the third Flying Lotus track from the album, "Made For Love" where Jose and Jordana De Lovely association was at its best.
For the final track his three astonishing musicians delivered a powerful instrumental jazz tune that left me speachless!

So that was an accomplished live performance giving this second album a whole new dimension in my opinion. Jose James singing art gets more and more impressive, he oscillates so easily from hip-hop-like flow to D'Angelo-like nu-soul mode or to his classic jazz style. His range of possibilities is immense and I'm sure we'll get many more great musical treasures from his part.

So remember : this is an almost mandatory concert to go to if he tours anywhere near you! (all his coming live dates here).

P.S. : merci à Vincent (encore!) pour ses belles photos!

Ep/Album Review - Jose James - Blackmagic

Here is a record I couldn't wait to discover.
Why is that? well in only a couple of years Jose James has easily entered my circle of favorite artists with an already almost legendary first record "The Dreamer" (Brownswood, 2008), a brilliant jazz project around Alice and John Coltrane work (see more info here on our 2009 year review) and great live performances.
The man has an incredible smooth and deep preacher-like voice and has so far always made great artistic choices to get a musical support as good as his vocal talent demands.
Hence my high expectations for his second album, still on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood label.
Looking at the artists that contributed to this production (Hip-hop producers Flying Lotus and Dj Mitsu The Beats, legendary deep-house producer Moodyman among others) I knew that this record would probably sound less jazzy than "The Dreamer" and would probably be more nu-soul/beats oriented.
In fact half of the tracks is reminiscent of The Dreamer, great groovy modern jazz with piano drums and bass supporting his fantastic lyrics flow. "Save Your Love For Me" and "Beauty" being two new jewels in that genre in my humble opinion.
The other half is, as expected, more "beats" oriented. I remember chatting with him following a concert last year and him telling me that D'Angelo is one of the singer that most influenced him. I actually thought about it while listening to the beats-like tracks of Blackmagic. For instance the album intro track "Code", produced by Flying Lotus, is a fantastic deep nu-soul track (video below) that clearly reminds me of some early D'Angelo stuff.

This record is clearly a success, Jose James widens its musical scope while still building on its solid jazz background. Still I would not put it on the same level as "The Dreamer" as Blackmagic alternates between incredible tracks and a few less memorable ones.

Now I'm really looking forward to see this album performed live. All his tour dates on his site.
Let's also note that Jose has signed on the legendary Verve label and should be releasing mid-2010 a jazz album with belgian pianist Jef Neve with whom he did this great Coltrane revisited project.