Band Quote by Jose James
“I actually started the whole project some years ago with a live debut at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. The focus was mainly on my favorite period of Billie Holiday, which was the late-50s Verve recordings, with essentially a small version of the Count Basie band.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Jazz Europe Festival, 2019
Blending classic jazz with modern band arrangements revives historic music for new audiences.
In simple terms: Mixing old jazz with fresh sounds re‑energizes it.
Key Takeaway
Explore jazz history creatively.
Themes
music
heritage
innovation
Mood
inspirational
enthusiastic
Type
musical
creative
When to use this quote
- concert programming
- educational workshops
- recording projects
- cultural festivals
Key Concepts
jazz history
arrangement techniques
Questions to Reflect On
- How can tradition stay relevant?
- What risks arise when remixing classics?
A Different Perspective
Balancing authenticity with innovation can be contentious.
![“I love that [ late-50s Verve recordings] - to me, that's the epitome of vocal jazz. It's my favorite style and era of it.” quote by Jose James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/528/jose-james-22349_epitome_i-love-that-late-50s-verve-recordings-to_2017045.jpg)
![“Jason [Moran] and John [Patitucci] and Eric [Harland] knew it was a Billie Holiday tribute. I'm sure they assumed it was going to be like another singer date, where we just have a bunch of charts and they write them down and they got paid and kind of moved on. There's nothing wrong with that, but…” quote by Jose James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/caf/jose-james-22349_billie-holiday_jason-moran-and-john-patitucci-and-eric_1495513.jpg)
![“The other songs [of Billie Holiday] - "Body and Soul" is like the standard - I also wanted some songs that I knew I would sound good on, as a producer. It's been the same nine songs since I debuted it back in 2012.” quote by Jose James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/134/jose-james-22349_billie-holiday_the-other-songs-of-billie-holiday-body-a_260885.jpg)
![“[Billie Holiday] was keeping it super real, and you can feel that to this day. Everything that she sang, she believed in. So I had to pick songs that I felt the same about.” quote by Jose James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3ba/jose-james-22349_billie-holiday_billie-holiday-was-keeping-it-super-real_313883.jpg)
![“All my stuff is pretty seamless - like now, while I'm touring [Yesterday I Sang The Blues], today I'm going to go in the studio, I'm writing my next one. For me it's continual.” quote by Jose James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e35/jose-james-22349_next_all-my-stuff-is-pretty-seamless-like-now_1077289.jpg)
