I gotta confess; when I first heard of this project by vocalist Jose’ James, I thought, “Another tribute to Billie Holiday? You’ve gotta be kidding? What more can be done.” Well, my friend, plenty.
James plays it real smart here, keeping the accompaniment real simple with a core of Jason Moran/p, John Patitucci/b and Eric Harland/dr. He also keeps the mood relaxed and late night reflective, which is perfect for his nice vibrato, as on “Fine and Mellow” where he lets the end of “that I’ve ever seen” drop like a ripe grapefruit. He is double dreamy on “Body and Soul” and when he reaches the climax he doesn’t over do it, with more of a leaning on the lyric than an enunciation. He sounds conversant yet musical throughout, playful with Moran on “I Thought About You” and holds back so much during the subtle restlessness of the trio on “What A Little Moonlight Can Do” that he enters half way through the piece and then holds back as if he were notes coming out of Lester Young’s tenor sax.
His take of “Lover Man” has a funky backbeat, and his delivery is less desperation than a wish list. “God Bless the Child” has a gospel feeling with Moran at the keyboards, but nothing prepares you for the closing track, “Strange Fruit.” With just vocal accompaniment, Jones turns the piece into a mix of a Sunday Morning church meeting with a dash of field holler, making the tune more harrowing to the marrow than any other delivery. This is a guy that feels what he’s singing, and you need to hear what he feels!
Blue Note Records