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Nov 12,2006 - Nov 19,2006 |
The return of the Little Big Band
Colin James resurrects his popular project once more
By Kerry Doole
At age 42, Colin James has already been a professional musician for nearly 30 years. His current CD, Little Big Band 3, is his tenth album, a milestone of which he's justifiably proud.
"Magic Ten is the name of my studio in Vancouver too," he tells Tandem during a recent Toronto promotional visit. "It is great to hang in in a business like this, and it's great for the live show, having so many songs to choose from."
His well-honed performance skill is a key reason for James' longevity, and it will be on display when he checks into Massey Hall on Feb. 9th, with his Little Big Band. This project has played a large role in Colin's career since he unveiled it in 1993. The first Colin James And The Little Big Band album was a multi-platinum success, and helped James score an opening slot on a Rolling Stones tour. A 1998 sequel earned Colin a Juno for Best Producer (he has won at least a half-dozen Junos), and he's now back with a third in the series.
Its template is to take some of the best jump blues and early r 'n b tunes around, assemble top-notch players, and breathe new life into a genre that has oft been neglected. Colin both predated and outlasted the superficial, somewhat silly, swing revival of the mid '90s, but he recalls he was unfairly accused of being a bandwagon-jumper then.
"I'd go to Chicago and it was snooty fashion people there. If I played a blues song, they'd get up and walk out. They wanted swing swing swing, the hat and the suit, and I really didn't want to end up in the middle of all that. I got taken to task all through the States as a bandwagon jumper, but I'd done that record 18 months before Brian Setzer did his. It just took me that long to get a U.S. release. That was tough medicine, man."
James is a man of genuine eclectic tastes, but also of complete sincerity and integrity. Regina-born, he was touring Saskatchewan in a folk group at 13, then quit school at 16 to play with punk-rockers Nick Danger and the Close Calls. His love of the blues then took hold, via his band Hoodoo Men.
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