How to go
What: Boney James and Norman Brown’s Summer Storm, with Patti Austin and Eric Darius
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15
Where: Fraze Pavilion, 695 Lincoln Park Blvd., Kettering.
Cost: $27.
For more information: (937) 296-3300 or www.fraze.com
Saxophonist Boney James brings his urban jazz sounds to the Fraze Pavilion Saturday, Aug. 15, as the headliner for the Festival of the Vine, Fine Wine and Cool Jazz.
James, guitarist Norman Brown, vocalist Patti Austin, and saxophonist Eric Darius perform in a 7 p.m. ticketed concert. Festival-goers also can hear live jazz in Lincoln Park Civic Commons from 2 to 7 p.m. while sampling wines.
A chart-topping smooth jazz veteran with an R&B-seasoned horn, James is known as a superior live act with charm, charisma and flair. According to James, although he relishes interacting with the audience now, his on-stage persona did not come easily. When James transitioned from a backup musician to a featured act, he worked to become a performer, not just a musician.
“The person I am on stage is much different than the person I am in private,” James says. “I tried to tap into something that was inside me. I had to step up and be an entertainer. I did learn to get in touch with that side of myself.”
Fortunately for James, he had experience performing with some excellent musicians who modeled for him the art of performing, such as the Isley Brothers, Hank Crawford and Sheena Easton.
“I learned a lot about entertaining from them,” James says, “but it was a real process to build a career as a soloist.”
That’s not to say that James was ever reluctant to perform live. He’s always found that to be the most thrilling aspect of being a musician.
“It’s a lot more spontaneous to play live; you’re more meticulous making the recordings,” he says. “There’s always more energy when the crowd is there, there is more improvisation, and that really brings the jazz element into it.”
James “was pleased that so many people turned out” to his show at the Fraze last summer. Rejoining him for his 2009 tour is drummer Omani Williams. Keyboardist Mark Stephens and bassist Sam Sims also will be on hand, as well as a fresh, young guitarist, Jairrus Mozee.
“He’s super talented and bringing a lot of energy to the show,” James says of Mozee. “It’s been a lot of fun playing the new music, and we’re going to give it our all.”
Material will include a heavy dose of the newest Boney James album, “Send One Your Love” (Concord 2009), which is James’s first concept album. James has dubbed the record “the ultimate musical Valentine” because of its scintillating, come-hither vibe.
“I thought it would be interesting to shake up the process a bit and see how that would effect me,” says James, who normally takes a less focused, more exploratory path to creating an album. “It was inspirational.”
James remakes love songs like James Taylor’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” and the title track, a Stevie Wonder ballad. His originals and covers blend smoothly together, cohesive but not redundant. James mostly plays tenor sax, but also works in alto and soprano saxes to fit the mood of each song.
“The different horns are different voices and they each have their own character,” he explains. “I get to assume a different character with each one, but still sound like me.”
Matt Warner is a contributing writer for the Dayton Daily News. He can be reached by e-mail at warner.matt@me.com.
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