José James is the epitome of modern jazz, but it almost came to nothing: The singer used to be an ardent supporter of hip-hop. It was only later that he worked his way through Nat King Cole to John Coltrane until he created his incomparable blend of jazz, soul, drum'n'bass and spoken word. Soulful trees are now growing on this soil, where the New York style chameleon with the fine voice can let off steam – and is difficult to capture!