Dig the slide guitar Blues, Jazz, Latin & Americana of JAMES SPEISER’s voice & guitar. Slide guitar on Dobro, straight guitar on 1953 Gibson ES 140 & G&L Telecasters Puttin’ it down in the Mile High! James will be playing at the Marmalade Lounge on December 21st from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The Lounge is located at 8098 West 57th Avenue, Arvada, CO
Just opened for 4-time Grammy winning singer Dianne Reeves, played the official after party of Colorado’s biggest blues fest, Blues from the Top, with Lionel Young, who has toured with The Rolling Stones & Stevie Wonder. Lionel also performed with Roots & Rhythm, James’ band, at the Blue Roots Denver concert for the Grammy Foundation and MusiCares. James debuted his last record on KUVO 89.3, was featured in the 5 Points Jazz Festival Jazz on Film Series in the Blue Roots Denver film series.
James headlined the Toyota stage at the Keystone Jazz Festival last year. James has toured in NOLA, The Bay Area, Austin TX, Atlanta GA and South Carolina for 29 years.
James became a street musician and got into blues and jazz being influenced by music from an operatic mother, Austin City Limits, jazz and blues on KUVO, Jazz band from school, and later seeing music in blues & jazz clubs, restaurants and following in the footsteps of great street musicians.
James comes from the real roots of the Mile-High City. With his mother bringing him from the South Side of Chicago, James grew up in the North Side of Denver on 25th and Clay. He grew up in a rich and vibrant Hispanic and Italian culture. He grew up with Irish jigs played on clarinet, classical guitar from books, opera music sung by his mother, swing music in elementary school music classes and later jazz and blues. He grew up with Ranchera and Nortena, Flamenco and Rhumas from all the neighbors nearby. James grew up where being a white boy was very few in the elementary school pictures.
All of the community was a great influence upon him culturally, stylistically and profoundly causing him to recognize and identify with the real spirit and character of his home. Denver is a Blues & Jazz city…. way back to the juke joint era of 5-Points. He knows what it means to have a love affair with the city.
When his mom’s dreams were broken by the loss of her hearing and his family broken by this insurmountable loss, James eventually took to the streets with a guitar and found his own way with the music. He has lived the blues since a young age. All he ever wanted to do was play a humble gig for a few people to listen.
All those many thousands of hours practicing, performing thousands of gigs for 30 years, playing with the best players he could find James has grown and grown. He is steadily tuning into his ideal audience… the demographic of people that are always the ones at the gig who come and talk to you on the break… you know, the fans who buy a shirt and a CD and tip you. There is always someone from Chi-town or NYC, Mississippi or Kansas City, there’s always a hip club in a nice hotel or in the hood where hardly any white folks go. There’s a certain person from a real place that can feel you… they can hear the music and recognize the truth in it. I believe in it….it saved my soul.
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James Speiser Brings His Slide Guitar Blues, Jazz, and More to the Marmalade Lounge
