Giant Step is known for not only presenting great shows, but also bringing to the forefront up and coming artists. Saturday April 17th Giant Step welcomed José James to the Hiro Ballroom stage. A London-based jazz vocalists, José Jame‘s smooth baritone vocals have been compared to the likes of Terry Callier, Jon Lucien and Gil-Scott Heron.
After a brief introduction from his three piece band, José James stepped on the stage sharply dressed in all black. The atmosphere was laid back and a perfect setting for those couples on a date. James serenaded the crowd with songs from his UK release “Black Magic”. A perfect blend of Jazz, R&B, and hip hop, James offered the crowd samples of his music influences such as Marvin Gayes “I Want You” while perfectly blending with his songs.
José James has made a name for himself in the UK and Japan as the hip hop generation’s answer to Jazz. After seeing his performance at Hiro Ballroom, I understood why. He was able to connect with the diverse crowd though the hip hop/r&b-esk beats and draw them in with his jazzy lyrical delivery.
To learn more and hear more of José James visit his website.
As always, we have a few concert highlights from his performance. Enjoy
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
