JOSE´ JAMES PRESENTS: FACING EAST, THE MUSIC OF JOHN COLTRANE / SATURDAY, MAY 16 / Cape May Convention Hall / 9:00-10:30 PM
The Story
Fresh off a week-long engagement at the Blue Note New York, Grammy-nominated singer and guitar player José James brings a special presentation to Cape May for the Spring Exit Zero Jazz Festival. “Facing East: The Music of John Coltrane” celebrates the centennial of the revered jazz icon who was born on Sept. 23, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina and went on to revolutionize modern jazz, becoming one of the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of the music. Coltrane’s profound influence still reverberates to this day, decades after important works like 1960’s Giant Steps, 1961’s My Favorite Things, 1962’s Live at the Village Vanguard, 1963’s Ballads, 1964’s Crescent and 1965’s A Love Supreme.
Often billed as “the jazz singer for the hip hop generation, internationally acclaimed James has organically blended jazz and r&b in his performances and on his 15 albums as a leader. The Minneapolis-born, silky-voiced baritone singer reimagines the genius of Coltrane in his soul-stirring homage to the legendary saxophonist. No stranger to the Coltrane oeuvre, James released a vocalese cover of the legendary saxophonist’s “Equinox” in 2008, then toured internationally with piano great McCoy Tyner, a cornerstone of Coltrane’s celebrated classic quartet, in a 2011 tour that revisited the music of the 1963 classic Impulse! recording, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman. As he said of his main inspiration for this ambitious show: “John Coltrane remains one of the most brilliant and important musical artists of the 20th century. May his music continue to be a guiding light for us all.”
The Sound
From his introductory “Om” to his tasteful renditions of “Welcome” and “Psalm,” to his driving “Africa” (with original lyrics he penned) and a seductively swinging rendition of “My Favorite Things,” James brings a hauntingly beautiful quality on his spiritual journey through the Trane canon on 2026’s Facing East: The Music of John Coltrane (available exclusively on Bandcamp). For his Exit Zero performance at Conventional Hall in Cape May, he will be joined by the extraordinary 21-year-old rising star alto saxophonist Ebban Dorsey, who also played on James’ 2023 album, On & On, and his 2025 followup, 1978: Revenge of the Dragon.
Where & When: Cape May Convention Hall, Saturday, May 16
A jazz artist for the hip-hop generation, José James artfully blurs the lines between traditional and contemporary jazz, hip-hop, soul, funk, pop and rock. He has released 12 critically-acclaimed albums in as many years for labels such as Brownswood, Impulse, Blue Note and his own co-founded Rainbow Blonde Records, and is the recipient of both the Edison Award and L'Académie du Jazz Grand Prix. James has collaborated with many notable artists such as Flying Lotus, Robert Glasper, Lalah Hathaway, Ledisi, Aloe Blacc and Jason Moran.
A celebrated international performer, James has presented his work at venues such as The Kennedy Center, Hollywood Bowl, Ancienne Belgique and Billboard Live Tokyo, and has performed as a guest artist with McCoy Tyner, Laura Mvula and the Jazz at Lincoln Center, Melbourne Symphony and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestras.