Boney James

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James "Boney James" Oppenheim, (born September 1, 1961 in Lowell, Massachusetts) is a smooth jazz saxophonist who popularized urban jazz (an updated version of smooth jazz that contains elements of hip-hop).

Mr. James has produced remakes of classic soul songs, such as Chaka Khan's "Sweet Thing," Stevie Wonder's "Creepin'" (which had also been redone by Luther Vandross) and Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine (When She's Gone)". In addition, he collaborated with trumpeter Rick Braun on an album called Shake it Up. Their duets include "Grazin' in the Grass," which had been previously performed by the Friends of Distinction and Hugh Masekela.

Some James originals include "Metropolis," "After the Rain" and "Here She Comes."

Boney James is a two-time Grammy nominee. He has accumulated three Gold records. His current and ninth CD, Pure, debuted at #12 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charts. Pure marks the debut as his own producer and he also co-wrote every song.

Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Boney James started his teen years in New Rochelle, New York, as a Motown fan, which has contributed to his "musical influence and soulful R&B style." He took up the clarinet at the age of eight and switched to sax when he was 10. He was influenced by popular saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr.. When James was 15 his family moved to Los Angeles, where he joined a fusion band and opened for Flora Purim and the Yellowjackets [1].

He received a history degree but began playing music full-time after graduation. He took up the keyboards and in 1985 played in Morris ("What Time Is It?") Day's band, the Time, for four years. His R&B influence was strengthened by seven years of touring and sessions as a sideman with artists like Day, the Isley Brothers, Bobby Caldwell, Randy Crawford, Sheena Easton. His solo career has culminated with three straight #1 Contemporary Jazz/Top 40 R&B albums. He is married to actress Lily Mariye of television's "ER."

In the early days, after he joined Bobby Caldwell's band, he caught the attention of the engineer/mixer & producer Paul Brown. In 1992 he released his debut album as leader (Trust) and was signed by the Warner Brothers label in 1994. In 2006 James moved to Concord Records [2] and as of October 2006 he was still touring [3].

He was close to his late brother, Larry Oppenheim, who was a computer science teacher at Palms Middle School in Los Angeles, California.