MUSIC

Verizon Wireless Theater  presents Boney James.

One of the most respected and best-selling instrumental artists of our time, Boney James furthers his longstanding reputation as a major force in both the worlds of Contemporary Jazz and R&B with his first concept album "Send One Your Love."

In the past, the saxophonist/producer/songwriter has recorded his albums by following a creative process that James calls "an organic flow. Usually I'll cut the whole record and figure out afterwards what the vibe was." That model has served James well. His unique gift of making the saxophone sing like a human voice has resulted in millions of albums sold over the past 16 years (including four that have been RIAA certified gold). But for his new Concord CD, Send One Your Love, a sublime collection of ten seductive love songs, James decided to take a different path.

"This is a departure for me, to make a concept album," says James, who calls Send One Your Love (with a street date set to coincide with Valentine's Day) the "ultimate musical Valentine." "I was looking to do something different on this record. Some people have very kindly said that my sound is seductive in the same way that Barry White and Marvin Gaye's were. The great thing about some of their records was they could really set a romantic mood, so I decided to try to create my own make-out record, inspired by the soul music of the '70s. "

Send One Your Love features stunning covers of songs by Stevie Wonder (the title track), the Stylistics ("Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)," Barry White ("I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby"), John Klemmer ("Touch") and James Taylor ("Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" introducing Atlanta singer, Quinn). The CD also showcases four new James compositions, highlighted by the evocative tune "City of Light," co-written by keyboardist Tim Carmon, (known for his work with Eric Clapton).

James plays tenor, alto and soprano saxophones on Send One Your Love. "Choosing the saxophone for each song is kind of like casting for a movie." he says, "Some songs just feel right on one horn." He also opts for a full string section on four cuts in lieu of synthesized orchestration. "I love the sound of live strings," James says, "it definitely plays up the romance!"

Boney James was born in Lowell, Massachusetts and grew up in New Rochelle, New York, where he was influenced by Motown music, as well as the work of contemporary jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. Later James honed his R&B chops while touring and doing session work with such stars as Morris Day, the Isley Brothers, Randy Crawford, Ray Parker, Jr., and Bobby Caldwell. It was on the road with Crawford that he earned his now-famous moniker; his per diem as a touring musician barely kept him fed, and a bandmate notoriously commented of his dwindling physique, "At this rate we'll have to start calling you Boney James!"

James made his debut as a solo artist with "Trust" in 1992, virtually creating the genre of urban jazz, which melds elements of contemporary jazz with hip-hop sensibilities. In addition to his string of 11 hit records (including two holiday-song outings, 1996's Boney's Funky Christmas and 2007's Christmas Present) James has headlined sold-out tours and garnered several honors including a Soul Train Award, two consecutive Grammy nominations for Best Pop Instrumental Album and an NAACP Image Award nomination.

According to James, one of the biggest challenges in creating the c.d. was whittling down the choice of material. "I actually started asking friends what their favorite 'make-out songs' were. The best one that didn't get on the album was The Bangles "Walk Like an Egyptian" he laughs.

Of Stevie Wonder's "Send One Your Love." James says, "I knew I wanted to have a Stevie song on the album because I'm a huge fan. He has such a wealth of great music, so I went through my iPod and tried to imagine playing the horn on different songs. This turned out to be the perfect melody that really matched the vibe of my record."

"Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" has been covered by many vocalists, but Boney says he wasn't aware of an instrumental version of the song. "I tried to bring something fresh to it, to orchestrate it as well as to make it groove." As for his choice of a John Klemmer song, James says, "When I was growing up, I loved his sax style. It was seductive and melodic. He made a big impact on me. And 'Touch' was actually a song that would qualify as a 'make out tune' for my wife and me ."

James describes his arrangement of "I'll Be Good to You" as the Brothers Johnson-meets-Boz Scaggs. " When I'm doing a cover of another artist's song, it's really important for me to put a unique stamp on it. Originally this was really funky, but I wondered if it could be sexy. I wasn't sure if the melody would work as an instrumental on the horn, but once I started playing it almost felt as if it was one of my own songs."

Regarding Barry White, James says "how could you do a seductive c.d. without Barry?" "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" got the nod. "I often joke onstage how I wish I could talk like Barry White, but I think it's best I stick to the sax," James laughs.

Of JT's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" James says that he always loved the Isley Brothers' version. "I heard it in my head as an R&B tune, almost with a touch of D'Angelo. I asked friends if they knew a singer who should be a star but hadn't got his shot. An mp3 came back from this guy in Atlanta named Quinn. Two days later he came to L.A. and cut this amazing vocal in two takes."

With his covers in place, James then began to collect the most romantic songs that he had been writing. Most of the tunes got their start while James was practicing his saxophone and discovering melodies. "When I finished writing "City of Light," it became one of my favorites. The song reminded me of France. It felt right to have someone else solo instead of me," he says. "I closed my eyes and imagined vibes. Stefon Harris was at the top of my list, so I flew to New York and it was perfect. The tune also features a guitar solo from the great Dean Parks who most people know from "Unbreak My Heart."

"Butter" is a low-lights beauty with a sexy, seductive tenor saxophone display."Butter," James says, "is both delicious and bad for you." "Hold on Tight" is a moody tune with elements of melancholy and hope that is subtly colored by the string section accompaniment. The album opens with the musical message, "Wanna Show U Sumthin'" featuring James' hypnotic sax accented by the breathy voice of Sue Ann Carwell.

"I spent a lot of time figuring out what the order of the songs was going to be," James says. "I wanted this to be an album, not just a collection of songs. I wanted to tell a romantic story from the beginning to the end."

No doubt his legions of fans will agree he's succeeded and James will be out on the road supporting the c.d. throughout 2009. Of his live show The Philadelphia Tribune said "To put it mildly, Boney James... was THE BOMB. An unbelievable technician who knows how to work a crowd... A tough act to follow."

According to Boney, "The communal experience of playing live - that's why I became a musician in the first place. It's exciting and liberating. It never gets old for me."