Date/Time
Date(s) - 06/18/2014
12:00 AM
Location
Miner Auditorium, SFJAZZ Center
Category(ies)
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“A winningly singular presence in contemporary American music. Not just singular, but magnetic.” — Los Angeles Times
“Sultry one moment, commanding the next, he holistically heals the rift between radio-friendly songcraft and virtuoso flair.” — NPR
- José James — vocals
- Brad Williams — guitar
- Kris Bowers — keyboards
- Solomon Dorsey — bass
- Richard Spaven — drums
A deep and soulful young vocalist whose international profile has exploded in the last few years, José James has transcended his reputation as a jazz singer to embrace influences including R&B, Moroccan Gnawa music, hip-hop and gospel. James’s flexibility and omniverous musical taste is reflected in his hugely diverse résumé, which includes work with jazz great Chico Hamilton as well as electronica hero Flying Lotus. In his review for The New York Times, writer Ben Ratliff described James as “a romantic baritone with a deep-funk band, stretching out songs, evoking both the ’70s of Roberta Flack and Gil Scott-Heron and the ’90s and oughts of J Dilla.” Named one of Interview magazine’s “13 Faces of 2013” and now a veteran of national television appearances on The Tonight Show and Late Show with David Letterman, James made his Blue Note Records debut with last year’s No Beginning No End, a diverse maturation of his style that features collaborations with bass virtuoso Pino Palladino and GRAMMY-winning pianist Robert Glasper. With the 2014 release of his follow-up to No Beginning No End, an even more accomplished statement that embraces elements of rock and pop entitled While You Were Sleeping, José James returns to SFJAZZ as one of the hottest singers of today.
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