Presenting Jon E. Edwards

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Last Saturday I got to catch my friend Jon E. Edwards perform at Joe's Pub. It was pretty sublime. He is a consummate entertainer, his baritone voice in great form, not a move out of place or unnecessary, his energy that of a man who has lived in this world for a while and picked up all of its hidden rhythms. He's been performing since the early Eighties, first with the Uptown Atomics, then with his own bicoastal band, the Internationals—and knows how to dole out in just the right dose his particular brand of music—music created in the fulcrum of punk rock and soul

There's a documentary about him called "Jon E. Edwards Is In Love." And he truly must be in love, with making music, and in many ways, life in general, even as challenging and unyielding as
life can be. I don't think I'd ever be able to create anything while taking care of an ailing mother, while at the same time working
my tail off to pay the bills. Yet he does create. More importantly he believes in himself in a way that might seem arrogant (in the film he proclaims himself "Soul Man Number 3", after James Brown, and some other performer whom he doesn't even mention by name) if it weren't coming from someone who is at once funny, prickly, humble, self-aware, and at times soft-hearted as hell (please don't be angry at me for saying so Jon E.!)

The film won some critical awards but, in my opinion, didn't get nearly the play it deserved. It's not available, but if you want to see it, I'll lend you my copy. I can also direct you to some of his music—he's got two albums "Soul Man In the Underworld" "Only Game In Town" and there is also a soundtrack to "Jon E. Edwards Is In Love"—just contact me.

And the next time he takes to the stage I'll let you know in plenty of time. He is a must see. In the meantime, you can go here to listen to the title song of the movie (it opens in Itunes when you click on the song link), and one of my favorites.

Top photo by Kyle La Brache; image above by John T. Stuart

Comments

Steve Terrell said…
I'm a Jon E. fan in Santa Fe, NM. I just played one of his songs ("Funky Like Don King") on my radio show tonight. Does he have any new recordings since the film soundtrack?
January 21, 2008 at 1:38 AM
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