José James Brings Blackmagic to Hiro Ballroom

Mitch Strashnov / April 22, 2010

Winning over a crowd in New York City is not an easy task for any artist. Whether an established veteran or a rookie getting their feet wet, it’s all about bringing it in one shot. With a band it could be an instrumental solo, with a DJ it’s a euphoric drop of bass magic, but what comes out of a jazz group? What is the moment that brings a crowd to a collective gasp and makes a stunning impact of musical power? With the performance of José James and his band at the Hiro Ballroom, there was a handful of moments that provided gasps of awe and inspiration.

As the band struck the introductory tune for the night, the vibe was very relaxed, with people getting soothed into the realm of James’s band. When James himself appeared, the crowd erupted with applause, graciously welcoming him to the stage of the Hiro Ballroom. Starting off strong, the singer went back and forth between cuts off of his latest album, as well as shouting out admirable producers in the process (Moodyman, Flying Lotus and Benga). With over an hour of skillfully smooth and sensual music being performed, José James stood proudly with a smile, knowing he had provided concert-goers with a show that had gone between a variety of genres.

While he may be lumped in ‘soulful jazz’ by a generalised consensus of critics, James is everything and more as a singer and performer: always finding something new in sounds and spinning it on its head to make it his own. We wouldn’t have it any other way.