A few years ago, I went to hear some music at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The headliner was Zucchero, a funky Italian superstar musician whose style is part rock, part blues, part soul and all energy. It was a terrific show.
There was this tall thin dude in an apple cap playing in the band that night, and he was all kinds of incredible. His name is James Thompson. He moved effortlessly from funky saxophone to cool flute to soulful harmonica, then used his honeyed baritone-tenor in both feature solos and impeccable backing vocals.
Damn, but that James Thompson stole the show.
I could be a bit prejudiced. I've known James all of my life.
He's my brother.
James is one of those people who could not possibly have grown up to be anything else than what he became --- one of the most gifted and versatile sidemen in the world, true, but a brilliant musician in his own right. Accomplished at bass, guitar, piano, keyboards, saxophone and flute, James, except for a single year in his life, has always made his living as a working musician.
It shows.
As I wrote in the blog "For Free", James, who is based in Italy, has played everywhere from the Vatican to Red Square, from Montreux Jazz Festival to the Royal Albert Hall. He's jammed with legendary musicians, shared a bottle of wine (or two) with some of the most important artists of the last thirty years, and continued to hone his craft before millions of music lovers worldwide.
James has also fronted his own band in various combinations for some time now, but he's finally released his own CD, entitled "Different Faces." It is as diverse, as unexpected and as entertaining as he is (James is also one of the funniest people I know), with music ranging from pop, rock, soul, and acoustic to tropical and smooth jazz. That's just for a start.
James’ first solo CD “Different Faces”, his debut CD as leader, is a project one year in the making.--- from the "Different Faces" album notes
Take a short trip into his multi-faceted world, where he negotiates some often peculiar musical twists and turns. You’ll hear irony, humor and sometimes abrupt mood swings in action on this pleasantly unpredictable CD.
There’s a common thread running through “Different Faces” that holds it all together nicely.
Check out James Thompson's "Different Faces" --- as singer and songwriter, and playing sax and flute, he reveals his own unique appeal.
Available now at CDBaby, and coming soon to iTunes!
Listen to samples at James Thompson's MySpace.
Also visit James Thompson's website.
-- photo from musicclub
"Opening Night" is a recurring feature, spotlighting newly announced projects, new releases and new artists --- often at the same time.
Technorati tags: James Thompson, "Different Faces", music, musicians, Zucchero, House of Blues, saxophone, Montreux Jazz Festival, Royal Albert Hall, singer, songwriter, CDBaby, iTunes, Italy, rock, blues, jazz
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