“I love that [ late-50s Verve recordings] - to me, that's the epitome of vocal jazz. It's my favorite style and era of it.” Quote by Jose James
“I really pulled from that repertoire that Billie Holiday was singing, and the way she sang it. It's sort of this beautiful, not really midpoint, but a period of her career where she really still had her voice. She had that deep wisdom that we've come to associate her with. To me, that's her at the height of her powers.” WayStillsBeautifulVoiceCareersPeriodsSingingHeightHolidayAssociates Author:Jose James
“I feel like, in many ways, Billie Holiday's still very under-appreciated as an artist. People focus on her voice, and all of the very recognizable vocal things that she does, which are great. But I wanted to, with this project, start the conversation again about her as a radical feminist, as a civil rights activist - taking a stance. And also just [her] being a non-conformist.” PeopleWayFeelsDoeStillsWantedArtistVoiceFocusRightsConversationProjectsFeministCivil RightsRadicalHolidayActivistAppreciatedVocalStanceConformistRadical FeministNon Conformist Author:Jose James
“If you look at the other singers of Billie Holiday's time, they were really trying to entertain. They were trying to make people feel good. They were singing fast - and she was singing the blues.” PeopleIfsFeelsTryingLooksSingingSingersFeel GoodHolidaySinging The Blues Author:Jose James
“[Billie Holiday] was keeping it super real, and you can feel that to this day. Everything that she sang, she believed in. So I had to pick songs that I felt the same about.” FeelsRealSongFeltPicksHolidayThis Day Author:Jose James
“I also tried to focus on songs that Billie Holiday wrote, songs that she had a hand in shaping, like "Strange Fruit"; songs that were written for her or songs that she wrote herself, like "Fine and Mellow" or "God Bless The Child."” ChildrenHandsSongFocusWrittenStrangeFineFruitHolidayBlessGod BlessMellow Author:Jose James
“The other songs [of Billie Holiday] - "Body and Soul" is like the standard - I also wanted some songs that I knew I would sound good on, as a producer. It's been the same nine songs since I debuted it back in 2012.” SoulBodyWantedSongSoundStandardsNineProducersHoliday Author:Jose James
“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” LifeWishTeacherRelationshipAngerAngryForgivingHelping OthersEducation And TeachersAnger And ForgivenessControl Of Your Life Author:Thomas a Kempis
“For better or for worse, I think my approach to jazz is very traditional, in one sense, but is [also] very out of fashion today. It's about the musicians, and it's about that magic that happens in the moment.” ThinkingMomentsHappensTodayMagicFashionApproachMusicianJazzTraditionalFashion Today Author:Jose James
“When I sort of step in my jazz world, it's somewhere between instrumental jazz and vocal jazz.” WorldStepsJazzVocal Author:Jose James
“I go by the "Miles Davis school of production and band-leading", where you pick the best musicians you can, you provide them with a minimum of direction, and you just let the music happen. I've seen it work time and time again.” HappensSchoolBandMusicianPicksProductionsMilesMinimum Author:Jose James