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As a journalist who covers music and the arts extensively, I can say that the old heads who are jazz fans have kept the music between 1936 to 1968 locked in their minds as how jazz music has to stay in the modern and be-bop phase in order to survive. Many jazz musicians of this generation are having a problem incorporating music from today like hip-hop and soul in this ever changing musical diaspora in presenting the music to broad audiences including the old heads. Miles Davis and musicians during the fusion and soul-jazz era in the late 1960's changed that mind-state. But during the 1980's "Young Lions" era, the musicians were playing music of an era that was during its glory days and the older journalists were praising the sounds of be-bop again not keeping up with the other popular music that would dominate the world in a short span of 10 years. Hip-Hop, house, and electronica(and off shoots of it) were coming into play and jazz producers and musicians in the UK and other parts of Europe were experimenting with new technology and ways to keep jazz music innovative and crisp.

Thank God for musicians like Christian Scott, Nicholas Payton, Robert Glasper, and endless musicians like them who never want to keep this art form in a box. Who always spice up and mix black culture in today's jazz music to keep the fire and legacy of this music going.

Drummer Jamire Williams is in that new class of jazz musicians that can play all genres of music, understand and explain it, and use the info and their vision to communicate why this music will always have room to grow. The Houston, Texas native has been playing the drums ever since he's been a kid. Jamire graduated from the High School of the Performing & Visual Arts. Upon graduation he moved to New York City where he attended the New School University where he was the recipient of the school's Young Beacon Award.

It was while in New York City where Jamire didn't want to stay locked down in play straight-ahead jazz even though he earned his degree in Jazz and Contemporary Music. He's been one of the most important and in-demand drummers for the last decade backing and touring with the likes of Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jacky Terrasson, Bobby Hutcherson, Terence Blanchard, Kenny Garrett, GURU, Bilal, and Corrine Baliey Rae just to name a few!

It's about time he branched off and formed his group named ERIMJ, which is Jamire's name spelled backwards. This group is the next generation of jazz, funk, soul, and hip-hop. Their 2010 debut disc "Memo to All" was recorded live and takes music listeners on a ride that is as bold as Miles Davis's "Bitches Brew" meets J-Dilla's "Donuts." This group was about 5 years in the making due to him playing and touring all over the world and him not taking the time to focus on his own music. Once he got the musicians he wanted it was just his vision and collaboration with Corey King his co-music director, then it was off to the races. He added Matt Stevens on guitar, Chris Turner on keyboards, Vicente Archer and Burniss Earl Travis on bass and the rest is history.

His upcoming project "Conflict of a Man" is set to be released in March of 2012. For upcoming club dates or to order Jamire's music, please visit him online at erimaj.bandcamp.com or erimaj.tumblr.com.