by James “Plunky” Branch
Plunky: Juju Jazz Funk & Oneness – A Musical Memoir, is an overnight success story, 50 years in the making. It documents James Plunky Branch’s career in music and arts activism, and delivers his memoir as a straight forward recollection of anecdotes, journals, and photographs. An early proponent of Afro-jazz and funk, Plunky, with his group Oneness of Juju with their deep rare grooves and progressive political themes, generated international critical acclaim.
Plunky: Juju Jazz Funk & Oneness is all about decades of transitions, completed circles, and momentous meetings. It is not a standard sex, drugs and rock & roll exposé; rather it is an insider’s look behind the scenes of the independent Black jazz and soul music business and Plunky’s philosophies and methodologies that allowed him to persevere and come out on top.
While he is primarily a saxophonist, performer and producer, it is his business acumen, his communication skills and his commitment to progressivism that sets Plunky apart. Musicians everywhere can be heartened by Plunky’s shared lessons of balancing the achievement of local stardom with persistently striving for wider, international acclaim.
This is the memoir of an urban underground artist, straight outta RVA, NYC, SF, London, Paris and Accra. In it we learn Plunky is homegrown, ghetto fabulous, self-actualized and deeper than you’d otherwise ever know. Plunky’s autobiography is a thought-provoking account of various phases of his life as a black musician from the 1960s forward. He has said “I’m not a superstar, but I do play one on local stages.”
Plunky’s long, successful career is a testament to the power of persistence. Reading his story reminds us all to never quit. Plunky dedicates his book is to those artists, both legendary and unsung, who have inspired him and to the readers he hopes his story will, in turn, encourage.
