Moving to New York City to attend The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, he was mentored by and recorded with both the legendary drummer Chico Hamilton and the pianist Junior Mance. There he also met his first ensemble that would form the studio and international touring band for his 2008 debut album “The Dreamer” (Jan 2008, Brownswood).
A chance meeting in London with international tastemaker and DJ Gilles Peterson led to a record deal on Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings label. Drawing upon diverse influences such as Freestyle Fellowship and Rahsaan Roland Kirk, “The Dreamer” was an international critical success, with José performing at venues such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, Billboard Live Tokyo, The Hermitage Museum, and Central Park Summerstage. “The Dreamer” was voted #21 Critic’s Pick of JazzTimes Top 50 Jazz Albums of 2008.
His sophomore release “BLACKMAGIC” (Feb 2010, Brownswood) explored the worldwide underground, featuring production from Flying Lotus, Moodymann, Taylor McFerrin, and DJ Mitsu the Beats. “BLACKMAGIC” also featured James’s live band in new territory, covering dubstep pioneer Benga’s “Emotions” and exploring a soul/hip-hop version of the R&B classic “Save Your Love For Me.” “BLACKMAGIC” toured in over 30 countries, at venues such as the Montreal Jazz Festival, Ancienne Belgique, Melkweg, and Lincoln Center. “Love Conversation” (produced by Taylor McFerrin), “Save Your Love for Me,” and “Desire” (from The Dreamer) were featured in Fox Searchlight Pictures 2010 “Our Family Wedding” starring Forest Whitaker, America Ferrera, Carlos Mencia, and Lance Gross.
Signing to Verve/Universal in 2010, James’s third studio album “For All We Know” (May 2010, Impulse!) was released on the legendary “Impulse!” label, home to many of John Coltrane’s masterworks. Largely recorded in a single day at the famed Galaxy Studios in Belguim, “For All We Know” is a deep and timeless duo album of jazz standards featuring Jef Neve on piano.
Winner of both the Edison Award and L’Académie du Jazz Grand Prix for best Vocal Jazz Album of 2010, “For All We Know” was James’s most intimate project to date, with performances in premiere concert halls such as L’Olympia, Royal Festival Hall, and De Roma, as well venues such as the Umbria Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola and Cotton Club Tokyo.
The collaboration between James and Jef Neve continued with an ambitious ongoing live project “Facing East: The Music of John Coltrane.” Conceived and directed by James “Facing East” made its worldwide debut at Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, and continued on to venues such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, Nice Jazz Festival, New Morning, and Ronnie Scott’s.
As a featured guest José has recorded albums with Junior Mance, Chico Hamilton, Nicola Conte, Bassment Jaxx, Jazzanova, Toshio Matsuura, J.A.M., DJ Mitsu the Beats, Timo Lassy, Taylor McFerrin, and Flying Lotus.
Recent projects include guest performances with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s “A Tribute to Billy Strayhorn” at Rose Theater, as well as touring internationally with McCoy Tyner’s “The Music of John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.”
He was recently voted 2011 DownBeat Critics Poll “Rising Star Best Male Vocalist” and is currently working on his fourth studio album “No Beginning, No End.”
http://josejamesmusic.com/
Strange Fruit
José James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot for the trees to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop
The lyrics to José James's "Strange Fruit" describe the horrific reality of lynching during the era of Jim Crow segregation in the United States. The "strange fruit" referred to in the song are the bodies of Black men who have been hung from trees as a form of racial terrorism. The haunting image of "blood on the leaves and blood at the root" captures the pervasiveness of violence and the ways in which it is deeply ingrained in Southern society. The metaphor of a "pastoral scene" is a deliberate contrast to the visual brutality described in the verses that follow, and it highlights the extent to which this violence was normalized and even celebrated during this period in American history.
Line by Line Meaning
Southern trees bear strange fruit
In the South, there are trees that produce peculiar fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
This fruit carries the stain of blood on its leaves and roots
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
These fruits, oddly, take the form of black bodies that sway in the wind
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
These fruits, despite their distinctly human appearance, are hanging from poplar trees
Pastoral scene of the gallant south
This gruesome sight is set against the idyllic backdrop of the Southern countryside
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
The sight is made all the more disturbing by the disfigured faces of the victims
Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh
The air, in stark contrast, is perfumed with the delightful aroma of magnolia flowers
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh
But this aroma is suddenly and jarringly replaced by the stench of burning human flesh
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
These bodies, once human, are now reduced to nothing more than food for scavengers
For the rain to gather for the wind to suck
The elements themselves have turned against the victims, with rain collecting around them and wind stripping them bare
For the sun to rot for the trees to drop
Even the fruit-bearing trees themselves seem to have been poisoned by association, with the fruit now being described as a 'strange' and 'bitter' crop
Here is a strange and bitter crop
The final line of the song repeats and solidifies the horrifying truth: what was once fruit, is now transformed into a grotesque and disturbing image of human brutality and oppression in the American South.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lewis Allen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TomHutchinson5
This song was given the respect and honor it deserves. Shook hearing it.
@latinoamerica1822
This is those rare moments when certain artists can reach beyond just the music. Truly something special.
@victoragoo7771
This must be the most haunting, most innovative, most creative version of this classic. I wanna see this performed live by Jose James.
@JovankaCiaresHerbalist
This is hard to listen and hard to stay away from at the same time. It's hard to not end up in tears!
@Jise74
+Jovanka Ciares I totally agree. It's a beautiful struggle.
@wordweaver58
And your comment just pushed me over the edge into tears.
@jordynbarnes6727
Thank you for the correction, of this rare bread and beast at heart, historical but proves present song this is Billie Holiday/ PSA. “Lady Sings The Blues” starring Diana Ross and Billie D COLT 45 Williams “
@edgarearly4203
Today I listened to two versions by Cassandra Wilson.
@dee_dee_place
This version & Jade Novah's gives me chills; I can feel the pain of their words. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-zfirLtNQA
@s.a.7248
Jose ia not only talented and skilled; he is another walking creative ....Thank you for this mindful interpretation.