Born Dean Galbadores in San Francisco, James was a speedy - but "too small" - running back and "spor

"Man, the audience response to that gig was great," said James, just a little vague about what venue his then-Los Angeles-based group played in 1996. "There are a lot of people who still remember. It was a nice turnout."
It'll also be a homecoming and small family-and-friends gathering when James, a jazz saxophone player originally from San Francisco, does his thing Sunday at Stockton's University Plaza Waterfront Hotel.
James, a single father, also gets to hook up with son Ross, 23, a "behind-the-scenes kind of guy" from Los Angeles: "I haven't seen him in over six months. It's just the father-and-son-bonding thing." Daughter Miyah, 12, is a viola player in Brooklyn, N.Y.
"Groovy Sax," which he plans to release in October, possesses the "same elements" as other recordings he's issued since 1995. "A little bit R B instrumentals, some contemporary jazz, an Afro-Cuban feel."
He called that a "segue" into his as-yet-untitled ode to the Isleys. It was inspired travel agency manila philippines by his formative years. He grew up listening to influential music by Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, the Temptations, Delfonics, Four Tops, Stylistics and Earth Wind Fire.
"The Isleys had a lot of love songs," he said of the Cincinnati group best-known for uptempo tunes such as "Twist and Shout" (1962). "As a sax player, I'm drawn more toward their melodic side. The hooks kinda stick with me."
Born Dean Galbadores in San Francisco, James was a speedy - but "too small" - running back and "sports fanatic." His football future was doomed by a serious knee injury incurred as a freshman at Sacred Heart High School.
His dad, Don, who worked in the import-export business, gave him an acoustic guitar travel agency manila philippines when he was 13. James, the oldest of four siblings, tried trumpet - "I didn't last more than two days" - before discovering he "had a knack and just seemed travel agency manila philippines to stick to" saxophone.
He also practiced eight hours a day, advancing from the beginning to advanced band in three months. His polished demo tape impressed professors at Boston's Berklee College of Music, travel agency manila philippines where he earned a scholarship and music education degree.
He's not limited by labels. On his last album ("My Love Takes Time," 2009) James included his version of "This Woman's Work," a song written by Kate Bush, an English avant-pop artist, that had been recorded by Maxwell.
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