Review

Jose James & Jeff Neve: For All We Know

Jose James, a man who never stops still, goes against the grain and brings out a platter of jazz standards. A brave move as this tends to be a graveyard for many a middle of the road jazz crooner, however Jose is anything but and pulls off a rather delightful and intimate affair with the help of the silky deft touches of pianist Jeff Neve.

Kicking off with 'Autumn In New York" a perennial of Ella Fitzgerald no less, sees JJ lovingly nurture the tune, no histrionics just a beautiful rendition that let's the divine melody do the talking. JJ effortlessly sails over the top,like a paper moon and coupled with Neve's evocative piano, they manage to breathe new life into this evergreen and in particular, the canon of jazz.

"Tenderly" is a winner too. The piano intro will stop you in your tracks and you feel yourself palpably excited when JJ comes in with his smokey and just the right amount of fragile singing, that seeps in like the finest of single malts. These boys are aiming straight for the heart strings and won't be satisfied till they're plucking on them merrily and Neve's solo emphasises this!

"Just Squeeze Me" an Ellington tune again favoured by Ella gets a cheeky rendition from the boys. Neve's groove is bang on the money and you can hear him groaning Keith Jarrett style as he wildly improvises. This is a great pairing, Neve is the perfect foible for JJ's golden tonsils.

The project came together spontaneously, after they performed together on a Belgian TV show and Neve filled in for James' regular pianist at a concert in Brussels. The songs were recorded in a single six-hour session, no overdubs just live and the results speak for themselves. Two talents merging with the minimum of fuss producing dazzling effects,let these guys transport you to another place, they have me!
Words Emrys Baird