JAMES SIMPSON

Soul-Jazz is a mixture between Jazz and Soul, but it is also greater than the sum of its parts and not so much a genre of music but a feeling. The quality lies in the catchy harmonies and melodies as well as in the groove. It can be easy listening in the style of Ramsey Lewis all the way to blues-boppin' in the style of Jimmy Smith or Jimmy McGriff.

James Simpson is an international artist from Ceres, California, now based in Germany. Although his talents are versatile, he is known as a soul-jazz organist, keyboardist and drummer on a worldwide scale. James was raised in the Afro-American Baptist church on Gospel music, but also on his father’s diverse music collection.

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When he draws the drawbars of his old Hammond, he is inspired by the works of Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Jack McDuff and Don Patterson. No less a figure than the Hammond organ icon Jimmy Smith was one of his mentors in the USA. Another important influence came from Ray Charles Band's musical director, James Polk. He told Simpson: "Whatever you do, do not forsake the Groove.", and this has been his mission since. 

To bring the retro sounds into a new context, he mixes the stickiness of the Blues, the passion of Gospel and the heat of Soul music. His music invites you to relax, lounge and just feel at ease – and it WILL make you move.

James Simpson's organ group can be booked as a trio or in a larger formation.