In anticipation of his show at Le Poisson Rouge (NYC) tomorrow and his recent signing to Blue Note, we caught up with the heart-melting José James to get the latest on some very exciting developments. After hearing more about what Jose has to say about No Beginning, No End as well as the LPR show – we’re just about losing it with excitement!

Details for the show are below. Also, enter our contest to win tickets to tomorrow’s show.

Giant Step: Congratulations on signing with Blue Note! How does it feel?

Jose James: It feels fantastic – it’s a dream come true. Blue Note is everyone’s favorite classic jazz label and it’s exciting to bring something fresh to the legacy.

GS: What can we expect on the new album? And what excites you most about this new project?

JJ: First of all, the new album features Pino Palladino – the legend! Truly an honor to work with him. Chris “Daddy” Dave, Robert Glapser, Hindi Zahra, Richard Spaven, Emily King – it’s a stellar cast. It’s a mix of soul, R&B, gospel, jazz, and singer-songwriter. It’s truly a deeper look into who I am as an artist, outside of just jazz. I co-wrote with many of the artists above, as well as Fink and Amp Fiddler. I feel this is a definitive album for me and so far my best work. It’s been two years in the making! Sonically it’s way ahead of my other albums and I have engineers Brian Bender and Russ Elevado to thank for that.

GS: When can we hear No Beginning, No End – when does it drop?!

JJ: Well I just signed, so now we’re doing photoshoots and planning videos. Definitely will drop some new music this fall – stay tuned at josejamesmusic.com for updates! In the meantime, I’m showcasing new material in my live shows and will start touring worldwide.

GS: What can folks look forward to at this show?

JJ: I got Taylor McFerrin with me – he’s so amazing. Emily King special guest, and a fantastic band: Takuya Kuroda on trumpet, Andy Hunter trombone, Samora Pinderhughes keys, Ben Williams bass, and Nate Smith on drums. We keep it funky and real soulful!

GS: Any other special news you’re able to share with Giant Step fans?

JJ: Look out for remixes and vinyl – this is the album you’ve been waiting for.

Event Details
José James with Special Guests, plus Taylor McFerrin

Friday, May 11, 2012
Doors 7pm

(Le) Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker Street
New York, NY

Tickets: $15 advance / $20 door
Purchase tickets

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Who doesn’t love Black Milk? Yeah, we don’t know either. Thanks to Flud Watches, you can follow the fine young lad on tour and hear him speak on being from Detroit, his musical influences, and working with his band Nat Turner.

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Just about a couple weeks ago, we highlighted a phenomenal UK vocalist who will soon be releasing her debut album in the US. And it appears as though yesterday Rebecca Ferguson leaked a new track along with a video, too!

Called “Backtrack,” the pop-friendly song is about a lover who lies and lies only to cycle back and try to cover it up and “backtrack” on what was said. And Rebecca ain’t having it. Click on the image above to view the video on Glamour.com, where it was exclusively released. On the same page, you’ll also find an interview with the quickly blossoming star!

A few very lucky folks will have the chance to see Rebecca live at one of two private industry shows! The Los Angeles show will be on Tuesday, April 24 and the New York City show will be on Tuesday, May 1.

Enter our contest to win tickets to the LA & NYC shows!

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A beautifully shot conversation between Lianne La Havas and VV Brown. Lianne discusses how she first got into music when she was seven years old, what she listened to while growing up, what “luxurious, velvety, gravely” voices (what a description) inspire her to sing, and meeting Bon Iver, amongst a few othen fun tidbits. Who can be mad at two pretty talented ladies chatting about music, fashion, and inspiration, really?

Purchase Lost & Found on iTunes | Amazon

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“I wanted to go back to a highlife feeling with this album,” explains Ebo Taylor. “The songs are very personal and it is an important part of my music to keep alive many traditional Fante songs, war chants and children’s rhymes.”

Hear more about Ebo’s upcoming release, Appia Kwa Bridge, in the video interview above. The album releases on April 16.

Below, you can hear an exclusive leak for our favorite album track, “Ayesama.”

Ebo Taylor – Ayesama by Strut

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Chillwave producer Toro Y Moi (aka Chazwick Bundick) sat down with XLR8R editor Shawn Reynaldo for a little chit chat for a Red Bull Music Academy session in Phoenix. In the video above, find out how Chaz came up with his stage name, his take on his work over the years, the difficulty many journalists have had in pinning down a genre for his music, what gear he uses, amongst other fun tidbits.

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Earlier this month, Red Bull Music Academy and Boombox in LA collaborated to put together a party and a sit down lecture featuring Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest) and Maseo (De La Soul). The celebratory focus was the life and music of the late great J Dilla. The talk was hosted by our pal Cognito of Frolab.

Get schooled and enjoy!

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Maseo on Twitter

Chiddy Bang discusses their February 28th slated Breakfast album in this new video (click image to be linked). Roll up your sleeves and get ready to eat, kiddies!

Also, grab their free iTunes track of the week, “Handclaps & Guitars” while you can!

The album is also out early on iTunes if you are so inclined.

Purchase Breakfast on iTunes

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Sonnymoon has finally released their sophomore project, the 2012 EP! Above is the trippy live performance video for the opening track, “Near Me,” a lulling yet glitchy electro-soul tune. So glad to hear more from these guys! Check out a full stream of the EP below.

Also, hop over to Jay Z’s Life+Times blog for an interesting interview with the duo detailing their influences and times at the Berklee College of Music.

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You’ve already gotten to hear a couple tracks off Robert Glasper’s upcoming Black Radio project, but you want more. Here it is.

This EPK filmed and produced by our friends at Frolab shows an intimate look at the recording process of Black Radio, gives you a peek to several song snippets, and interviews Robert on the unique recording process and his take on the project itself.

Really really great piece. And the anticipation continues…

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