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José James is both a conductor and conduit. Across 17 years as a singer, songwriter, bandleader,and producer — not to mention co-head of the fearless Rainbow Blonde Records since 2018 —
he’s dived deep, over and over again, into genres, eras, scenes, and songbooks, exploring with the verve of a reverent musicologist and then churning it all up with the confidence of a master practitioner. Blessed with a silken baritone that sounds classic against any backdrop, James first turned heads on his 2008 debut, The Dreamer, by subtly swirling contemporary jazz with hip-hop
instrumentation. As it turned out, mixing those two fluid, frenetic, and frequently time-traveling strains set off a deeply soulful discography that knows no bounds. There was his stunning Blue Note breakthrough No Beginning No End (2013), recorded with fellow genre upsetters like Pino
Palladino and Robert Glasper. There was an album of standards, For All We Know (2010); the
Rock-addled While You Were Sleeping (2014); then, he ditched the band and became a modern R&B star for Love in a Time of Madness (2017). He’s also taken a Method approach to cover projects — even matching his wardrobe to his subjects’ worlds — like 2015’s Yesterday I
Had the Blues (Billie Holiday), 2018’s Lean On Me (Bill Withers), and 2023’s On & On (Erykah Badu). He’s released dynamic live LPs, a Christmas set, and a four-album series inspired by hooky, funky, disco-dipped songcraft of the ’70s, culminating in his latest, 1978: Revenge of the
Dragon (2025). That last one is as immediate, unpredictable, and vibrant as anything James
has made, affirming the mantra in the lead single’s title: “They Sleep, We Grind.”
If the total amount of beverages purchased by the party does not meet the minimum, a $15 drink/food minimum is charged per person in the party, per set.
Important Notices:
If you do not check in by 15 minutes into the start of the set, we reserve the right to resale your seats with no refund.
Tickets for this performance are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, a one-time transfer to a future show of equal value will be accepted. The transfer must be requested 24 hours before the start of the performance.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Caffè Vivace - Cincinnati, OH, 973 E McMillan St, Cincinnati, OH 45206-2007, United States,Cincinnati
Tickets
