Jazz Connection Magazine

Hit Making Smooth Jazz Saxophonist Releases New CD That's "Pure" Boney James

Smooth Jazz sax giant Boney James, above, has been a consistent hit maker

since 1992 chalking up eight best-selling albums - five of them certified gold -

and a Grammy nomination. This month, his ninth album, Pure, on Warner

Bros. Records, will be released. The CD marks James' debut as a solo producer.

Wherever the music leads, says Boney James, is where he follows. And for over the past decade, the music has led the hip saxophonist with the sizzling R&B-rooted style to the pinnacles of the Smooth Jazz world, chalking up eight best-selling albums - five of them certified gold - and a Grammy nod to boot.

"That's always been my motto since I started making my own records," James said in a telephone conversation from his home in Los Angeles. "For me, making records has always just been following where the songs lead. Songs come from wherever inspiration for songs come from. I have no idea where that is. I think each record does develop its own persona just because of wherever you are in your life at that time."

Once again the music has magically taken the superstar saxophonist into seemingly uncharted waters and the results are pure James. In fact, Pure is the title of his new album, to be released Aug. 3. It's his ninth album for Warner Brothers. (See Boney James CD)

The odds are that any record that James waxes is a sure bet to rank high on the charts, giving the saxophonist with the seductive sound the "Midas Touch" when it comes to record sales. This is a phenomenon that continues to amaze James himself, he said.

"I don't take it for granted at all," James said. "A lot of people assume I'll put out a record and it's going to do well. I don't feel that way at all. I try not to obsess too much about how it's going to turn out. I really keep trying to remind myself that the fact that I get to this (playing music) everyday is the real blessing. Any success accrued from it is just gravy."

Coming off the heels of Ride, his Grammy-nominated album from two years ago, Pure will no doubt add more gravy to James' already huge plate of musical successes.

The new ten-track album, which marks James' debut as his own producer, has a different vibe to it than past projects, reflecting more of a freewheeling approach. The main difference with this project is there were no outside influences helping to steer the course of the album, according to James.

Since his debut as a solo recording artist in 1992, James has always collaborated on record production with guitarist/vocalist Paul Brown. Brown’s talents as producer/engineer have earned him two Grammy Awards and an impressive string of more than forty Number One hits on Radio & Records’ Smooth Jazz chart. In a career spanning over two decades, Brown has also worked on projects for such influential artists as George Benson, Al Jarreau, Kirk Whalum, Rick Braun, Larry Carlton, Peter White, Norman Brown, and Luther Vandross, among others.

"When I became a recording artist, I knew nothing about making records," James confessed. "Over the years, I learned more and more. I started co-producing with Paul. With this record, I'm not collaborating with anybody. It's just me so that the music you just hear is not me tempered by Paul Brown's sensibilities, just my sensibility. That's the real difference."

In addition to producing Pure, James' creativity as a composer for the project took a different and unexpected turn after he received the tragic news of the death of his older brother, Larry Oppenheim, to drug overdose, he said.

"During the summer of 2002, I had started writing the material for the album and started building a digital studio here at home where I could work when I felt like it," James said. "The day I had finished putting the studio all together is when I got the news that Larry died. His death definitely had a major affect on how the album turned out."

Only eleven months apart in age, Larry, a former teacher, had been a huge part of the saxophonist's life, James said.

"We had a very up and down relationship through the years and we eventually became best friends," James said. "Larry had a substance abuse problem and had gotten sober for a long time. Unfortunately, he fell off the wagon. It was a difficult thing."

James channeled his grieving emotions into the record, which proved to be very healing. In spite of the circumstances surrounding the creation of the music, James is hesitant to say if Pure fits into the perimeters of his artistic vision, he said.

"I don't know if I would really quantify it any way," he said. "It just is what it is. I think it's up for the listener to decide what it sounds like to them. I don't have an ideology behind it. It's just about making music that feels good to me. I think it's a function of my inner feelings about my music. Everyone has to make up their own minds about their inner feelings about it, too."

While Pure contains some intensely seductive and funky instrumental originals that feature James on tenor, alto and soprano saxes, it is also graced by a number of guest artists including female singers Debi Nova and Ledisi; male singers Bilal and Dwele; and piano great Joe Sample, one of James's early musical heroes, whose solo on Stone Groove is an album highlight.

