Jonathan Butler Performs a Jazzy Cover of James Taylor’s Classic “Fire & Rain” and More

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Jonathan Butler performs music often classified as R&B, jazz fusion, or worship. But no matter what genre, his South-African roots shine through (that’s where Butler, a lefty, got in the habit of picking with the fleshy part of his thumb). AG caught up with Butler one rainy Friday afternoon as he was preparing to perform at Yoshi’s nightclub in Oakland, California (prior to a Texas performance the following night with jazz great Earl Klugh). He brought along a D’Angelico Excel (with Seymour Duncan pickups) and performed a jazzy cover of James Taylor’s classic “Fire & Rain” and the original “7th Avenue.”