THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 25, 1994 TAG: 9408250010
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARVIN LEON LAKE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 129 lines
MAYBE HE WOULD have made it as James Oppenheim. But you've got to admit, Boney James has a certain ring to it. It's sassy, street-wise. Cool.
It's certainly not a moniker that suggests that James - the new darling of contemporary jazz saxophone - is actually an upper middle class white guy who attended Beverly Hills High School and holds a history degree from UCLA.
``People are always thinking I'm a brother,'' James said. ``It's the music, I suppose. Maybe it's funky or soulful - some of the things people associate with black artists.
``Which isn't necessarily true,'' he's quick to add. ``There are some unfunky black people and some very funky white people. But I guess the truth is, I've always been drawn to black music.''
Boney James was calling from Los Angeles where the skies were overcast, the weather dreary. But the 32-year-old funk-oriented saxophonist was decidedly upbeat.
James has every reason to be. He has quickly gone from being an in-demand session and touring musician for the likes of Randy Crawford, Morris Day, Ray Parker Jr., and Angela Winbush to a chart-busting artist with a rapidly growing following.
He'll perform Sunday at the Town Point Jazz Festival in Norfolk.
James' soulful tenor and soprano saxophone stylings blare from a variety of radio formats - jazz, R&B, ``Quiet Storm'' and adult contemporary.
``Backbone,'' his nine-song collection of originals and covers on Warner Bros. Records, is James' second release. His 1992 debut, ``Trust,'' was on the now-defunct Spindletop label, but Warner Bros. is scheduled to re-release it later this year.
With practically no advertising and retail distribution support, ``Trust'' reached No. 8 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart, thanks to steady radio play and word-of-mouth praise.
James readily admits that he felt ``a little more pressure'' to have ``Backbone'' be a success.
``When I got the opportunity to make `Trust,' I really didn't expect anything out of it. It was just an exercise in fun. With the second, there was the sense that you had something to lose if it didn't work out.''
James had a batch of tunes just waiting to record when he put together ``Trust.''
``But `Backbone' was all from scratch,'' he said. ``We had to deal with the time pressure of touring and all, so I only got to write some of the songs. We ended up borrowing some tunes.''
Born in Lowell, Mass., and raised in New Rochelle, N.Y., James started playing the clarinet in elementary school, then grudingly switched to the saxophone after his junior high music teacher enticed him with the idea of sporting the school's snazzy band uniforms.
James' parents - dad is an entertainment lawyer, mom a parent psychologist in a community center - moved the family to Los Angeles in 1975. James played in a succession of bands and later led the fusion group, Line One, which opened for such acts as Airto and Flora Purim and The Yellowjackets.
When he headed to college - first Berkeley, then UCLA - James majored in history. What did he have in mind doing with his degree?
``Open a little history store?'' he replied. ``No, I was probably thinking about eventually going to law school. I didn't think I could make a living playing music.''
But then came summer vacations, and James starting making money playing in a band. ``I was so in love with it,'' he recalls. ``Not the money, it wasn't much, but the whole experience.
``I was sort of a half-assed student. There I was in the club until 2 a.m. playing, with a final the next morning. But I got that degree. It's at home gathering dust.''
In 1985, James got his first really big break: a successful audition to be a keyboardist with Morris Day and the Time. Day later discovered James' talents on sax and gave him a 10-minute spotlight during the costume-changing segments of his touring shows.
The break that led to James' first record came in 1991, while he was on tour with Bobby Caldwell. He struck up a friendship with Caldwell's sound engineer, Paul Brown, who introduced him to Spindletop executives. Spindletop offered him a chance to record and, ultimately, to front his own band.
No longer a sideman, James set about defining his own musical voice.
``I really don't have an outside stream,'' he says. ``I try to play real melodic. When I play, I try not to think about it too much. I just do it. I've heard guys try too hard to be different, and they always end up sounding too contrived.
``I believe that both jazz and black-oriented music come from the same source, and both have certain chords, harmonies, and groves you don't hear in rock or pop. I've always had a real affinity for those kinds of rhythms, so when I started writing songs, that's what naturally came out.''
James is flattered when told that his music resembles that of Kirk Whalum, a contemporary jazz saxophonist with a muscled sound. ``He's one of my favorites, for sure.'' he replies. ``I try not to copy any one musician, but Kirk has a sound that really makes you twitch in your seat.''
James will return to the studios in February to begin recording his third album, to be released next summer.
He'd like to ``experiment a little bit with live musicians.'' (the drums, for instance, were programmed on ``Backbone''). And he'd like to do more songwriting.
But don't expect him to stray too far from his patented smooth, R&B sound. ``That's me,'' he concludes.
So how'd he get the name Boney? Not because he's so skinny, James says. He recalls touring with Randy Crawford in Norway and telling a fellow band member that he was just about out of per diem money to eat. ``That makes you `Boney James,' '' the guy replied, and the name stuck. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Boney james' newest release is ``Backbone.''
FESTIVAL FACTS
WHEN: 5-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, noon-6 p.m.
Sunday
WHERE: Town Point Park, Norfolk
HOW MUCH: Free
CALL: 627-7809
Photo by DENNIS KEELEY
Boney James will begin recording his third album in February.
JAZZ FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
Headliners for the Town Point Jazz Festival are Noel Pointer at 6
and 8 p.m. Friday and 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday; Roy Ayers at 7 and 9
p.m. Friday and 5 and 7 p.m. Saturday; Miles Jaye at 4 and 6 p.m.
Saturday; Richard Elliot at 8:30 p.m. Saturday; Boney James at 12:15
and 1:15 p.m. Sunday; and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones at 3 and 5
p.m. Sunday.
KEYWORDS: PROFILE
by CNB