Jasper James

The statuesque Jasper James, a Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter and producer, is not your ordinary talent. Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, she has wandered the world, acting in several Indie films, touring with her band and eventually coming to rest as a solo artist in the heart of Brooklyn’s newest up and coming artist enclave in Bushwick. She has performed and recorded with a wide variety of musicians from folk icon Phoebe Snow to son of legendary performer George Clinton, Tracy Clinton.

Her first solo album, Vibrator, hits the streets in January 2009.

Jasper’s introduction to music came early at the hands of her father, who was the personal security detail for classic entertainers like Tom Jones, Paul Anka, and Sammy Davis Jr. A biological cousin to Chris Jasper of Isley Brother fame, James grew up surrounded by some of the best musical talent of the time.

Jasper started singing opera semi-professionally by the age of 15 but found herself drawn more to the rhythms of jazz and old-school hip-hop. “I had the opportunity to move forward singing opera, but declined because it wasn't me,” she says, of her early musical education. She was also drawn early on to new wave, electronica, and classic rock and roll and was trained in musical theory, composition and vocal performance in the greater New York area.

“Music is about feeling and emotion but can be so confined if put in a category. The more diverse you are as a musician the more you can express all aspects to the audience.”

After a yearlong trip throughout remote regions of Asia, Jasper took her longstanding desire to write her own songs and made them a reality. In August of 2005, Jasper and Gameboy Musician, Mark DeNardo, laid down some tracks with producer Brian Bender. Two months later they debuted at the prestigious CMJ Festival in NYC. Three months later they hustled a monthly residency at Snitch; an unheard of accomplishment for such a new act.

For the next year, “Jasper James and the Jet Set”, a ten piece funk band that specialized in high energy soul music, made themselves known in the New York scene, eventually landing Jasper a spot on John Cameron Mitchell’s “Shortbus” soundtrack alongside recording artists such as Yo Lo Tengo and The Ark. Her song, “This House” has received critical acclaim and been internationally distributed.

Recorded during the first half of 2008, “Vibrator” boasts the production talents of New York’s Crispin Thump, dynamic British-Irish duo of Augustus Dicadillac (Neneh Cherry and The Sneaker Pimps) and Film and TV composer, Ronan Coleman, and features Ron Thaler, drummer on Alicia Keys’ 2008 Grammy-award winning, “No One”. The album is a showcase of numerous vocal styles; confessional with a sexy edge, it takes you back to Jasper’s roots with an energetic dancing, blues inspired set. The result is a lush, layered sound that pulls you into a lovers dream and kisses you goodnight...or wakes you up with a pleasant surprise.