Performances

July 20, 2010, 8:00 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. w/ The Jamie Begian Big Band @ Baha'i Center, Manhattan
July 22, 2010, 10:00 p.m. w/ The Low Down Nasties @ Downhouse Lounge, Coney Island
July 25, 2010, 5:00 p.m. & 7:15 p.m. @ Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Manhattan
August 4, 2010, 11:00 p.m. w/ The Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra @ Cameo, Williamsburg
August 11, 2010, 8:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. w/ Tony Gairo Big Band @ Brooklyn Lyceum
August 18, 2010, 11:00 p.m. w/ The Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra @ Cameo, Williamsburg
August 29, 2010, 2:00 p.m. w/ The Low Down Nasties @ Gowanis 8th Street Block Party, Brooklyn
September 1, 2010, 11:30 p.m. w/ The Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra @ Cameo, Williamsburg
September 10, 2010, 11:59 p.m. w/ The Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra @ Cameo, Williamsburg
September 15, 2010, 11:30 p.m. w/ The Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra @ Cameo, Williamsburg
October 4, 2010, 8:00 p.m. @ Local 269, Alphabet City
October 15, 2010, 10:00 p.m. w/ The Low Down Nasties @ Alor Cafe, Staten Island
October 24, 2010, 5:00 p.m. & 7:15 p.m. @ Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Manhattan

The Serpent Speaks

My newest project, "The Serpent Speaks," premiered in New York on May 28, 2010 at Saint Peter's Church in Manhattan. Thanks to all who attended!

The work is a setting of Robert Siegel's poem by the same name, and combines jazz with spoken word.

Click here for the project's homepage

James Hall and Robert Siegel are a perfect match in The Serpent Speaks, a beautiful symphonic composition in sound and word. The music by Hall is a modern jazz alliance with Siegel’s dramatic poem about the fallen world. Using two percussionists, a saxophone, a guitar, a bass, and Hall’s own lyrical trombone, the music intertwines with two voices, female and male, to make for a powerful statement about human misery and hope. Word and sound blend together in an artistic marriage that is greater than the sum of the parts. There is rhythm; there is meditation; there is drama; and there is love.

-Bill Edgar
Jazz Pianist
Author, Taking Note of Music

Press

charming stage presence...original and personal interpretations...abundance and freshness of tone

-Reijo Paavola, Kymen Sanomat Newspaper

James Hall, as a musician, possesses that rarely-occurring combination of inherent classical talent and lust-for-life exuberance. He and his well-selected musical collaborators are a pleasure to watch (and a delight to hear). James can transform an overcooked pop song into a jazzical masterpiece, or simmer a traditional standard into a musical memory.

-Ashley Fogerty, Music Journalist

Articles

I've recently written some articles for MusicianWages.com and About.com. Check them out and let me know what you think!