from the liner notes of Strange Sweethearts in America:

“…my family has no Celtic ancestry to speak of. My love of Irish music began at age 12 when my father brought home a Chieftains CD. It grew tenfold in 2006, when an Irishman I barely knew gave me the unexpected gifts of a bodhran and an album by the legendary Irish band Planxty. That kind act inspired my exploration of Celtic musics, both in recordings and in dimly-lit pubs all over New York. This album is intended, above all else, to be a love letter to that music, and to the people who play it."

--James Shipp, 2009

"There was no plan, at the beginning. I was just going to pubs and listening to these great musicians, and when they played tunes or songs, there was something else in the mix, something that was only in my brain, but it was louder and clearer every time. Blending Brazilian grooves, jazz harmonies, minimalist techniques and the like with this music wasn't theoretical; I didn't ask myself "I wonder what this will sound like?" I could hear it -- I just had to figure out how to let everyone else hear it."

--James Shipp, 2011


The eclectic, multi-faceted band known as Nós Novo has been thrilling and moving adventurous listeners around the world since 2008. They have brought their unique blend of Irish/UK folk repertoire, Afro-Brazilian drumming, and modern jazz temperament to stages from New York's Irish Arts Center to Durham Cathedral to the Melbourne Jazz Festival, and from the jazz club audiences of Greenwich Village to the inmates of the Sing-Sing Maximum Security Correctional Facility.

Raucous and dancing, quiet and introspective, conceptual and cerebral, soulful and bluesy... the common thread in all of Nós Novos' modes is a quest to communicate with their audience. Anyone who's seen them perform can take away from the experience a genuine belief that it was for THEM. This tendency to reach out is what makes the group so suited to its work with Carnegie Hall's Musical Connections program, through which they have given concerts and workshops in prisons, shelters, hospitals, and community centers throughout New York City and state since 2009.

The size and instrumentation of Nós Novo has and will continue to fluctuate; while the core quartet has built a strong dynamic since its beginning in 2007, the exploration of this material and sonic palette is expanded to include musical friends new and old as the gig, venue, and moment dictates.

James is the group's leader, composer, arranger, and head planner and plotter. Outside of the band he has appeared live and in the studio with such diverse musicians as exceptional vocalists Kurt Elling, Kate McGarry, and Peter Eldridge, soul-jazz organ giant Dr. Lonnie Smith, ascendant singer-songwriter Becca Stevens, lyrical saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom, latin jazz trumpeter Ray Vega, tap-dance pioneer Max Pollak's 'Rumbatap,' and tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain. James plays vibraphone and percussion in a myriad of styles and groups around New York City and the world.

The vocalists's chair has been host to some of the most soulful and skilled singer/songwriters in NYC over the years. Founding member (and vocalist on 'Strange Sweethearts in America") Jo Lawry lent her considerable virtuosity and sensitivity to the role when the band was founded. (She has more recently been on a near-continuous tour as the second vocalist in Sting's band. Lucky him.) In recent days, songs have been sung and strings strummed by one or both of New York's great young folk music explorers; Becca Stevens and Jean Rohe. Upon blessed occasion, the group is graced by the presence the high priestess of folk music played in jazz clubs, Kate McGarry.

Percussionist Rogerio Boccato has been lending his subtle colors and dancing rhythms to Nós Novo since it began. Originally from São Paulo, Rogerio has been playing drums and percussion with the who's who of New York creative music since moving to New York in 200?. He performs regularly with John Pattitucci, Danilo Perez, Ed Simon, David Binney, Mike Holober, et al, and leads a quartet and has an intriguing duo project with vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Jean Rohe.

Nós Novo has been graced with many bright lights from the world of New York jazz guitar. Keith Ganz was a founding member of the group, bringing a mastery of space and timing to bear on this music like no other. The guitar chair is currently split (as schedules dictate) between the blazing young Irsraeli virtuoso Gilad Hekselman and the warm, joyous pulse of Jesse Lewis. The group has also benefited from brief engagements with Steve Cardenas, Mike Moreno, and Doug Wamble.