Boney James at B.B. King Blues Club and Grill, NYC, USA

Boney James at B.B. Kings NYC - photo by Luxury Experience

Four-time GrammyÂ® nominee Jazz Saxophonist Boney James played to a sold-out house at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill located in the heart of Times Square in New York City and Luxury Experience was there to experience the magic and the tremendous energy of an audience loving every minute of the music.

Boney James at B. B. King Blues Club and Grill NYC

On Friday, October 20, 2017, every table at B.B King Blues Club & Grill was filled with appreciative Jazz fans to hear Boney James perform. A four-time GrammyÂ® nominee, Boney James, joined by his band: Kendall Gilder on guitar, Smithy Smith on bass, Mark Stevens on keyboards, and Omari Williams on drums, engaged and charmed the audience.

Boney James, Kendall Gilder, Smithy Smith, Omari Williams, Mark Stevens at B.B. Kings NYC - photo by Luxury Experience
Kendall Gilder, Omari Williams, Boney James,
Smithy Smith, Mark Stevens

Boney James and the band created an up-tempo pace that began with the song, Drumline off his 2015 Futuresoul release, followed by We Came To Party, a song off his 16^th album, Honestly, released in September 2017, which literally got the party started. When they segued into the 1975 Hall & Oates song, Sara Smile, clearly a favorite of the audience, Boney James and the band had the audience singing along.

Watch the video of Sara Smile: https://youtu.be/JbYFju67VfI

Next in the playlist was Let It Go off Boney James’ 2006 Shine release, followed by another cut off the Honestly release, Tick Tock, which he co-wrote with Jairus Mozee. He described the next song, Vinyl, off his Futuresoul release as, back in the day when he was kid, a record was a thing that used to spin around, which was the inspiration for the name of the song. Moving back through the stacks of his musical career, he played another audience favorite with After The Rain, a cut off his 1997 Sweet Thing release.

Boney James, Kendall Gilder at B.B. Kings NYC - photo by Luxury Experience

Kendall Gilder and Boney James

Boney James introduced the song, On The Prowl, off the Honestly release, as one of the sexy songs on the album because the sax is a very sexy instrument, and some people say that the sax is the sexiest of all instruments, which had the audience shouting out their agreement. An engaging performer, Boney James left the stage and proceeded to play his sax while meandering through the club playing in between the rows of tables with the audience following his every move like a visual conga line, and loving the up-close and dynamic interaction.

Boney James, Kendall Gilder, Smithy Smith at B.B. Kings NYC - photo by Luxury Experience
Kendall Gilder, Boney James, Smithy Smith

The band continued with the song, Contact, off his 2011 release, by the same name. Low and Slow followed, another cut off Honestly, which was exactly as the name implied and allowed the band, and the audience, to ease back down after their rousing performance of On The Prowl.

Boney James at B.B. Kings NYC - photo by Luxury Experience
Boney James

Continuing with Batucada, a Sergio Mendes song, off his 2013 The Beat release, Boney James said that when he heard the song, he wanted to play it but Boney-ize it. Latin rhythms with Omari Williams on drums and Smithy Smith providing a great bass intro helped kick this song into gear with Boney James coming in on sax, and Kendall Gilder on guitar. Another highlight of this song was the talented Omari Williams working every piece of his drum kit for a fantastically long and brilliant rollicking drum solo that rocked the house.

Smithy Smith and Boney James

Omari Williams at B.B. Kings NYC - photo by Luxury Experience
Omari Williams

Watch the video of Omari Williams on drums: https://youtu.be/AhTzK0WEdlc

Boney James and the band took another musical detour back to his 1995 Seduction release with the song, Ain’t No Sunshine, which had the audience singing along, and will be remembered for his amazing long note finish on alto sax.

Mark Stevens - B. B. Kings NYC - photo by Luxury Experience
Mark Stevens

Winding down the evening, the band segued into Sweet Thing off his 1997 release by the same name, and finished with the song, Ride, off his 2001 release by the same name. After thundering applause, Boney James and the band returned to play, Grazin’ In The Grass, off his 2000 Shake It Up release to give the audience one more to get them through the night and to hold their interest until the next time that they have an opportunity to hear this talented Jazz man and his band perform live.

Until next time, keep enjoying the music!

(Listen to a teaser of Boney James – Honestly – track – Tick Tock: www.BoneyJames.com)

For a complete list of Boney James Tour Dates, please visit the website: www.BoneyJames.com

A Sampling of Boney James Upcoming Tour Dates

October 31, 2017	Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh, NC
November 1, 2017	Carolina Theater, Greensboro, NC
November 4, 2017	South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, Miami, FL
November 5, 2017	Hub City Jazz Fest, New Brunswick, NJ
November 18, 2017	The Foundry, Las Vegas, NV
December 31, 2017	Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach, Huntington Beach, CA
February 10, 2018	Smooth Jazz Cruise, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
March 10, 2018	Smooth Jazz Cruise 2, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
April 11, 2018	Count Basie Theatre. Red Bank, NJ
April 12, 2018	Community Theatre, Morristown, NJ

To read about Boney James – Honestly CD released on the Concord Music Group label., please visit: Luxury Experience – Music Scene – Review of Boney James’ Honestly CD

A Sampling of the Upcoming Shows at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, New York

October 27, 2017	Gloria Gaynor
October 28, 2017	Dennis Quaid & The Sharks
October 31, 2017	George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
November 1, 2017	Delbert McClinton
November 3, 2017	Oleta Adams
November 6, 2017	"Hello" The Ultimate Adele Experience
November 8, 2017	Freddie McGregor
November 9, 2017	The Outlaws
November 10, 2017	Morris Day & The Time
November 11, 2017	Leslie West of Mountain
November 12, 2017	Strawbs
November 14, 2017	Taylor Hicks
November 17, 2017	Spyro Gyra
November 18, 2017	Loose Ends Featuring Jane Eugene
November 19, 2017	Doyle Bramhall II with Althea Grace
November 26, 2017	Strictly Sinatra – A Tribute to Frank Sinatra
November 30, 2017	Keiko Matsui & Euge Groove
December 2, 2017	Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes
December 3, 2017	Larry Carlton
December 9, 2017	Jackie Mason
December 15, 2017	Aaron Neville
December 16, 2017	The Marshall Tucker Band
December 17, 2017	Blood Sweat & Tears with Bo Bice
December 21-23, 2017	A Darlene Love Christmas
December 29-30, 2017	A Decade of Soul
December 31, 2017	Harlem Gospel Choir
January 6, 2018	Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone
January 8, 2018	Jon Paris
January 18, 2018	Cowboy Mouth
January 21, 2018	Naor Zion

For more information and a complete list of upcoming performances at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, please visit the website: www.BBKingBlues.com.

B. B. King Blues Club & Grill Information

"B.B. King Blues Club is one of NYC’s premier Live Music Venues & Supperclubs. Since opening in 2000, BB Kings has hosted, and continues to host, some of the greatest legends in music. Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Alicia Keys, The Allman Brothers, Gipsy Kings, ZZ Top, & Jay Z have all performed on its stage, making it a must-see destination for anyone who loves live music."

B.B. King Blues Club & Grill is open daily from 11:00 am until 1:00 am for lunch, dinner, and drinks. Concerts vary in their start time, but most shows begin at 8:00 pm and 10:30 pm. Doors open at 6:00 pm for most shows. Please contact the box office for specific show times. Seating is on a first come first served basis so arrive early for best seating. All seating is cabaret style; you may be seated at a table with other guests. There is a $10 per person Food & Beverage minimum. Shows are open to all ages, however some late shows are 21+ years of age, so call their box office for more information.