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José James, the internationally-acclaimed jazz singer for the hip-hop generation, kicks off 2024 with “Saturday Night (Need You Now),” the second single from his forthcoming album ‘1978.’ A combination of late 1970’s disco and R&B with 2020’s pop, the song is a tribute to James’ musical heroes Marvin Gaye, Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson.
“Doing my tribute to Bill Withers inspired me,” James explains. “Singing his hits from the '70s and '80s like ‘Lovely Day’ and ‘Just the Two of Us’ made me want to dig deeper and try to write a song that could bring my own joy to people.”
To capture that joy, James tapped Grammy-nominated LA veteran songwriters Talia Billig (Moby, Aloe Blacc) and Kaveh Rastegar (Bruno Mars, Cee-Lo Green). Produced by James and Rastegar the track was recorded at Dreamland Studios, NY, mixed by Pete Min at Lucy’s Meat Market, LA and finally mastered by the indomitable Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios. The studio band includes Grammy nominees Marcus Machado (Daniel Ceasar) and David Ginyard (Blood Orange), as well as up-and-coming stars of the NY scene Chad Selph (Bilal) and Jharis Yokley (Solange).
James is no stranger to R&B and dance collaborations. His song “Live Your Fantasy” (written with Billig and Scott Jacoby) went to #1 on Japanese international charts and was a fixture on the international festival circuit. He has also formerly collaborated with Chicago house legend Moodymann, avant-garde composer/filmmaker Flying Lotus and UK dons Goldie and Basement Jaxx.
The full album ‘1978,’ set for release on April 5, 2024, pulsates with the socially conscious feel-good vibes of Marvin Gaye, Prince and Stevie Wonder. James also skillfully explores the boundaries of Black music beyond his own backyard, featuring Brazilian rising star and recent Latin Grammy nominee Xenia França as well as the Congolese-Belgian rapper/filmmaker Baloji.
The project recently premiered live on January 13th, 2024 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg as part of the NYC Winter Jazz Fest. James is set to return to New York for a four-night residency at Blue Note Jazz Club this spring, performing 2 shows each night. He will also perform overseas at esteemed venues across Europe, including Ronnie Scott’s in London, New Morning in Paris, and the Mojo Club in Hamburg.
For a full list of tour dates, see below:
Tour Dates:
February 8 – Botti at Sea – Miami, FL
February 17 – Capital Jazz Supercruise 2024– Florida City, FL
April 25 – Blue Note Jazz Club – New York, NY
April 26 – Blue Note Jazz Club – New York, NY
April 27 – Blue Note Jazz Club – New York, NY
April 28 – Blue Note Jazz Club – New York, NY
May 9 – Lensic Performing Arts Center – Santa Fe, NM
May 25 – Het Depot – Leuven, Belgium
May 26 – Mojo Club – Hamburg, Germany
May 27 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands
May 28 – La Briqueterie – Schiltigheim, France
May 29 – New Morning – Paris, France
May 30 – Théâtre Lino Ventura – Nice, France
May 31 – Ronnie Scott’s – London, U.K.
June 1 – Ronnie Scott’s – London, U.K.
June 3 – Club Porgy & Bess – Vienna, Austria
June 4 – Moods – Zurich, Switzerland
June 5 – Cosmopolite Scene – Oslo Norway
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