Music

In addition to his professional work, James is also active in the Boston music scene. He started taking piano lessons at age 8. He played gospel and classical styles at a local church but caught the jazz bug through his older cousin, who introduced him to improvisation. Throughout college, he played in small group ensembles led by trumper Walter Platt and bassist Chuck Gabriel and performed locally with the band Moody Street Sound. Since graduating James has studied privately with the jazz pianists Harvey Diamond, Joe Reid, and Ran Blake. He performs with Hypnago, an improvisational funk group from Lowell as well as Underground Trio, based in Boston, as well as performing his whole solo work.