As he has done on earlier albums, James invited singers to make guest appearances. Initially, he wrote Appreciate as a male vocal piece with singer Jon B. in mind. However, the tune evolved into a fiery Latin dance vibe which provided the perfect showcase for Warner Bros. newcomer, Debi Nova.

The dynamic Bilal is featured on the gentle soul-infused piece, Better With Time, while Dwele soars on the soft-textured but bluesy Break Of Dawn. Dwele, a Detroit native, was recently targeted by Entertainment Weekly as one of ten artists "on the brink."

Soul songstress Ledisi gets down on the pulsating and funky Thinkin' 'Bout Me. Ledisi, who grew up in Oakland, is the winner of the 2003 California Music Awards for Outstanding Jazz Album, Feeling Orange But Sometimes Blue.

"These singers are super talented." James said of his guest vocalists. "They are young, hip, and I admire the music they make on their own. I'm glad that they all collaborated with me. I'm so pleased with the way it turned out."

Born James Oppenheim in Massachusetts, the future Boney James grew up in New Rochelle, NY. He

is the second of three sons. His younger brother, Peter Isaac Oppenheim, is a family physician in Salinas, CA. James studied clarinet when he was eight, switching to saxophone two years later.

By the time James was in junior high school, he got turned on to the music of the late Grover Washington. Jr., he said.

"I was really an R&B, pop radio fan," James recalled. "When I heard Grover's Mister Magic (1975), it was like 'Wham!' here's a great sax player with a beautiful tone and he's playing this incredible funky groove and really catchy melody. That's what turned it around for me."

When James was 15, his family moved to Los Angeles. The fledgling saxophonist was soon playing in the fusion band, Line One, which was strong enough to open for Flora Purim and The Yellowjackets.

After a year attending the University of California, Berkeley, he transferred to UCLA so he could continue playing with Line One. He earned a degree in history but became a full-time musician after graduation, doubling on keyboards.

While at UCLA, James met and later married film and television actress Lily Mariye, who is widely recognized as nurse Lily Jarvik on the smash television series ER.

For the next few years, James struggled on the music scene playing with a number of bands at night in the Los Angeles area while delivering pizzas during the day. His big break came in 1985 when funkmaster Morris Day tapped James to be his keyboardist.

James eventually convinced Day that he should be playing saxophone instead of keyboards. He spent four years with Day and became in-demand for guest spots on tenor, alto, soprano, and flute, playing with such R&B/jazz artists like Randy Crawford and Bobby Caldwell, and R&B stalwarts as The Isley Brothers, Teena Marie, Vesta, Cherrelle, and Ray Parker, Jr., and pop star Sheena Easton.

James picked up his nickname while on tour with Crawford. After mentioning to a keyboardist that he was running out of food money, the musician replied that if he ate any less, he would have to be called "Boney James."

Following seven years of touring as a sideman, James decided it was time to launch a solo career. He started writing and signed an initial record deal with Spindletop, an independent label, resulting in his 1992 solo debut, Trust. Turning heads almost immdeiately, the album quickly made Billboard's Top 40.

Saxophonist Boney James performing as part of the "Concerts In

Grove" series at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento, CA, last

September. - Photo by Stephen Fratallone/Jazz Connection Magazine

Cutting his teeth by playing in R&B, jazz, and pop formats as a sideman provided a solid foundation for James when he broke into the Smooth Jazz genre.

"It's just a real, gut level reaction to it," James said of the transition. "It's always been the kind of music I love. I still listen to a lot of my favorite records when I was a kid: Grover, Joe Sample and The Crusaders, Earth, Wind & Fire. When I started creating my own music, I think this just what came out."

A year later after his debut album hit the market, James signed with Warner Bros. and released the album, Backbone, which reached Number 4 on Billboard's Smooth Jazz chart.

In 1995, his follow-up album, Seduction, rose to Number 3 and earning James his first Gold Record.

