Future Now — José James from Simon Benjamin
Born and raised in Minneapolis but now settled in New York, José James combines jazz, hip-hop, and spoken word in his work, which includes a stint in Ancestor Energy and his widely hailed solo debut, 2008’s The Dreamer, followed by the 2010 double shot of Blackmagic and For All We Know. James, who has been heavily influenced by John Coltrane and has played with such legends as Junior Mance, Chico Hamilton, McCoy Tyner, and Wynton Marsalis, has spent the last year and a half writing and recording his latest project, due in September, No Beginning, No End, songs from which he’ll premiere Friday and Saturday night as part of the Harlem Stage Uptown Nights series at the Gatehouse. He’ll be performing two shows each evening (7:30 & 9:30, $25) with a lineup consisting of Takuya Kuroda on trumpet, Corey King on trombone, Grant Windsor on keyboards, Solomon Dorsey on bass, and Nate Smith on drums, along with special guests Taylor McFerrin and Emily King. “Come get the world’s first view of my new journey,” he writes on his website, “and share Valentine’s weekend with us.”