There was a natural bond there somewhere. And it was probably in the voice. They both have that kind of rolling soothing tenor that wraps you up and whisks you away on silken sonorous wings. Which highlights one of the reasons Chicago was so disappointed in last year in March when the Jose James concert was cancelled at the Symphony Center due to a musicians’ strike. At the time, James and his band had been traveling the world on their Lean on Me tour celebrating the musical contributions of the incomparable Bill Withers.
A man who doesn’t like to be hemmed in with definitions that limit his creativity, there was a time when Mr. James resisted simply being known as a jazz singer. Listen to his 2013 album No Beginning No End, as well as much of his work since his debut album, The Dreamer in 2008, and you understand why that descriptor doesn’t really take the full measure of the man. There’s a finely wrought neo soulful side to the singer that encompass aspects of the contemporary world that traditional jazz doesn’t always reflect.
Something just seemed right about James doing a Withers tribute. SFJazz, a musical force in the Bay area, developed an online presence in response to the pandemic that brings exceptional past live performances to a digital audience that now totals 10,000 subscribers. The Lean on Me show aired Friday (November 6th) as part of their Friday at 5 series. Disarmingly relaxed and channeling the 70’s with his giant halo of an Afro, body glove snug two-piece suit, shirtless and sporting a pair of killer mod shades, he epitomized a bygone chic that looked perfectly at home in this wild new millennium.
When the shades came off and James along with his ace quartet jumped into Who is He (and What is He to You), it was clear Mr. Withers music was in very good hands. Keeping it pure with few alterations in overall tone or melody, James simply let his powerful vocal gifts and superb instrumentation breathe fresh life into this classic ode about jealous love.
The joy Who is He ushered into your spirit never left during the program that had been edited down to fit a one hour window. Segueing into a brief look back on who Bill Withers was, where he came from and what he went through before achieving fame with a little help from Clarence Avant, we get a renewed sense on how these matchless jewels came about. The recap also helped make James’s rendition of Lean on Me that much more remarkable and moving. Takeshi Ohbayahshi’s sublime solo turn on the piano added to the song’s sumptuous message of constancy.
The set included just enough iconic gems to make the show shimmer with both nostalgia and respect for excellent music. Just the Two of Us shifted the spotlight to the acoustic musicians with both Anessa Strings on bass and Marcus Machado on guitar strumming their version of glory into the music. Aaron Steele, an alumnus of the SFJazz music program, brought a whole new language to the skins and shed a new light on percussive creativity.
SFJazz
Fridays at 5
Nov 20, 2020
Anat Cohen Tenet
sfjazz.org