FIVE THINGS You SHould KNOW ABOUT
José James' Bill Withers Project

November 2, 2020 | by Rusty Aceves

José James

This week’s Fridays at Five streaming concert features singer and songwriter José James, performing the music of the great Bill Withers, who passed in June at age 81. Here are five things you should know about this project that is so close to James’ heart.

1. José James has had a lengthy history with SFJAZZ. We’ve been excited to trace José’s career as it has developed over a decade, first presenting him in an intimate duet performance with pianist Jef Neve at the Florence Gould Theater at San Francisco’s Palace of the Legion of Honor in November of 2010, supporting their then-current Impulse! album For All We Know — almost 10 years to the day — from his Fridays at Five concert. Other appearances on SFJAZZ stages have included McCoy Tyner’s 2011 revisiting of the iconic 1963 album John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman with saxophonist Chris Potter, eclectic shows in support of his neo-soul releases No Beginning No End and While You Were Sleeping, and a concert during the 2015-16 Season celebrating the centennial of Billie Holiday with music from his tribute album Yesterday I Had the Blues. He had been scheduled to return this month as part of our now-canceled 2020-21 Season with music from his new album No Beginning No End 2. We can’t wait to welcome him back.
2. He celebrated the legacy of Bill Withers in recognition of the singer and songwriting legend’s 80th birthday. Though the music of Bill Withers surrounded James all his life, the evolution of his tribute project was an organic process that developed over a number of years. James had been performing the occasional Withers song during live shows and had participated in a tribute to Withers and Al Green at Rockwood Music Hall in New York, which led to a medley of several Withers classics working its way into James’ live set. Audience reaction was overwhelmingly positive, with many fans asking him to record the songs. Upon realizing that the legendary songwriter was approaching his 80th birthday, James decided to honor his legacy with a full set of Withers classics.
3. Bill Withers himself blessed this project. In an opposite turn from most album-then-tour cycles, James toured his Bill Withers tribute for over a year before recording it. When Don Was, the head of Blue Note Records, heard James was doing the Withers material he knew James had to record it, but both Was and James wanted to make sure the project was blessed by the ultimate authority. Was set up a dinner between the two artists at Hollywood’s legendary Musso & Frank Grill to get Withers’ approval. The pair had a memorable and enlightening meeting that James still considers a life changer, ending with James asking if he could email his set list. In his touching eulogy for Withers posted on medium.com, James related how he sent an email with the songs, telling his idol how much he enjoyed meeting him and how honored he felt to do this tribute. Withers responded immediately, saying:
   
   “Likewise bud! Your song list is cool. Nothing like playing with a band that you like. All I can say is, Sic ‘em!” — Bill
4. His 2018 Blue Note Bill Withers tribute album Lean on Me was a hugely meaningful process. The sessions for Lean On Me were conducted at the iconic Capitol Studios with Don Was on board as producer. The history of the place wasn’t lost on James, who marveled at his opportunity to employ Nat “King” Cole’s piano as well as the same famous Neumann U47 vocal microphone that Frank Sinatra regularly used and was pictured with on numerous album covers. James chose 12 Withers tracks to record, including the timeless hits “Use Me,” “Lovely Day,” “Grandma’s Hands,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Who Is He,” “Kissing My Love,” “Just the Two of Us,” and of course, the title track. His superlative band on the session featured keyboard phenom Kris Bowers, bass virtuoso Pino Palladino, and the masterful drummer Nate Smith, who appeared with James during his first SFJAZZ show performing the Withers material in May 2018 during the 2017-18 Season.
5. This show is special, especially for Bay Area audiences. James returned to SFJAZZ with his Bill Withers tribute in June 2019 as part of the 37th San Francisco Jazz Festival, as featured in this week’s Fridays at Five streaming concert. He brought a terrific new band including guitarist Marcus Machado, keyboardist Takeshi Ohbayashi, drummer Aaron Steele, and bassist Aneesa Strings — an Oakland native and former member of our very own SFJAZZ High School All-Stars program who will be a member of the SFJAZZ Collective next year.

The music video for "Lovely Day," with guest vocalist Lalah Hathaway