Two years later, James released Sweet Thing, which became one of the biggest contemporary jazz records of both 1997 and 1998. The album skyrocketed to Number One on the Billboard chart giving the hit making saxophonist his second Gold Record and a Soul Train Award. His 1999's Body Language, also reaching Number One and also going gold, brought James international attention, resulting in a first visit to the United Kingdom, Japan, The Philippines, and Korea.

The following year, James brought holiday cheer to his fans with the release of Boney's Funky Christmas, which shot to Number 4 on the charts. Also during that year, James collaborated with trumpeter Rick Braun on Shake It Up!, resulting in another Number One album, and the saxophonist's fourth straight Gold record.

In 2002, James' Ride, while going Number One, garnered a Grammy nomination and a fifth Gold record for the celebrated saxophonist.

With all his artistic and commercial successes accrued thus far in his career, James is very comfortable being identified as a Smooth Jazz recording artist.

"I'm glad that there is a Smooth Jazz genre and that there are radio stations that play my music," James said. "That's the main thing."

Such accolades could not have been envisioned by James during those lean times when he was delivering pizzas, he said.

Although James can not say as to what the "secret" may be concerning the popular appeal of his music, some have hinted that the answer may be found in the seductive nature of James' compositions, calling it "sex music."

"I have created a number of songs that do tend to put people in a certain mode," James said. "I feel it, too. I'm drawn to that kind of music. As a fan, I always love sexy, sultry stuff, John Klemmer-type stuff. That's just the kind of music I like and I continue to produce it. I also like the funky, groovin', up-tempo stuff, too. I think it has to do with how I phrase things on my saxophone that people seem to feel is sexy. I really have no control over that."

For James, every recording project is a learning experience, to be sure, but with Pure, the growth to his professional and personal lives was far more pervasive than previous projects.

"Certainly, there was growth in terms of confidence," James said. "Going into this project, I had some fear if I was going to make this happen or not. There's also the process of making this record, pulling together all the hundreds and thousands of parts (laughs). I worked on this thing every day for just about 12 hours a day for little over a year. It was also a great experience in terms of empowering myself and following my muse wherever it led and having ideas and making them into reality. That made me feel a lot stronger."

Now that the producing "bug" has bitten James, he is seriously considering producing all of his future recording projects, he said.

"I really loved doing it," he said. "For me, it was just about making the music reach its full potential. So much of that is instinct. I may want to consider producing other artists as well."

However, it will remain to be seen if James has any opportunities of producing future albums on the Warner Bros. label. Earlier this year Warner Bros. Records gave many of its top jazz artists the boot, while James was retained by the label. Although the bond still appears to be tight between the superstar saxophonist and the execs at Warner Bros., anything is possible.

"I think time will tell," James said. "So far, so good. I wasn't one of the many artists that got dropped. That's certainly encouraging! (laughs) But Warner Bros. really seem to be picking up the ball. There's a whole new team of people over there who have been working on my project. These are people who don't just work jazz projects but they work all kinds of projects. That's what I really always wanted - to be considered not just a jazz artist - but to be a member of the Warner Bros. family. It seems to be turning out that way, knock on wood."

James has building momentum in anticipation for Pure's release by touring extensively this summer to promote the album. For touring information, log on to the official Boney James website at http://www.boneyjames.com/

Northern Californians can catch James on his Pure tour when the Smooth Jazz giant comes to Sacramento's Radisson Hotel Outdoor Grove on Saturday, Oct. 9. For ticket information, call the Radisson at (916) 922-2020.

James hopes that when people listen to Pure or attend any of his live performances that his music will stir the emotions, he said.

"I want people to get whatever they want out of it," James said. "You listen to music at different times and for different reasons. That's the beautiful thing about music. It can cheer you up or make you pensive. It stirs your emotions. I guess that's what I really want people to get out of my music, some sense of being affected by it."

Certainly record sales are one indicator of how people are affected by music. If they dig it, they'll buy it. That seems to be the case with James. With a string of top-selling, chart-topping albums to his credit, it's safe to say that James' numerous fans world wide will continue to dig his music as he puts his own individual mark on it - a mark that even James himself is hard-pressed to identify, he said.

"Oh, gosh, I don't know... that's a tough one," James said with a laugh. "I just keep my nose to the grindstone and try not to think about those questions."

Jazz Connection Magazine . August - September 2004 . www.jazzconnectionmag.com