Jose James Sings Sinatra with the Blue Wisp Big Band

The celebrated jazz vocalist explores the legacy of one of the greatest American voices of all time. 

For internationally renowned jazz singer José James, this project is fate. In 2016, James was called by Universal Pictures to perform Sinatra’s version of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” for the blockbuster film 50 Shades Darker. James—a devoted student of Sinatra—accepted the role and soon found himself in the hallowed halls of Capitol’s Studio B, behind the very microphone Sinatra used to record his most celebrated catalog for Capitol Records.

“It was a huge honor and a surprise,” remembers James. “There was a moment where engineer Al Schmitt brought out the famous Neumann U47, including the wooden box it lives in. On that box, written in black Sharpie in all caps, was just one word—FRANK. Sinatra was letting everyone know that this was his house and anyone who dared to scale the heights of his mountaintop had better be prepared.”

James rose to the challenge, performing that song onscreen in the film and recording another Sinatra classic, “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” for the official movie soundtrack. Following that release, James has been in high demand, performing at the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival for both a Frank Sinatra tribute with the Count Basie Orchestra as well as with the Christian McBride Big Band. He also performed with Laura Mvula alongside the Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth Symphony Orchestras, and has been a featured performer with the Jazz at Lincoln Center, Royal Concertgebouw, and Metropole Orchestras.

In September 2026, James will release his 14th studio album The Best Is Yet to Come, a groundbreaking reexamination of one of America’s greatest voices from the most exciting male jazz singer of the moment. For James, this project is a reclamation—both live and on record—of Sinatra’s brilliance as a jazz singer, a rhythmic improviser from the schools of Billie Holiday and Tommy Dorsey. With big band arrangements by the legendary John Clayton, this is no mere nostalgia trip, but a deeper look into the craft and mastery of the Chairman of the Board.

photo credit: Janette Beckman

Founded in 1980 by drummer John Von Ohlen and trumpeter Don Johnson, the Blue Wisp Big Band got its start and its name at the Blue Wisp Jazz Club. Von Ohlen had played with the orchestras of Stan Kenton and Woody Herman. Impressed by the musicians he heard in Cincinnati, he wanted to bring them together in a world-class jazz orchestra. Johnson helped assemble the horn section, while pianist Steve Schmidt and bassist Michael Sharfe joined Von Ohlen in the rhythm section.

The band soon became a Wednesday night fixture at the Blue Wisp and one of Cincinnati’s leading jazz ensembles. Its hard bop sound reached audiences far beyond the city through recordings, touring, and airplay in the United States and Europe. Notable former members include trumpeter Tim Hagans and bassist Lynn Seaton.

Now at home at Caffè Vivace in Walnut Hills, Cincinnati’s Blue Wisp Big Band celebrates 46 years of swinging big band music.

The Show 

Performing in both full big band and intimate piano trio formats, James will tour globally presenting a carefully curated selection of Sinatra’s most celebrated material, including “Come Fly With Me,” “My Way,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” and “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.” The piano trio format proposes an exceptional lineup: Christian Sands (piano), Kanoa Mendenhall (bass), and Jharis Yokley (drums).

Whether backed by the swagger and brass of a full big band or the intimate power of a jazz trio, José James Sings Sinatra invites audiences to rediscover the swing, style, and soul of Sinatra—not as nostalgia, but as a living language. James brings this iconic music into the present with depth, grace, and authority, uplifting both Sinatra devotees and new generations discovering the Great American Songbook.

Press 

“Catch up with José James now because he’s a rarity—an artist evolving at warp speed.” —NPR All Things Considered 

“[James] sounds like the result of the black-pop continuum, jazz and soul and hip-hop and R&B, slow-cooked for more than 50 years.” 

—The New York Times 

“Is José James a jazz singer or a soul singer? Old school or new school? A guardian of tradition or a seeker of thrills? Yes, yes and yes.” 

—Los Angeles Times 

“[James has] always been one to try stuff out… he finds a way to make an eclectic approach feel unified and whole.” 

—Pitchfork 

“The vocalist José James makes utterly contemporary music…in his elegant, cerebral, seductive way… [He] skirts categories with ease, fitting in with current R&B innovators like Frank Ocean or Miguel, yet maintaining a strong awareness of a lineage that stretches from Ray Charles to Marvin Gaye to Lou Rawls to Maxwell… he holistically heals the rift between radio-friendly songcraft and virtuoso flair.” —NPR Music