The UB Interview: The Renowned Boney James | Talks Album 20 ‘A Simple Man’

Three decades into a career built on deep groove, melodic instinct and a saxophone voice unmistakably his own, Boney James is still finding new ground.

On “A Simple Man,” his milestone 20th studio album, via Concord Records, the multi-platinum saxophonist, composer and producer turns inward without narrowing his musical world.

The result is one of his most personal records: R&B feeling remains at its center, jazz tradition is honored, and James sounds every bit like a musician still striving for new possibilities on his instrument.

That forward motion is all the more striking given the scale of what James has already accomplished.

His catalog has generated more than two billion on-demand streams in the United States and sales of four million U.S. album equivalents.

His honors include four Grammy nominations, three NAACP Image Award nominations, four RIAA Gold-certified records, a Soul Train Award and a BET Award nomination.

Billboard named him one of the Top 3 Contemporary Jazz Artists of the 2000s, and in 2024 he became the first artist to score 20 #1 singles on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart.

Recent vocal collaborations have also earned him two Top 10 hits at Adult R&B.

Boney James approaches the saxophone as a singer approaches a lyric, shaping melodies around breath, tone and feeling rather than virtuosity for its own sake.

His formative listening included Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye alongside the jazz music he studied as a young saxophonist.

That sensibility has allowed him to move naturally between instrumental music and collaborations with some of the most distinctive vocalists of several generations.

On “A Simple Man,” that connection comes into particularly sharp focus on “I Belong To You,” a warm, contemporary R&B duet with one of our favorites, Grammy-winning singer Ledisi.

Co-written by James and Ledisi with BeatsMadeByFresh and Rex Rideout, the song reunites the pair more than two decades after they first appeared together.

The rest of “A Simple Man” reveals how expansive James’ creativity can be.

Born in Lowell, Massachusetts and raised in New Rochelle, New York, James grew up surrounded by records ranging from jazz and classical music to musicals and film scores.

He began on clarinet before being steered toward saxophone in fifth grade.

When his family moved to Los Angeles during his teens, music became a lifeline as he adjusted to a new city and a new life.

By 19, Boney James had turned professional. His formative years were spent on the road, touring on keys and sax with Morris Day, The Isley Brothers, Teena Marie, Randy Crawford, Ray Parker Jr., Sheena Easton, Bobby Caldwell and many others.

Between tours, James made demos and developed a musical identity of his own. His independently released 1992 debut, “Trust,” led to a major-label deal and launched a solo career that has steadily expanded the possibilities for contemporary instrumental music.

Over the decades that followed, artists including George Benson, Al Jarreau, George Duke, Bilal, Lalah Hathaway, Raheem DeVaughn, October London, and Twin Cities own Stokley, have made guest appearances on his records.

Those collaborations reflect the breadth of a musical identity that has always lived comfortably between jazz musicianship and the emotional directness of R&B.

He still practices, still experiments and still hears things in his playing that he could not do before.

Aries from UB interviewed musician Boney James regarding his 20th studio album, “A Simple Man,” and his musical career.

Boney James shares how one of our favorite tracks “Midnight Sun,” originated from a spontaneous sound check jam session.

Boney James discusses his longevity in the music industry, noting that his goal has always been to continue doing what he loves.

He reflects on his early years playing keyboards as a sideman before finding success as a saxophonist.

Boney also shares how our favorite release “Sweet Thang,” was a significant milestone for him, winning the “Soul Train Award” for the album.

He shares how his collaboration with our favorite, Ledisi came about for the single “I Belong To You.”

And Boney encourages aspiring musicians to persist through the initial frustrations of learning an instrument.

UrbanBridgez.com: I have to start with, being this is album 20, that’s such an achievement for any artist. What was your long-term goal as a recording artist?
Boney James: Honestly, it was just to be doing what I’m doing to still be at it after all these years. You know, I’ve sort of surpassed my goals at this point in so many ways. It’s quite mind-boggling sometimes. So I I don’t try and think of it. I just keep my head down and keep working.

