Singer José James (Minneapolis,1978) broke through in 2008 with his album The Dreamer. The critics were wildly enthusiastic and after several performances in clubs, he appeared at the North Sea Jazz Festival in that year. The album For All We Know also created a big stir in 2010. James recorded the album with pianist Jeff Neve in just one day. They continued their collaboration with a project in which the duo explores the music of John Coltrane. James is not one of those singers trying to make a career out of imitating the crooners of the1950s, he moves in more musical genres. He just as easily turns his hand to hip-hop, gospel and blues as the American Songbook. In 2011, Downbeat magazine named him Rising Star Best Male Vocalist. James is working on a new studio album entitled No Beginning, No End. This year, he is again appearing with Dutchman Gideon van Gelder with whom he has been working for a long time in New York.
