“All I want for Christmas is Jose James singing in my family’s living room. We’ll even have the piano tuned for his accompanist Christian Sands.
Sorry Santa. I had to revise my wish list after experiencing James’ homecoming holiday show on Sunday night at the Dakota in Minneapolis. It was an evening that was warm, intimate and elegantly old-school — and just inventive enough to be refreshing.
Now based in Amsterdam, the Minneapolis-born and raised vocalist has been a frequent performer at the Dakota in the past dozen years. This was the first Christmas concert in Minnesota for the inveterate adventurer, who has recorded everything from original jazz-meets-hip-hop to tributes to Billie Holiday and Bill Withers.”