Jim Newsom
Jim Newsom's musical career began when he picked up the basics from his sister's piano lesson books. He subsequently drove his parents crazy banging out rock and roll on the family's living room piano. In high school, he bought a flute for $25.00 from a girlfriend in the marching band, and taught himself to play by listening to the recordings of Herbie Mann and Jethro Tull. He learned guitar from a Bob Dylan songbook.
Since those teenage years, he has played jazz, rock, blues and acoustic music in many settings. He released a solo album, Crazy Dreams, in 1992 that garnered positive reviews and received regional radio airplay. He was honored with an "Outstanding Achievement" award in the 1994 Billboard Song Contest for his composition, "If I Could Write a Song." He released On the Prowl, a collection of in-performance jazz favorites, with his former band the PorchRockers in 2000. The summer of 2003 saw the release of Harborfest 2003, a live recording with the Jim Newsom Quartet. In September, he and trumpeter Ron Hallman released a duo recording, Singin' on Granby Street. His most recent CD, Jazz on the James, featured his uncle, Tommy Newsom of the Tonight Show, on tenor saxophone.
When citing his influences, Jim ticks off a lengthy list. On flute, his main man is Herbie Mann. However, he has soaked up as much jazz flute as he has been able to locate through the years, finding additional inspiration in the work of Hubert Laws, Eric Dolphy, Frank Wess and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. He also points to sax giants John Coltrane, Stan Getz and Paul Desmond as influences on his improvisational style.
Favorite vocalists include The Temptations' David Ruffin, Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals, Sam Cooke, Al Jarreau, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Hartman and Ella Fitzgerald.
As for his guitar style, he says, "I never tried to imitate any particular guitarist. I was more interested in learning songs, not dissecting guitar licks." Still, he places Kenny Burrell, Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery and Larry Coryell at the top of a long roster of guitar heroes.
Music has been Jim's passion since he was a little boy. "My folks remember me dancing to 'Little Red Caboose' when I was three years old. From the fourth grade on, I was plugged into a transistor radio 'til the local stations signed off the air at 1:00 am. Then I'd fall asleep listening through the static to WABC, WOWO, WCFL or WBZ.
"Of course," he adds, "I spent all my allowance on records. Still do."
His extensive personal collection of record albums and CDs reflects his varied musical interests and provides the raw material for his wide ranging repertoire. All that time spent absorbing music and "learning songs" has given Jim a vast knowledge of rock, soul, jazz, blues, folk and country music.
In addition to playing music, Jim is well known locally for his many years hosting television programs like "It's Academic", pledge drives and assorted specials on PBS-affiliate WHRO-TV. He is also a writer and music critic for PortFolio Weekly, the regional alternative news & opinion/arts & culture magazine, and for the All Music Guide, a national print and online publication.
In "real life," Jim Newsom is Senior Vice President and Regional Executive Officer with Old Point National Bank in Norfolk, VA. In June, 2001, he was the subject of a cover story in Inside Business, a regional magazine.
Jim plays a Trevor James flute, Taylor acoustic guitar strung with Elixir strings and G&L electric guitar with D'Addario strings, and runs his electric guitar through a Mesa Boogie amp.
