5th Annual “Jazz in the Gardens”

Tags

African American, Jazz, R&B

David-Sanborn

Jazz legends David Sanborn, Cassandra Wilson and Joe Sample are set to take the stage during the 5th Annual “Jazz in the Gardens” hosted by #1 rated, nationally syndicated radio personality Tom Joyner, Saturday, March 20th and Sunday, March 21st at Sun Life Stadium (formerly Dolphin Stadium), 2269 Dan Marino Blvd, Miami Gardens, Florida 33056. Internationally-known and well-respected, these jazz musicians are at the top of the genre, oftentimes pulling in audiences of over 6, 000 on their own bill.

Sanborn, Wilson and Sample are just three of the artists on the star-studded line-up for the nearly sold-out festival. Other confirmed artists include the queen of R&B, Mary J. Blige; R&B crooner, Robin Thicke; Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter, John Legend; 90s R&B/pop super group, Boyz II Men; funk/R&B diva, Teena Marie; Grammy nominated R&B vocalist, Melanie Fiona; and R&B newcomer, K’Jon.

Joe Sample

“Jazz is definitely alive and well at ‘Jazz in the Gardens’ in the form of Joe Sample, David Sanborn and Cassandra Wilson, ” stated event producer, Leon Saunders of Saunders Entertainment Group. “We are absolutely thrilled to have these major acts headlining ‘Jazz in the Gardens’ and bringing their revolutionary jazz sound to our festival.”

José James | Black Magic

Tags

African American, Jazz, Jose James, Male Vocals

José James | Black Magic – [Brownswood Recordings, 2010]

José James - Blackmagic

I have been living with “Black Magic” for the last two weeks and for me the challenge was letting go of my attachment to “The Dreamer” and letting “Black Magic” introduce itself to me on its own terms. In many ways “The Dreamer” is a hard act to follow – it is a nearly flawless debut carefully crafted to be a timeless classic. The challenge with “Black Magic” is that it is concerned with the “now’ enlisting cutting edge producers and collaborators from the global dance underground like Moodymann, Flying Lotus, DJ Mitsu the Beats, and Benga to give an identity to the project. Such a strategy begs the question of whether or not it will hold up in the coming years or become dated. IMHO I don’t see this happening because underpinning the project is a dedication to high aesthetics and a reinforcement of the qualities that initially attracted me to Mr. James’ music – there’s quality writing, musicianship and production all on offer here.