José James and Melissa Aldana

After receiving an impressive education in the genre that has formed the very core of his musical approach from day one at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in Greenwich Village, New York City, Jose James went on to launch a career based around his unusual, highly idiosyncratic mixture of jazz and hip hop in 2008, when he released his first album, ‘The Dreamer’. He followed that up with a second release on the Brownswood label, ‘Blackmagic’, before making a major step forward, both in terms of his own career and for the contemporary jazz movement in general; he was signed by the legendary jazz label Blue Note, an imprint best known for tending towards the more classical side of the genre.

Since then, James has released a further couple of albums, ‘No Beginning No End’ and ‘While You Were Sleeping’, and his international fanbase continues to expand accordingly - thanks in no small part to his consistent touring schedule. Additionally, James has released three collaborative albums with his peers: ‘Live at Cafe Loup’ in 2008, with Junior Mance, ‘Twelve Tons of Love’ in 2009 with Chico Hamilton, and ‘For All We Know’ in 2010, with Jef Neve.