José James

With his 12th studio album, 1978, James harkens to the celebratory and socially conscious sounds of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Prince while extending the boundaries of Black American music via collaborations with kindred artists like rising Brazilian star and recent Latin GRAMMY nominee Xênia França and Congolese-Belgian rapper/filmmaker Baloji. In concert, James presides over the stage with gracious sang-froid, taking obvious delight in his band while giving the players plenty of room to stretch out.

Over the years he’s given some indelible recent performances at the SFJAZZ Center, including a pair of engagements devoted to the timeless music of Bill Withers and another with his recent tribute to Erykah Badu, and with the consistently inspired songs from the 1978 project he’s ready to add another.