“Soul Love Now” And the Legacy of Black Fire Records’ Jazz
By Daniel White · August 10, 2020 I BANDCAMP
On the night of October 28th, 1975, Howard University’s Cramton Auditorium was packed. Oneness of Juju had made the drive from Richmond to play this show, which was no ordinary gig: this was Howard University in the ’70s, the Mecca of Black culture and thought. Oneness of Juju’s bandleader, James “Plunky” Branch, was going to give the crowd a show to remember.
“The most spiritual music in the ancient African days was the music that made you move.” Plunky tells the audience before the band launches into “African Rhythms,” the lead track from their newest album of the same name. “We created this piece so we would have a piece of music that was spiritual, informative, and at the same time, something you could get off to.”
Oneness of Juju celebrated in African Rhythms 1970-1982 reissue on Strut
With sixteen tracks including the classic disco cut ‘Every Way But Loose’.
Lazlo Rugoff I April 20, 2020 I THE VINYL FACTORY
Oneness of Juju’s compilation African Rhythms 1970-1982 is being reissued by Strut Records on 3xLP this July.
Oneness of Juju, originally known as Juju, were formed in San Francisco during 1970, and have undergone multiple name...
The Mid-Atlantic’s Flourishing Jazz, Funk And R&B Scene Spotlit By Black Fire Records
NEWS, JAMES “PLUNKY” BRANCH, ONENESS OF JUJU
By Robert Ham I Jul. 8, 2020 I DOWNBEAT
James “Plunky” Branch met his future business partner and friend Jimmy Gray almost by chance.
In the early ‘70s, Gray had a publication called Black Fire, which was a kind of catalog, featuring lists of the records being released by Black-owned independent labels like Strata-East, Tribe and Black
Moments of Beauty
James ‘Plunky’ Branch’s nightly porch concerts provide a peaceful interlude during troubled times | Photos by Jay Paul
by Craig Belcher I
Since the middle of April, local jazz musician James “Plunky” Branch has turned the porch of his home on Richmond’s Rosewood Avenue into a stage. The 72-year-old saxophonist’s nightly sets are brief and typically attract a handful of neighbors and friends to hear the jazz and funk sounds he’s become known for.
He says the shows grew out of a night of applause that brought residents out of their homes to pay respect to essential workers,
BLACK FIRE
RICHMOND’S PIONEER OF AFRICAN LIBERATION MUSIC PROVIDES A NEW SOUNDTRACK TO ANOTHER REVOLUTIONARY SUMMER.
BY PETER MCELHINNEY I June 30, 2020 I STYLE WEEEKLY
Every night, rain or shine, at precisely 7 o’clock during this lockdown season, James “Plunky” Branch performs on his front porch in the 2200 block of Rosewood Avenue in Byrd Park.
Sometimes he plays his tenor sax, sometimes the soprano. The set includes originals and covers, instrumentals and vocals, jazz standards...