The JWB – Groove Axis
Kansas City native James Ward founded The James Ward Band in 1997. As bass player he performed with Marcus Roberts, Wycliffe Gordon, Nat Adderly, Mark Whitfield and many more. Recently he toured with Oleta Adams in South Africa.
The JWB presents Latin, R&B, Fusion, Funk, Jazz, and Gospel. Their albums are oriented to contemporary jazz and smooth jazz. In 2007 they released their first album In Perspective, which reached a high rank in the Smooth Jazz Indie Charts. Their sophomore album Groove Axis was released in 2010.
Groove Axis features band members James Ward (bass), Angela Ward (keyboards), Ray Stewart (percussion), Matt Hopper (guitar), Gerald Dunn (soprano and tenor sax), and Ryan Lee (drums).
The album starts with the heavy and funky title track. James’ earth-bounded bass builds a solid ground for Gerald Dunn’s sax melody. AG (Angies’s Groove) features Angela Ward on keyboards. She has blessed hands and is also the congenial arranger of the group.
Smooth Jazz Daily 