UrbanBridgez.com: Definitely, and to be able to say that is the most beautiful thing, being in a career that has stress like yours. So definitely kudos for that.
Boney James: Thank you.

UrbanBridgez.com: No problem. And then I have to ask about Ledisi. One of my favorites. Just her voice, and like you, she’s always a pleasure to speak with.
Boney James: She’s a Sweetheart, she’s really, really awesome.

UrbanBridgez.com: So, as a fan, I have to know how did that collab come about, and what did you enjoy most about working with her?
Boney James: We go back a little bit of a ways. You know, we worked on “My Sensitivity (Gets in the Way).” For the Luther Vandross tribute album back in the early 2000s. I had been aware of her even before she became famous. You know, this great singer from the Bay Area, and so we did that collaboration on “Sensitivity,” and then we kind of lost touch. I run into her in the airport every now and then, you know, and I had done some work with Rex Rideout, her manager and producer recently, and so it was an opportunity for me to say, “Hey, I’ve got this song. I think would be really great for Ledisi.” You know, can you get it to her? Send it to her right now (laughs). And and he did. And then she liked it and wrote the lyrics and sent me back this finished vocal. So the whole thing was done virtually, but she killed it.

UrbanBridgez.com: Definitely. Can we possibly expect any live performances with the two of you in the near future?
Boney James: Well, I hope so, but you know she’s doing her Broadway debut right now, so she is incredibly busy. So I’m really grateful that we were able to get the record done because she was like on tour in Europe and you know doing all this and that and the other thing and then she was going right back into the Broadway thing. So I’ll be amazed if we are able to get her. But, I said, look, if we get on the Tonight Show, you’re gonna have to show up for that. She said, I’ll make it happen.

UrbanBridgez.com: That’s what’s up. And then on the new album, two of my favorite songs so far after first listen are “The Wire” and “The Midnight Sun.”
Boney James: Oh wow! Thank you.

UrbanBridgez.com: No problem. What inspires you to create songs such as those?
Boney James: Well, Midnight Sun actually came out of a sound check jam session. The bass player and keyboard player in my band were just playing around, and I surreptitiously taped what they were doing on my phone. Okay. No, not surreptitiously, but I mean, I said, let me, let me, let me grab that. I think I can write something to that. And then I came home and put this track together, and that was how that came out. It was just totally spontaneous, and I liked what that — just the the chords and the bass line. And then I sort of wrote the song around that, and I’m really proud of how it turned out. It’s definitely got an old school flavor. The choir I co-wrote with, a cat named Tamuz Dolev, who is a drummer who makes like you know sample packs? And I had used a lot of his drums and stuff in the past to make loops and things, and then he sent me this demo of this track that he had recorded, and I just really liked the vibe, so I wrote the song around that, and I replaced a lot of the stuff with live instruments, but it definitely has like a 70s soul movie kind of thing to it.

UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah it’s definitely a vibe.
Boney James: Glad to hear.

UrbanBridgez.com: What’s a song on the new album that you feel showcase a different side of Bony for this project?
Boney James: Well, you know, “In A Sentimental Mood” is, I think, a stretch for me. That’s a Duke Ellington song, and for me to do that and sort of, there’s a lot more improvisation on that than I normally do. I mean, it’s it’s still got a sort of a soul music kind of groove to it, but it’s standard, so I don’t use. So that, and I’m really proud of how that one turned out.

UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, definitely. Tell everybody why they should support the 20th album, “A Simple Man,” by streaming and downloading.
Boney James: Well, I’m super proud of this record. You know, I feel like 20 records in, I’m still making progress, and this music really to connect it for me, and I hope the audience feels the same way.

