Active since the early '90s, Jamiroquai have amassed a steady stream of hits in their native U.K. and experienced chart success in just about every other area of the world, with an irresistible blend of house rhythms and '70s-era soul / funk.
Swedish singer / songwriter Jäje Johanson, who goes by the stage name Jay-Jay Johanson, infuses the measured, slow-burn aesthetics of downbeat and trip-hop with the metallic pulse of electro-pop, resulting in his own signature brand of film noir-imbued electronic melancholy.
In 2001 Bettina Mischke and Roland Grosch started their project Jazzamor. Influenced by the bossa nova and latin jazz of the 60's they developed their own style with Bettina's voice making it unmistakeable. The arrangements are playful yet minimalistic with great care for detail. Electronic sounds blend with double bass and latino percussions. Melancholic piano aires invoke a blue mood with Bettina's alluring soft voice giving it all a distinct color.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.