THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “You’d be forgiven for previously assuming that José James was a man with something to prove.
There was that decade he spent reshaping jazz with the genre-blurring verve of a crate-digging beat guru. And that time he declared his jazz career was over, ditched the bands, and became a solo R&B star. And then there were the last couple years he spent living in Bill Withers’ shoes — recording and touring that legendary songbook for the Lean On Me project, a feat as brazen as they come. Now, well, it’s not that James is out of mountains to climb, but sometimes you gotta stop to consider the one you’ve already got under your feet. Thus, the songwriter’s last studio album No Beginning No End 2 was a sequel to his 2013 album that resurrected the bold eclecticism we first fell in love with, while taking us on a journey through both celebration and introspection.
José James: New York 2020 (Live) is a live album from an artist with a decade-long career built on his electric live show. Despite an entire year without shows, James found a way to create & connect with fans during the peak of Coronavirus lockdown. James is known for assembling some of the best live bands in the world, & his New York 2020 crew is no exception. Each song resonates with the creative urgency of an effervescent, resilient 2020 New York City.”
