Artists
Jazzanova
Jazzanova is many things to many different people. For more than fifteen years the eclectic collective from Berlin has been busy producing, composing, arranging, remixing, DJing and generally shaping our musical world — in the clubs, on the air, in the studio, live on stage, and with their label Sonar Kollektiv.
Jazzkantine
Jazzkantine is a popular German jazz-rap collective founded in 1993 by Christian Eitner, Matthias Lanzer, and Ole Sander in the northern city of Braunschweig. Loosely knit and including a long list of talent that often varies from album to album à la Gang Starr rapper Guru's Jazzmatazz series, the collective debuted with Jazzkantine (1994), an album that sold very well and remains a fan favorite.
JB Horns
The J.B.'s were the legendary supporting cast of musicians behind James Brown, earning a well-deserved reputation as the tightest, best-drilled instrumental ensemble in all of funk. The name J.B.'s is most often associated with three hornmen in particular — saxophonists Maceo Parker and Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis, and trombonist Fred Wesley, all of whom originally joined Brown's backing band at various points during the '60s.
JD Walter
Post-bop singer J.D. Walter is among the promising male jazz vocalists who began recording in the '90s; a relatively small group that also includes, among others, Kurt Elling, Kevin Mahogany, Lou Lanza, Allan Harris, and Giacomo Gates. The Pennsylvania native, who is a talented scat singer and interpreter of lyrics, brings a variety of influences to the table.
Jestofunk
Since the beginning, the project Jestofunk started with an International view. The first single, I'm Gonna Love You (1992) received great feedback from the DJ's, especially in the UK and US. The originality of the sound immediately became the trade mark of the band.
Jhelisa
Best-known as the vocalist for the Shamen on several hits from their 1993 album Boss Drum, Jhelisa Anderson gained a solo contract in 1994 from Dorado after storming the charts on such Shamen singles as LSI (Love Sex Intelligence). Though much of her previous work had portrayed her as a diva, she cooled things down beginning with her first solo album, 1995's Galactica Rush, a mellow LP with shadings of soul and jazz mixed in with electronic flourishes.
Joe Zawinul
Joe Zawinul belonged in a category unto himself — a European from the heartland of the classical music tradition (Vienna) who learned to swing as freely as any American jazzer, and whose appetite for growth and change remained insatiable.
Karl Denson
Karl Denson met Lenny Kravitz during a recording session in 1988. The following year, Kravitz called Denson and asked him to do the solo on the single Let Love Rule from Kravitz's album of the same name. As it turned out, Denson played on the whole album, joined the band for the supporting tour, and was invited back to play on and tour in support of the next two Kravitz albums.