James finds even more success through collaboration

By: JIM DAIL - For The Californian | Wednesday, July 18, 2007 12:19 PM PDT ∞

When it comes to the music industry, many try to guess why trends happen, why some albums are hits and others are not.

Often there is no clear answer.

Count Boney James, who performs Sunday at Thornton Winery as part of the Champagne Jazz Concert Series, as one who doesn't have an easy reply.

"It's hard to know why things happen," he said.

It's a pleasant topic for him because his most recent album, "Shine," has become one of the biggest hits of his career.

"Part of the success is a new record label that is eager to create awareness," he said. "You spend time at a label where people know you and are into you and they get behind you. In my case, all the people at the old label who were like that started to leave over the years so I went to Concord Records for a fresh start."

One interesting note about the album is the appearance of many guest stars, from Faith Evans and Philip Bailey to George Benson.

"I didn't set out to make an album full of guests," he said. "But as I was making the record I would feel a song needed a guitar solo and I wondered who I could get. With some of the vocal tracks, they called out for a singer, but it had to be a good fit and as it turned out it was."

For James, the guest musicians made him more creative.

"All these musicians brought things out of me that may not have come out otherwise," he said. "There was a lot of improvising. I'd make up a melody and they'd do something and then I'd play it again in a different way. It's sort of like playing live."

Which brings up a new potential problem: With all these guest vocalists, who's going to sing?

"I've got great background singers and they step to the front," he said.

He's come a long way since his early days in New Rochelle, N.Y., where he was a clarinet virtuoso.

"I went to the store when I was a kid and was looking for a trumpet, but they didn't have any because everyone else was playing them," he said. "So they had a clarinet and that's how it started."

Eventually, he'd be pushed to learn the sax under the encouragement of his music teacher.

"There were too many clarinets in the band and he needed a sax player," he said. "I was his best clarinet player so he figured I would have an easier time learning it. I never did get to play the trumpet."

A move to Los Angeles during childhood brought a number of changes to James' life, but music remained key.

"It was a big adjustment because I was leaving my friends, but being a musician I was able to connect to the other kids," he said.

Interestingly enough, he didn't have to do much to change in terms of musical styles.

"My friends and I in New York were into fusion and when I came to L.A., all the kids there were into the same thing," he said. "It turned out to be a great move because while New York is a good place to learn your chops in the clubs, L.A. was definitely the place to be a professional musician."

James was able to create a niche as a sideman to such artists as Morris Day, the Isley Brothers, Sheena Easton and Bobby Caldwell.

"I was able to do that for a few years, but then I felt I was just recreating other people's music and wanted to do my own," he said. "I finally got that chance and when I did the first album I got to work with Paul Brown and I was thrilled."

And how does that album ---- 1992's "Trust" ---- stand the test of time?

"You know, I'm still proud of that first album," he said. "I like all of them because there's some cool stuff on every album. I can see my growth as an artist on those earlier albums."

What remains constant is his love of the stage.

"I feel a responsibility to deliver the best show and music that I can," he said. "I've had the opportunity to make music for a living, and I will do whatever I need to and work as hard as I can to keep doing it."

Boney James

When: 5 p.m. Sunday

Where: Thornton Winery, 32575 Rancho California Road, Temecula

Tickets: $65 ($130, gourmet supper package)

Info: (951) 699-3021

Web: thorntonwine.com/jazz.html