Born and raised in Minneapolis, José James came of age with the sounds of Prince, hip-hop and Modern jazz. Discovering an early passion for both music and creative writing, José combined these through performance - singing jazz standards, originals, and the works of John Coltrane with his quartet throughout the Twin Cites. Becoming a member of the groundbreaking avant-garde performance poetry and jazz ensemble Ancestor Energy, José was determined to devote his life to music, community, and spiritual unity. Moving to New York City to attend The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, he was mentored by and recorded with both the legendary drummer Chico Hamilton and the pianist Junior Mance. ...show more

Born and raised in Minneapolis, José James came of age with the sounds of Prince, hip-hop and Modern jazz. Discovering an early passion for both music and creative writing, José combined these through performance - singing jazz standards, originals, and the works of John Coltrane with his quartet throughout the Twin Cites. Becoming a member of the groundbreaking avant-garde performance poetry and jazz ensemble Ancestor Energy, José was determined to devote his life to music, community, and spiritual unity. Moving to New York City to attend The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, he was mentored by and recorded with both the legendary drummer Chico Hamilton and the pianist Junior Mance.

There he also met his first ensemble that would form the studio and international touring band for his 2008 debut album "The Dreamer" (Jan 2008, Brownswood). A chance meeting in London with international tastemaker and DJ Gilles Peterson led to a record deal on Peterson's Brownswood Recordings label. Drawing upon diverse influences such as Freestyle Fellowship and Rahsaan Roland Kirk, "The Dreamer" was an international critical success, with José performing at venues such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, Billboard Live Tokyo, The Hermitage Museum, and Central Park Summerstage. "The Dreamer" was voted #21 Critic's Pick of JazzTimes Top 50 Jazz Albums of 2008.

His sophomore release "BLACKMAGIC" (Feb 2010, Brownswood) explored the worldwide underground, featuring production from Flying Lotus, Moodymann, Taylor McFerrin, and DJ Mitsu the Beats. "BLACKMAGIC" also featured James's live band in new territory, covering dubstep pioneer Benga's "Emotions" and exploring a soul/hip-hop version of the R&B classic "Save Your Love For Me." "BLACKMAGIC" toured in over 30 countries, at venues such as the Montreal Jazz Festival, Ancienne Belgique, Melkweg, and Lincoln Center. "Love Conversation" (produced by Taylor McFerrin), "Save Your Love for Me," and "Desire" (from The Dreamer) were featured in Fox Searchlight Pictures 2010 "Our Family Wedding" starring Forest Whitaker, America Ferrera, Carlos Mencia, and Lance Gross. Signing to Verve/Universal in 2010, James's third studio album "For All We Know" (May 2010, Impulse!) was released on the legendary "Impulse!" label, home to many of John Coltrane's masterworks. ...show less