Boney James
Encyclopedia
Urban jazz
Urban jazz is the fusion of smooth jazz and R&B/hip-hop music. Urban jazz usually contains strong R&B percussion and bass lines. A few of the better known urban jazz artists are Boney James, Ronny Jordan, Nick Colionne, Wayman Tisdale, Najee, and Paul Jackson, Jr.Some of the more successful...
(an updated version of contemporary jazz that contains elements of R&B and hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
). He is one of the most successful instrumental artists of our time, with sales totaling over 3 million records.
Boney James is a three-time Grammy Award nominee (Best Pop Instrumental Album, 2001 and 2004, and Best Traditional R&B Performance, 2009 ) and a Soul Train Award winner (Best Jazz Album). He has also been honored with an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Jazz Album. He has accumulated four RIAA Certified Gold Records. His most recent CD, Contact (Verve Forecast, 2011), spent 10 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart.
To date, 9 of James' albums have reached #1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart and 2 have reached the top 10 on the R&B Albums Chart, a rare feat for an Instrumental Artist.
James is also renowned for his compelling live performances. According to the Boston Globe: "Let's make something perfectly clear: James is not a smooth jazz player. Yeah, he is often grouped with people like Kenny G and Najee, but his music is muscular and gritty, whereas most smooth jazz has all the texture and complexity of a cue ball.... James swaggered across the stage like a blacktop hero draining treys on an overmatched opponent. He even weaved his way through the audience, never missing a beat and all but
daring the crowd not to have a good time." – Boston Globe
History
Born in Lowell, MassachusettsLowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
, he took up the clarinet at the age of eight and switched to sax when he was 10. Boney spent his early teen years in New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
and became a Motown fan, which contributed to his "musical influence and soulful R&B style." He was also influenced by saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr.
Grover Washington, Jr.
Grover Washington, Jr. was an American jazz-funk / soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with George Benson, John Klemmer, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chuck Mangione, Herb Alpert, and Spyro Gyra, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre.He wrote some of his material and...
. When James was 14 his family moved to Los Angeles, where he joined a fusion band which had some success opening for acts like Flora Purim
Flora Purim
Flora Purim is a Brazilian jazz singer known primarily for her work in the jazz fusion style. She became prominent for her part in Chick Corea's landmark album Return to Forever...
and the Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets is an American jazz fusion/smooth jazz quartet.-History:The original group, called The Robben Ford Group, was formed in 1977, and consisted of Robben Ford, Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip and Ricky Lawson, all top-notch L.A. session musicians...
. Another member of this early band was John Shanks, now a successful pop producer. (Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
)
James received a history degree from UCLA, but began playing music full-time after graduation. He took up the keyboards and in 1985 joined The Time/Purple Rain alum Morris Day's band for four years. His R&B influence was further strengthened by seven years of touring and sessions as a sideman with Day, the Isley Brothers, Bobby Caldwell
Bobby Caldwell
Bobby Caldwell is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who, despite a prolific musical output over his 30-year career, is still best known for his 1978 hit single "What You Won't Do for Love". While he has always maintained a devoted fan base in the United States, a legendary...
, Randy Crawford
Randy Crawford
Randy Crawford is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist...
, Teena Marie and many others. It was on the road with Crawford in 1986 that he earned his now-famous moniker; his per diem as a touring musician barely kept him fed, and a bandmate (current Tonight Show keyboardist, Wayne Linsey) commented of his dwindling physique, "We'll have to start calling you Boney James!" The name stuck.
In the early 90's, after joining Bobby Caldwell
Bobby Caldwell
Bobby Caldwell is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who, despite a prolific musical output over his 30-year career, is still best known for his 1978 hit single "What You Won't Do for Love". While he has always maintained a devoted fan base in the United States, a legendary...
's band, he caught the attention of the engineer/mixer & producer Paul Brown. In 1992 he released his debut album as a leader, Trust, on the indy Spindletop Records label. The record's success led to James being signed by the Warner Brothers label in 1994. The RIAA Certified Gold Records, Seduction, Sweet Thing and Body Language followed.
In 2000 he collaborated with trumpeter Rick Braun
Rick Braun
Rick Braun is a smooth jazz trumpet player.Before embarking on a solo career, Braun got his start by playing in several bands, including guitarist Jeff Golub's Avenue Blue...
on an album called Shake it Up. Their duets include "Grazin' in the Grass".
Other artists who have made guest appearances on Boney's records include Faith Evans
Faith Evans
Faith Renée Evans is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, record producer, actress and author. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career with the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B...
, George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
, Dwele
Dwele
Andwele Gardner , better known by his stage name Dwele is a soul singer, songwriter and record producer from Detroit, Michigan.-Biography:...
, Al Jarreau, Philip Bailey
Philip Bailey
Philip Irvin Bailey is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter, percussionist and actor, best known as one of the longtime members of Earth, Wind & Fire. Together with Verdine White, B. David Whitworth, and Ralph Johnson he forms the heart of the current EWF line-up on...
, Anthony Hamilton, Jaheim, Eric Benet, Dave Hollister and Angie Stone.
James assumed the role of producer starting with his Pure CD in 2003.
Following a string of chart topping albums, in 2006 James moved to Concord Records
Concord Records
Concord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his...
and with the release of Shine achieved his career highest Billboard Pop Chart position (#44 on the Top 200).
In 2008, James recorded a song with American Idol finalist Syesha Mercado
Syesha Mercado
Syesha Raquel Mercado is an American singer, songwriter, actress and model. Mercado was the third place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, Mercado was on The One: Making a Music Star and she won Florida Super Singer...
, entitled "Gonna Get It," which was co-written by James and Rahsaan Patterson. It is currently available exclusively in the iTunes Music Store.
For his 2009 album, Send One Your Love, James decided to take a different path with a concept album, a collection of ten seductive love songs. ("The ultimate make-out cd.")
In addition to the subsequent Grammy nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance, in 2009 Billboard named James the #3 Billboard Contemporary Jazz Artist of the Decade. (Trailing just Kenny G and Norah Jones.)
On May 15, 2010, James was involved in a car crash coming home from a performance when he was rear ended by a drunk driver. James suffered a fractured jaw, two shattered teeth and facial lacerations. He was sidelined for 2 months.
In early 2011 Boney signed with the venerable Verve Music Group, a division of Universal Music.
Contact released in March 2011 became his 9th CD to top the Billboard Jazz Chart. It features high profile guest vocalists LeToya Lucket (of Destiny's Child), Grammy and Tony winner Heather Headley and R&B superstars Mario and Donell Jones.
Boney James is married to Actress/Director Lily Mariye. (Nurse Jarvik on NBC's ER for 15 seasons.)
Discography
- TrustTrust (Boney James album)-References:*...
(1992) - BackboneBackbone (Boney James album)- References :*...
(1994) - SeductionSeduction (Boney James album)-References:*...
(1995) - Boney's Funky ChristmasBoney's Funky Christmas- References :*...
(1996) - Sweet Thing (1998)
- Body LanguageBody Language (Boney James album)- References :*...
(1999) - Shake It UpShake It Up (Boney James & Rick Braun album)-References:*...
w/Rick Braun (2000) - RideRide (Boney James album)-References:*...
(2001) - PurePure (Boney James album)-References:*...
(2004) - ShineShine (Boney James album)-References:*...
(2006) - Christmas PresentChristmas Present- References :*...
(2007) - Send One Your LoveSend One Your Love (album)Send One Your Love is the twelfth studio album by urban jazz saxophonist Boney James, released in 2009.-Tracklist:-References:*...
(2009) - Contact (2011)