José James (born January 20, 1978) is an American composer, baritone singer, guitar player and vocalist who combines contemporary
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
.
Biography
José James, of Irish and Panamanian descent, attended
The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. In 2008, he debuted with his first album, ''
The Dreamer'', achieving much success after DJ Gilles Peterson signed him to his new independent label Brownswood Recordings.
[Jose James, Jef Neve Rekindle Jazz Flame]
''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2013-01-31.[José James – Music Biography, Credits and Discography]
''AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
''. Retrieved on 2013-01-31. His second album ''Blackmagic'' followed in 2009.
And in the following year, the album ''For All We Know'' came out on the Impulse! label.
''For All We Know'' became the winner of both the Edison Award
and the
Académie du Jazz Grand Prix for best Vocal Jazz Album of 2010.
James has presented his work at venues such as The Kennedy Center, Hollywood Bowl, Ancienne Belgique and Billboard Live Tokyo. He has performed as a guest artist with McCoy Tyner, Laura Mvula and the Jazz at Lincoln Center, Melbourne Symphony and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.
His latest project is called ''On & On - José James sings Badu'', which was performed at Millennium stage on 22 October 2022 with his current band, composed of five young musicians. The Millennium stage is located at The Kennedy Center, which holds some of
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
's most important musical performances and plays.
Personal life
José James is married to Talia Pnina Billig, known professionally as
Taali, who is a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
–nominated singer, songwriter and record producer.
Discography
As leader
* ''
The Dreamer'' (
Brownswood, 2007)
* ''Blackmagic'' (Brownswood, 2009)
* ''For All We Know'' with
Jef Neve
Jef Neve (born 8 March 1977) is a Belgian jazz and Classical music, classical music pianist and composer.
Life and career
Neve was born in Turnhout, Belgium.Hope, Alan (22 July 2014"Face of Flanders: Jef Neve" Flanders Today. By the age of 14 he ...
(
impulse!, 2010)
* ''No Beginning No End'' (
Blue Note
Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...
, 2012)
* ''While You Were Sleeping'' (Blue Note, 2014)
* ''Yesterday I Had the Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday'' (Blue Note, 2015)
* ''Love in a Time of Madness'' (Blue Note, 2017)
* ''Lean On Me'' (Blue Note, 2018)
* ''No Beginning No End 2'' (
Rainbow Blonde, 2020)
* ''José James: New York 2020'' (Rainbow Blonde, 2021)
CD– live recorded in 2020
* ''Merry Christmas from José James'' (Rainbow Blonde, 2021)
* ''On & On'' (Rainbow Blonde, 2023)
* ''1978'' (Rainbow Blonde, 2024)
* ''1978: Revenge of the Dragon'' (Rainbow Blonde, 2025)
As guest
*
Jazzanova
Jazzanova is a German Berlin-based DJ/producer collective consisting of Alexander Barck, Claas Brieler, Jürgen von Knoblauch, Roskow Kretschmann, Stefan Leisering, and Axel Reinemer. Formed in 1995, the group's music is characterized by nu j ...
, ''Little Bird'' (Verve Records, 2008)
*
Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx are an English electronic music duo consisting of Felix Buxton (born 30 April 1970) and Simon Ratcliffe (born 28 November 1969). The pair got their name from the regular club night they held in Brixton, London, UK. They first ros ...
, ''
Scars SCARS or S.C.A.R.S. is an acronym that may refer to:
* SCARS (military) (Special Combat Aggressive Reactionary System), an American combat fighting system
* Severe cutaneous adverse reactions
Severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) are a gr ...
'' and ''
Zephyr
In European tradition, a zephyr is a light wind or a west wind, named after Zephyrus, the Greek god or personification of the west wind.
Zephyr may also refer to:
Arts and media Fictional characters
* Zephyr (comics), in the Marvel Comics univers ...
'' (
XL Recordings
XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been run and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group.
It releases an average of six albums a year. T ...
, 2009)
*
Kris Bowers
Kristopher Bowers (born April 5, 1989) is an American composer, pianist, and director. He has composed scores for films including '' Green Book'', '' King Richard'', '' The Color Purple'', and '' The Wild Robot'' and television series ''Bridgert ...
, ''Heroes + Misfits'' (Concord Jazz, 2014)
*
Junko Onishi, ''
Very Special'' (Somethin' Cool, 2017)
*
Taali, ''I Am Here'' (Rainbow Blonde, 2019)
*
Erik Truffaz
Erik Truffaz (born 3 April 1960 in Chêne-Bougeries, Switzerland) is a French-Swiss jazz trumpeter, infusing elements of hip hop, rock and roll and dance music into his compositions.
Early life
Erik Truffaz grew up in France, in the Pays de G ...
Quartet, ''Lune Rouge'' (Warner Music France, 2019)
References
External links
* – official site
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Jose
1978 births
Living people
American jazz singers
Musicians from Minneapolis
Blue Note Records artists
Singers from Minnesota
American hip-hop singers
American neo soul singers
Jazz musicians from Minnesota
Brownswood Recordings artists
South High School (Minnesota) alumni
21st-century African-American male singers
21st-century American male singers