José James

On July 7, 2026, José James performs at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. The singer from Minneapolis operates at the intersection of jazz, soul and R&B, with a hip‑hop sensibility in his timing and songwriting. Since The Dreamer and Blackmagic he has paired warm grooves with flexible phrasing; on Blue Note he shifted toward a contemporary, more electric sound. Along the way he has explored the tradition, with a Billie Holiday project and Lean on Me centered on Bill Withers, and on On & On (2023) he reinterprets Erykah Badu’s songbook in his own image.

Live, that translates into intimate ballads alongside pulsing tracks, with room for improvisation and a band that breathes with the voice. Expect originals from No Beginning No End through No Beginning No End 2, interspersed with carefully chosen covers that he recolors without losing their core. James sings with a relaxed drive and a clear melodic sense; the lines are loose, the rhythm stays close to the groove. An evening where composition and spontaneity intertwine — closer to the club than to the crooner, but always focused on the song.