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James Weidman (USA)

New York-based pianist James Weidman is indisputably one of the world’s top sidemen. Over the years he has played and recorded with musicians as diverse as Max Roach, Woody Herman, Archie Shepp, James Moody, Greg Osby, Slide Hampton, Jay Hoggard, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Gloria Lynne and blues diva Dakota Staton. For five years he was the featured keyboardist (replacing Geri Allen) for avant-garde saxophonist Steve Coleman and the Five Elements and the M-Base Collective. And he was part of the Spirit of Life Ensemble that held the Monday night spot at Sweet Basil for five years, as well as co-leader (with saxophonist TK Blue) of the Afro-Caribbean-Jazz quartet, Taja.
He has also been the accompanist of choice for some of the world’s most celebrated singers, including legendary jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln (for nine years), and Cassandra Wilson (for two years), adding his consulting and arranging talents to the latter’s Blue Skies CD -- arguably her best recording -- and performing on three albums with her. “Working with Cassandra was very liberating. Because her music was so open-ended, I felt I could do anything I wanted,” says Weidman, of the experience.
Clearly, Weidman -- described by New York Times jazz critic Ben Ratliff as playing “smoothly and decorously” behind Lincoln at a recent reuinion concert -- is one those rare accompanists to whom singers feel it is safe to give free rein. Since 1992 he has been pianist and Musical Director for Kevin Mahogany, with whom he’s been investigating the bluesier side of jazz, particularly on their latest CD Pride and Joy -- which features special arrangements of Motown songs. He has also recently exercised his producing chops on singer Ruth Naomi Floyd’s Fan into Flame (their third collaboration), which features some of his compositions and arrangements, as well as his expert accompaniment.
“When I first moved here, someone said to me: ‘Be careful in New York. They’ll typecast you!’” laughs Weidman, whose incredible versatility -- developed over 30 years of working in a myriad of styles -- has made that impossible. “The more genres you are comfortable with, the deeper your understanding of music,” he asserts. It has helped Weidman to develop his amazing technique and, as he imparts to his students (he is a faculty member at William Paterson, New Jersey), “the better your technique, the better your communication.” However, the content of the communication is the most important thing. “You’re really telling a story to your audience,” he says. “It’s a shared journey. That’s why I called my first solo album People Music, because we are all supposed to share this music.”

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