José James facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
José James
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José James 2016 in Berlin, Germany
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| Background information | |
| Born | January 20, 1978 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
| Genres | Jazz, hip hop, neo soul |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, bandleader |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Labels | Brownswood, Blue Note, Rainbow Blonde |
José James is an American musician, singer, and composer. He was born on January 20, 1978. José is known for mixing different music styles, especially jazz and hip hop. He sings, plays guitar, and leads his own band.
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About José James
José James grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has family roots from Ireland and Panama. He studied music at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.
Early Music Career
In 2008, José released his first album, The Dreamer. It became very popular after DJ Gilles Peterson signed him to his new record label, Brownswood Recordings. His second album, Blackmagic, came out in 2009.
The next year, in 2010, he released For All We Know. This album won two important awards: the Edison Award and the Académie du Jazz Grand Prix. These awards recognized it as the best Vocal Jazz Album of 2010.
Live Performances
José James has performed in many famous places around the world. These include The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Hollywood Bowl, and Billboard Live Tokyo. He has also performed with other great artists. These include McCoy Tyner and Laura Mvula. He has sung with big orchestras too, like the Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Recent Projects
One of his recent projects is called On & On - José James sings Badu. He performed this show on October 22, 2022. He was joined by his band of five young musicians. The performance took place at the Millennium Stage. This stage is part of The Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center is a very important place for music and plays in Washington, D.C.
Personal Life
José James is married to Talia Pnina Billig. She is known as Taali. Taali is also a talented singer, songwriter, and record producer. She has even been nominated for a Grammy Award.
Music Albums
José James has released many albums throughout his career.
Albums as the Main Artist
- The Dreamer (2007)
- Blackmagic (2009)
- For All We Know with Jef Neve (2010)
- No Beginning No End (2012)
- While You Were Sleeping (2014)
- Yesterday I Had the Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday (2015)
- Love in a Time of Madness (2017)
- Lean On Me (2018)
- No Beginning No End 2 (2020)
- José James: New York 2020 (2021) – recorded live in 2020
- Merry Christmas from José James (2021)
- On & On (2023)
- 1978 (2024)
- 1978: Revenge of the Dragon (2025)
Albums as a Guest Artist
José James has also appeared as a guest singer on albums by other artists:
- Jazzanova, Little Bird (2008)
- Basement Jaxx, Scars and Zephyr (2009)
- Kris Bowers, Heroes + Misfits (2014)
- Junko Onishi, Very Special (2017)
- Taali, I Am Here (2019)
- Erik Truffaz Quartet, Lune Rouge (2019)
See also
In Spanish: José James para niños
