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Jos\xe9 James has often been called a \u201cjazz singer for the hip hop generation,\u201d having come to jazz through tracing hip hop samples and over the course of twelve records, he\u2019s also incorporated R&B, soul, rock, funk, and Latin music into his songs. While he\u2019s mostly sung his own music over the years,\xa0he has occasionally covered songs by some of his favorite\xa0artists: Bill Withers,\xa0Gil Scott-Heron, Erykah Badu and\xa0Billie Holiday.

James has just released a new album called 1978, which sees him looking back, past hip hop, to the soul music of the 70s. But this is soul music with a message; songs like \u201cFor Trayvon\u201d make that clear. But it\u2019s also message-music with soul:\xa0Jos\xe9 James\xa0closes the album with \u201c38th & Chicago,\u201d which has a jazzy bassline, an almost bossa nova guitar sound, and a Caribbean lilt in the percusson. Jos\xe9 James and his band play some of these hot grooves in-studio. -John Schaefer

Set list:\xa01. Let's Get It 2. Planet Nine 3. Saturday Night (Need You Now)