What could be better than sitting back on a summer evening on a comfortable lawn chair or lying on a blanket and listening to a great band. Or picking up your weekly produce and enjoying some tunes while your doing it. Or going to hear a lecture/performance all about the different eras of jazz starting with the early 1900’s to the present. We’ll I’ll be doing all of these in different locations all around the state of NJ this summer. I have to say how grateful I am to be able to do this. Not only is fun and enjoyable for the audiences but for me it’s beyond fun. It’s what I love to do the most in my life. I feel so blessed to be able to share my talent and my gift of music with so many people. It gives me such pleasure and fulfillment.
I hope you will all stop by my website and check my schedule frequently as I have so many opportunities to share my music with you this summer. I’ll be with my band, solo; singing and playing to tracks which I’ve gotten quite comfortable with and also playing with some other fine artists as well.
Hope to see you at some of these events. Have a great summer.
Yours in music,
Gordon
Gordon's Blog
Music to me is such an amazing medium for conveying the feeling of joy and the celebration of life. It has the ability to lift the spirit, mind and body and to express the love that resides in all of our hearts. During the process of recording “In Joy” I was so fortunate to work with some amazing and talented producers and musicians who helped to bring out the best in me creatively and musically. (more…)
GORDON JAMES interview page 2
Jazz Monthly: When you perform, do you absorb a lot of energy from the fans reaction to your live performances? Tell us about your interactive experience with your fans.
Well I think I just touched on that a little in the last question but yea I love to interact with the audience. I really encourage them to participate. I still do the song Grazing in the Grass from one of my earlier CDs in my performances and people love to sing along with that one. Everyone seems to know that song. But really there is such a give and take of energy and love exchanged in a performance. (more…)
“Jazz Monthly Feature Interview” Gordon James
Jazz Monthly: Our guest here today has received excellent reviews by critics and the Jazz world alike. This new CD “A New Kind Of Love” combines his multi talents as Trumpeter, Flugelhornist, Vocalist, Composer and much more! Based out of New Jersey, we would like to welcome… Gordon James.
Jazz Monthly: In what way do you think “A New Kind Of Love” will contribute in the Jazz scene today?
Gordon James (GJ): I think A New Kind of Love offers more variety to the smooth jazz scene. In my opinion much of smooth jazz today sounds the same. The established artists all sound great and have their own styles but much of the new music tries to fit into that same mold. When I was creating the CD I found myself trying to write for that formula and found that it just didn’t feel right to me. So a lot of the instrumental music on the CD stretches that mold a little while still trying to keep it very commercial. (more…)
On Saturday nights it had become a ritual for me to go into my logic pro studio in my home and play. My roommates would joke with me and say “how many people are in there with you”. What can I say, I just tend to work out loud and you know run things by myself. Anyway this one Saturday night I was in the kitchen making some tea and this beat came into my head. It was like an eastern indian beat with tablas and udu drums. I started singing the words to John Lennon’s Give Peace A Chance and then I had an ahha moment. (more…)
It was December 2009. I was about to start a Think and Grow Rich class the following month but I was already reading the book. The class was being held at the Center for Spiritual living of North Jersey where I was playing for the services. At one of the services prior to that I had met Anne, a beautiful like minded spiritual aspirant like myself. We ended up hitting it off and became good friends. (more…)
There are several tracks on this recording that could have easily served as the title cut. Straight from the Heart, With Our Love even Smile were all considered. I chose A New Kind of Love because it has all of the qualities the others have; oneness, happiness, hope, and both personal and universal love. But more than that it tells of a shift in consciousness that’s happening on the planet. This music follows a movement towards love, kindness, gratitude, compassion, oneness and peace. It may not seem that way if you turn on the news but whats not getting reported on are all the amazing stories of people in all walks of life who are dedicated to waking up to love, art and beauty and who are giving and sharing there incredible talents to make a better more cooperative and creative world. (more…)