Singer-songwriter Brad Cole and his band Bossa Blue are bringing James Taylor: Reimagined back to the Towne Crier Café on Friday, offering a fresh take on Taylor’s beloved catalog with a blend of Bossa Nova, Samba, Jazz, Rock, Soul, and Blues.
Now in its third year, the performance has become a local tradition at the iconic Beacon venue. Cole says the idea started as a simple cover project.
“Seven or eight years ago, I was touring as a singer-songwriter doing all my stuff,” Cole explained. “I ended up putting together just a basic cover project so I could just play covers and have fun with them as kind of a different show. And because I’m such a bossophile, that’s kind of how the name came in… That’s how the Bossa Blue thing came around.”
Why James Taylor?
The choice to focus on James Taylor came not from Cole himself, but from a fan suggestion.
“A fan said, ‘Why don’t you pick one artist and go to town on that,’” Cole recalled. “Of course, I thought about that for a long time. I had a lot of familiarity with James Taylor’s music from when I was little—my sister brought home Sweet Baby James from her freshman year at college. I was listening to that as a little kid, and it was just something different about it.”
Cole describes Taylor’s catalog as “a treasure chest of melody and storytelling,” noting that his reinterpretations don’t attempt to copy the originals.
“The idea was not to do what he does, because I can’t top that,” he said. “But I heard things differently. I started to match different arrangements and grooves to his songs, and that was the whole blueprint behind Bossa Blue.”
Reimagining the Songs
Audiences can expect surprises throughout the setlist. For example, Cole’s band transformed the upbeat “Mexico” into a minor blues.
“It’s a little more spooky,” Cole said. “To me it resonates some of the sadness that’s there behind the lyric. James Taylor doesn’t always lay his stories out in black and white—sometimes he leaves the listener guessing, which I love.”
Even with new arrangements, Cole says the heart of Taylor’s music remains intact.
“One reason this show resonates with so many people is because we really stick to the melody,” he said. “We definitely give these songs a different groove, but when the lights are on in the house, I can see everybody singing along. And I don’t really want to mess with that.”
Keeping the Tradition Alive
For Cole, the show is both a tribute and a reinvention.
“James Taylor’s still touring—you can go see him,” he said. “This is our way to preserve things about James Taylor’s music in a jazz tradition, even though it’s not a jazz show. We want to keep these songs going with some fresh energy.”
The third annual James Taylor: Reimagined concert with Brad Cole and Bossa Blue takes place Friday at the Towne Crier Café in Beacon. Tickets and details are available at towncrier.com and more about Cole’s music at bradcolemusic.com.
Image: Brad Cole (Credit: Brad Cole Music Facebook)