José James – “1978 – Revenge Of The Dragon”

José James is back with a sequel to last year’s brilliant “1978” LP. The eight new tracks were recorded in one take at Dreamland Studio which is an old church close to Woodstock, New York. His band includes his wife Taali on vocals, BIGYUKI on keys, David Ginyard and Kyle Miles on bass, and Jharis Yokley on drums. Also on board: trumpeter Takuya Kuroda, Ebban Dorsey on alto sax, and Ben Wendel on tenor sax. The overall sound of the album is much rougher than on his previous disc, with lots more edges and twists and turns. I don’t see the punk reference here but the choice of material and the production itself shows a somewhat offbeat attitude.

José released a video for one of the tracks (“They Sleep, We Grind (For Badu)”) where he and his band mates pay homage to 70s Kung-Fu movies. The piece actually unfolds its mesmerizing effect after various spins but then it really sucks you in. I think the choice of cover songs is pretty amazing: Michael Jackson, Herbie Hancock, The Rolling Stones and The Bee Gees (each from 1978) all get the José treatment. Jackson’s “Rock With You” is stripped down to its core, with the drums front and center. Rhodes and trumpet are clinging to the languid groove of the piece with José in an exceptionally laid-back mood. Herbie’s “I Thought It Was You”, one of my all-time favorite Herbie compositions (for which he was harshly criticized by the so-called jazz police when it was originally released in 1978), doesn’t have those disco elements of the original, but once again comes back to live with in-your-face drum work and a pretty sexy solo by Ebban Dorsey. José elongates individual words and really stretches out on this one.

I’ve never been a Rolling Stones fan, but José’s version of “Miss You” at least makes me appreciate their late 70s work a bit more. “Inside And Out”, the Bee Gees classic which was originally called “Love You Inside And Out”, features a lively and energetic sax solo by Ben Wendel which sounds as if it was recorded in a room with very high ceilings. As for the originals, the album opener “Tokyo Daydream” has won us over with its thick bass line and, yes here we go again, with its rigorous drum work. José’s lithe vocals fit in perfectly. Maybe there is some punk element here: “Rise Of The Tiger” sounds like an instantly combustible wooden piece. And the album closer “Last Call At The Mudd Club” is pure José James: full of soul, with a thick groove, funky keys, and those uniquely thrilling vocals. The album will be released this Friday, with a vinyl version too. José is currently on a US tour and will come back to Europe this summer, see dates below.

5/19-22 New York – Blue Note
6/01 Seoul – Jazz Festival
6/05 North Truro – Payomet Performing Arts Center
6/08 Columbia – Capital Jazz Fest
6/14 Santa Teresa – Festival Internacional de Jazz e Bossa
6/16 Sao Paulo – Blue Note
6/20-21 Rio das Ostras – Jazz Festival
6/27 Aspen – Jazz Aspen Snowmass
7/06 Glynde – Love Supreme Festival
7/08 London – Ronnie Scott’s
7/09 Rome – Casa del Jazz
7/10 Gent – Gent Jazz
7/11 Paris – New Morning
7/13 Stuttgart – Jazzopen Festival opening for Lionel Richie
7/14 Amsterdam – Paradiso
7/15 Copenhagen – Bremen Theater 

from https://ginalovesjazz.com