Moving to New York City to attend The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, he was mentored by and recorded with both the legendary drummer Chico Hamilton and the pianist Junior Mance. There he also met his first ensemble that would form the studio and international touring band for his 2008 debut album “The Dreamer” (Jan 2008, Brownswood).
A chance meeting in London with international tastemaker and DJ Gilles Peterson led to a record deal on Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings label. Drawing upon diverse influences such as Freestyle Fellowship and Rahsaan Roland Kirk, “The Dreamer” was an international critical success, with José performing at venues such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, Billboard Live Tokyo, The Hermitage Museum, and Central Park Summerstage. “The Dreamer” was voted #21 Critic’s Pick of JazzTimes Top 50 Jazz Albums of 2008.
His sophomore release “BLACKMAGIC” (Feb 2010, Brownswood) explored the worldwide underground, featuring production from Flying Lotus, Moodymann, Taylor McFerrin, and DJ Mitsu the Beats. “BLACKMAGIC” also featured James’s live band in new territory, covering dubstep pioneer Benga’s “Emotions” and exploring a soul/hip-hop version of the R&B classic “Save Your Love For Me.” “BLACKMAGIC” toured in over 30 countries, at venues such as the Montreal Jazz Festival, Ancienne Belgique, Melkweg, and Lincoln Center. “Love Conversation” (produced by Taylor McFerrin), “Save Your Love for Me,” and “Desire” (from The Dreamer) were featured in Fox Searchlight Pictures 2010 “Our Family Wedding” starring Forest Whitaker, America Ferrera, Carlos Mencia, and Lance Gross.
Signing to Verve/Universal in 2010, James’s third studio album “For All We Know” (May 2010, Impulse!) was released on the legendary “Impulse!” label, home to many of John Coltrane’s masterworks. Largely recorded in a single day at the famed Galaxy Studios in Belguim, “For All We Know” is a deep and timeless duo album of jazz standards featuring Jef Neve on piano.
Winner of both the Edison Award and L’Académie du Jazz Grand Prix for best Vocal Jazz Album of 2010, “For All We Know” was James’s most intimate project to date, with performances in premiere concert halls such as L’Olympia, Royal Festival Hall, and De Roma, as well venues such as the Umbria Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola and Cotton Club Tokyo.
The collaboration between James and Jef Neve continued with an ambitious ongoing live project “Facing East: The Music of John Coltrane.” Conceived and directed by James “Facing East” made its worldwide debut at Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, and continued on to venues such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, Nice Jazz Festival, New Morning, and Ronnie Scott’s.
As a featured guest José has recorded albums with Junior Mance, Chico Hamilton, Nicola Conte, Bassment Jaxx, Jazzanova, Toshio Matsuura, J.A.M., DJ Mitsu the Beats, Timo Lassy, Taylor McFerrin, and Flying Lotus.
Recent projects include guest performances with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s “A Tribute to Billy Strayhorn” at Rose Theater, as well as touring internationally with McCoy Tyner’s “The Music of John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.”
He was recently voted 2011 DownBeat Critics Poll “Rising Star Best Male Vocalist” and is currently working on his fourth studio album “No Beginning, No End.”
http://josejamesmusic.com/
Nola
José James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who often had a friend a friend or two
She gave them time love of wit and rhyme
Sublime
They would come from far away
And often gather there all day
To show their love
But to her it mattered not
For loyalty was not her lot
Her answer was for not for them
To know
There she goes on her marry way
Though she's only queen for a day
Boy and girl often take this world
So you better mind what you say
My advice to you my friend
Is try to find what it's about
And then you take into account your own
Don't you take some sugar in your mouth
That may be sweet to you
But bitter when you feel it later on
What is good for you may not be good for me
So different strokes
For different folks
Could be a real good rule
There she goes on her marry way
Though she's only queen for a day
Boy and girl often take this world
So you better mind what you say
…
There she goes on her marry way
Though she's only queen for a day
Boy and girl often take this world
So you better mind what you say
There's a girl that I once knew
Who often had a friend a friend or two
She gave them time love of wit and rhyme
Sublime
They would come from far away
And often gather there all day
To show their love
And see which one would stay
But to her it mattered not
For loyalty was not her lot
Her answer was for not for them
To know
The lyrics to José James's song Nola tell a story of a girl who enjoys the attention of her friends, but doesn't seem to value their loyalty. She gives them her time, love, and wit, and they come from far away to spend time with her. They compete to see who will stay the longest, but she seems indifferent to their efforts. She goes on her "marry way" despite being "only queen for a day," implying that her behavior is ultimately fleeting and unimportant. The song advises listeners to take the time to understand their own values and preferences, rather than following others blindly.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a girl that I once knew
The singer is reminiscing about a girl he used to know.
Who often had a friend a friend or two
The girl had a few friends she would spend time with.
She gave them time love of wit and rhyme Sublime
She was very generous with her time and had a sparkling personality.
They would come from far away
Her friends would travel long distances to spend time with her.
And often gather there all day
They would spend long hours together.
To show their love
They were expressing their love for her through their presence and attention.
And see which one would stay
They were perhaps competing for her affections.
But to her it mattered not
She did not care about their loyalty or devotion.
For loyalty was not her lot
She did not value loyalty as a personal trait.
Her answer was for not for themTo know
She did not explain her disinterest or indifference to her friends.
There she goes on her marry way
The girl is moving on with her life.
Though she's only queen for a day
She is not likely to stay in the spotlight for long.
Boy and girl often take this worldSo you better mind what you say
People are fickle and easily swayed by words, so be careful what you say.
My advice to you my friendIs try to find what it's aboutAnd then you take into account your own
Figure out your own values and priorities before emulating others.
Don't you take some sugar in your mouthThat may be sweet to youBut bitter when you feel it later on
Beware of taking actions or indulging in pleasures that may seem delightful but have negative consequences later.
What is good for you may not be good for meSo different strokesFor different folksCould be a real good rule
Everyone is different, so what works for one person may not work for another.
Contributed by Keira R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jay Donuts
I love this song. Thank you so much for this rendition!
Asla Zaimi
What a wonderful amazing song.. I totally love everything about it.. I'm amazed
Tommy Moore
Just watched She's Gotta Have It & when Spikes father played this briefly on the piano I immediately recognized it from Jose's debut cd. This IS a remake & i must say both Spike & his father composer Bill Lee will be happy with the results. Well Done Jose James !!!
Italus
Wow, major talent -the sound, the lyrics...every song - love him!!
Carol Crowley
Very nice rendition.
A lil chicamica!
When I first heard this, I didn’t really like it as much as Bill Lee’s version with Ronnie Dyson
But after listening to it 8 times in a row I am now a fan, 10/10 cover and truly exceptional
T Marie Mitchell
Great song!
erin77erin
OMG!!! She's gotta have it! This is DOPE!!!
Amber Filor
AWESOME!!!!!! Very Dope!
Stacy D. Smith
I'm STILL mad this didn't make it into the "She's Gotta Have It" series.