Born and raised in Minneapolis, José James came of age with the sounds of… Read Full Bio ↴Born and raised in Minneapolis, José James came of age with the sounds of Prince, hip-hop and Modern jazz. Discovering an early passion for both music and creative writing, José combined these through performance – singing jazz standards, originals, and the works of John Coltrane with his quartet throughout the Twin Cites. Becoming a member of the groundbreaking avant-garde performance poetry and jazz ensemble Ancestor Energy, José was determined to devote his life to music, community, and spiritual unity.

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/

Spirits Up Above
José James Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

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

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

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in "Spirits Up Above" by Jose James depict the tale of a girl who had a group of friends who would come from far and wide to spend time with her. She would dazzle them with her wit, time, and talent which they all found sublime. However, no one stayed for long, and her loyalty to them was not her lot. She goes on her merry way as a queen for only a day, as the boy and girl in this world often take their own separate paths. The singer advices the listener to find what is good for them and not to take what is sweet in someone else's mouth. Different strokes for different folks could be a real good rule to go by.

The song depicts a certain indifference to attachment and a celebration of individuality. It emphasizes the transience of human connections and the significance of being true to oneself. The singer urges the listener not to judge anyone and that one's personal experiences differ from others. The song also stresses the vitality of considering one's unique perspectives and following our interests.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a girl that I once knew
The singer knew a girl

Who often had a friend a friend or two
The girl had friends

She gave them time love of wit and rhyme
She spent time with them and shared her love and creativity

Sublime
Her actions were excellent

They would come from far away
Her friends would travel long distances to see her

And often gather there all day
They would spend the whole day together

To show their love
They showed love to the girl

And see which one would stay
They competed to see who would stay the longest

But to her it mattered not
The girl didn't care about who stayed the longest

For loyalty was not her lot
She didn't value loyalty from her friends

Her answer was for not for them
She didn't answer when they asked why