UrbanBridgez.com: They will trust. Then switching gears real quick. When did you first fall in love with the saxophone?
Boney James: Well, you know, I started playing when I was 10, and just about the first time I started playing, I just really loved it. You know, and all my other hobbies kind of fell away over the years. I wasn’t sure I could make a living doing it, but after a year of college, I realized it was the only thing that I really loved. So that was when I kind of made the leap to see if I could pull it off. And you know, I was playing as a side-man for seven years, playing keyboards with a lot of artists and just a little bit of sax, and that it was really the frustration with that that made me feel like I need to try and make my own record. You know, because I really only wanted to play my horn, and I had my own music that I wanted people to hear. So I got the passion to do it, and luckily I caught some breaks.

UrbanBridgez.com: Definitely, and then as I was saying in the beginning, being a fan for so long. After “Sweet Thing,” it was over from that point. I was a fan for life.
Boney James: You know, I won the Soul Train Award for “Sweet Thing,” and that was a really special moment. It started to take off for me then, and that’s still a good record to my years.

UrbanBridgez.com: A classic. That album will never get old. I even love the cover. Like everything about that album is perfect.
Boney James: That cover was quite controversial at the time,

UrbanBridgez.com: I slightly remember some of that. I can say. I’m curious to know what would be like your Top Four, maybe Five albums that you recorded, that you feel kind of fully represent the Boney James sound?
Boney James: It’s so hard to say. You know, I mean, I always really trying to love the record that I just finished. I mean, this new record with a lot of great songs on it. But I think everything that I’ve made, you know, there’s a few clunkers maybe on some of those earlier records, where I felt like I might have run out of time or money to make it the way I wanted it to be. But once I started producing my own records back in like the early 2000s, I’m really kind of happy with all of them. You know, they’re like my children. Can’t really pick a favorite.

UrbanBridgez.com: I love that. And then you’re finally coming to Minneapolis on November 24th. As a fan who’s never seen you live, I’m excited.
Boney James: We’re looking forward to it. We enjoy playing that club, and we’ve had some fun shows there. And and you know, I hope you enjoy the show. We sure love playing. That’s for sure.

UrbanBridgez.com: What can fans like myself expect from Boney James’ show?
Boney James: Well, you know, I mean, I’m coming from that background of when I first started playing. It was with Morris Day and the Isley Brothers. So I’m always trying to put on a show. You know – we’re not going to stand there with our eyes closed.

UrbanBridgez.com: I love to hear that. Leads into my next question because I was going to say, digging back into your earlier days. What’s something you vividly remember enjoying about working with our very own Minneapolis Morris Day?
Boney James: Well, look, I mean, I was really just happy to be making a living as a musician for those first few years, man. But Morris always put on a great show. I’m so happy they’re all still out there doing it. You know, Rickey “Freeze” Smith was in the band when I joined back in ’85. He’s still out there playing bass, so I run into those guys every now and then, and it’s always a real pleasure.

UrbanBridgez.com: I love hearing that. What’s your advice before we wrap up, for someone who wants to play the saxophone or any instrument, but they’re kind of afraid to do it because they think it’s too difficult, which is a lot of the time the reason.
Boney James: Oh man, you know, I mean, if you love it, just give it a shot. I mean, it’s very frustrating at first to learn any instrument or anything. You know, I’m trying to learn Spanish now. And music, music is like a language, but there’s a lot of joy and and fun in in it I find. If you’re the kind of person that can enjoy it, just trying to do something a little bit better every day, then I go for it. It’s never too late.

UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, I like that part too. No matter how old you are, I love it. What’s next, Boney James?
Boney James: Well, you know, it’s going to be a lot more of this, talking to people about the record and trying to spread the word. I’m really proud of the music, and I want to reach as big an audience as I can. And then we’re going to hit the road. You know, we got a lot of shows coming up, so we’re going to be on a bus touring around the country playing some of this new music, and really excited about

UrbanBridgez.com: So you’re gonna be in them streets.
Boney James: Yes (laughs).

UrbanBridgez.com: Before we wrap up, is there anything else you want to leave or share with your fans?
Boney James: No, I just thank you, man. Really hope you guys love the new record as much as I do.