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/
Vanguard
José James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it now the time, make a dream arise?
I carry you inside, burning deeply with desire
Burn your blazing fire, tremble through the night.
Love, I already know, your face is already shown
Why do I have to go away from my home?
And where will I go? Where will I be?
Maybe, all my life, I've been waiting, wonder why
Is it now the time, make a dream arise?
I carry you inside, burning deeply with desire
Burn your blazing fire, tremble through the night.
Love, I already know, your face is already shown
Why do I have to go away from my home?
And where will I go? Where will I be?
And when will I know, when will I see you?
Maybe, all my life, I've been waiting, wonder why
Is it now the time, make a dream arise?
I carry you inside, burning deeply with desire
Burn your blazing fire, tremble through the night.
All I am,
All I feel,
All you are,
All I will.
Maybe, all my life, I've been waiting, wonder why
Is it now the time, make a dream arise?
I carry you inside, burning deeply with desire
Burn your blazing fire, tremble through the night
The lyrics to José James's song Vanguard speak about the uncertain and confusing nature of love and the desire to make dreams come to life. The singer seems to be deeply in love and willing to carry the weight of their passion with them at all times. However, they also seem conflicted about the sacrifices they may have to make in order to pursue this love. They question why they have to leave their home and wonder where they will go and when they will see their love again. The repetition of the lines "all my life, I've been waiting, wonder why" highlights the struggle and confusion that comes with desiring something so deeply, yet not knowing how to achieve it.
The chorus of the song is a plea for clarity and direction. The singer sings about carrying their love inside, burning deeply with desire and wanting to make their dreams a reality. They want their love to consume them, to tremble through the night with the intensity of its passion. The lyrics are open to interpretation and can be seen as a reflection of the universal human experience of yearning for something and the fear of the unknown that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe, all my life, I've been waiting, wonder why
José James reflects on his life and wonders why he has been waiting for an undefined dream or goal for so long
Is it now the time, make a dream arise?
He questions whether it's the right time to pursue his dream
I carry you inside, burning deeply with desire
José James has a deep-seated desire, fuelled by his yearning for his lover
Burn your blazing fire, tremble through the night.
He is urging his lover to embrace the passion they share and let it tremble throughout every fiber of their bodies
Love, I already know, your face is already shown
José James knows his lover intimately and is familiar with every aspect of their relationship
Why do I have to go away from my home?
He is perplexed by the idea of leaving the comfort of his surroundings and the people he knows
And where will I go? Where will I be?
He contemplates the unknown future that lies ahead
And when will I know, when will I see you?
He yearns for a future with his lover and questions when he will be with them again
All I am,
José James is acknowledging his emotions and vulnerability
All I feel,
He recognizes the depth of his feelings and acknowledges his own personal journey
All you are,
José James recognizes the importance of his lover in his life- they are everything to him
All I will.
His love for his partner will exist in the future- it is an ever-lasting emotion that won't fade away
Maybe, all my life, I've been waiting, wonder why
The chorus symbolizes how this thought has been occupying his mind throughout, and he wonders why he has been waiting for so long
Is it now the time, make a dream arise?
José James questions himself again if it's the right time to pursue his dream.
I carry you inside, burning deeply with desire
José James's desire for his lover is still burning inside him, making him restless
Burn your blazing fire, tremble through the night.
He urges his lover to embrace and reciprocate the passion entirely and share every emotion.
Maybe, all my life, I've been waiting, wonder why
Repetition of the same line reinforces the thought
Is it now the time, make a dream arise?
Questioning the opportune moment again
I carry you inside, burning deeply with desire
His desire for his lover still runs deep
Burn your blazing fire, tremble through the night.
He continues to urge his lover to embrace and share the fiery passion they have for each other.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ROBERT GLASPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind