Blue J is Austin, Texas’ new musical experience rooted in Jazz, blues, latin, and funk. AT its core, the group is a trio with guitar, bass, and drums represented. This stripped down line up allows for the group to explore more possibilities musically and also fosters greater chemistry among the players.
Blue J enjoys playing jazz standards uncharacteristically thereby reflecting the individual creativity of each player. This helps the band as well as the listener to enjoy the familiar chord progressions and melodies in a new way.
Jim Collard, guitarist, says of the band “The matching of beats and sounds seem to never be stagnant or routine but ever changing and dynamic. I’m excited to be here at this point in my musical career.”
Josh Espinoza has been playing bass guitar since his early 20’s and instantly gravitated towards jazz, funk, and Motown. “The challenge of each genre of music really helped develop my playing style as well as shape me as a listener of music.” He quickly got recruited into “The Band of Blue”, a funk rock band in the Washington D.C. area. Highlights of his musical career have been playing during the 2004 South by Southwest Festival where his love for Austin Texas started. Band of Blue also placed third place in Fortune Magazines “Battle of the Bands” which culminated in a live show at the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
Josh moved to Austin in 2006 and eventually found himself playing with Blue J. “I’m so excited to be playing with this group. This is always where I’ve wanted to go musically and I feel like Blue J could explore so much further into the vast musical possibilities that exist”
Jim Collard’s amazing playing style has come at a price. Time, lots and lots of time. He has amassed 17 years of playing which includes studying classical and jazz guitar at both Onondaga Community College and The State University of New York at New Paltz. Jim has privately studied with jazz legend Eddie Diehl and continues to do so when he visits home in New York. Not only is Jim a voracious student but he has continued his passion of music by teaching others for years both privately and at Van Gelders Music store in New York. “I find that I stay much more connected to what I have to say musically if I am constantly learning while at the same time teaching others. This keeps my heart and mind constantly changing and searching” Jim says.
Jim also owes his playing and writing skills to years of music production (12 cds in all) in his own Buckshot Bros. studios in Newburgh, NY. He is still part owner at this studio and continues to be connected to the musical community at large in the Newburgh area. On a side note, Jim’s new hobbies since moving to Texas have included learning the Two Step, eating mass quantities of pork ribs, and enjoying all of Austin’s amazing theatrical and musical venues.
