Jose James - On & On (2023)

On & On: Jose James Sings Badu finds James throwing down the gauntlet on the past 100 years of jazz singing while charting a path forward for the culture. The album, produced by James, features all-star band Big Yuki (A Tribe Called Quest), Ben Williams (Kamasi Washington) and Jharis Yokley (My Brightest Diamond) and investigates the breadth of Erykah Badu's iconic catalogue, from her groundbreaking debut album Baduizm to her contemporary masterpieces New Amerykah Pt. 1 and 2. But make no mistake: This is thoroughly a jazz album. Conceived in the spirit of Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters, James artfully draws upon his experiences with modern masters McCoy Tyner, Robert Glasper and Flying Lotus to create a new sonic landscape through an improvisatory lens. James also builds on his reputation as a modern jazz tastemaker by introducing featured horn players Ebban Dorsey and Diana Dzhabbar.