James B. King Jr. is an accomplished bassist whose musical career spans more than 50 years on both the national and international stages. King has lived and worked in Washington, DC since 1977.

He has performed with jazz greats including Ella Fitzgerald, Gary Bartz, Elvin Jones, Stanley Turrentine, Sonny Fortune, Cedar Walton, Buck Hill, Frank Morgan, David ”Fathead” Newman, Arnett Cobb, Teddy Wilson, Milt Jackson, Bud Shank, James Moody, Ronnie Matthews, Junior Cook, Jon Hendriks, Mark Murphy, Kurt Elling, Vanessa Rubin, Rosanna Vitro, Giacomo Gates, Rebecca Parish, Melissa Walker, Mulgrew Miller, James Williams, Bruce Barth, Cyrus Chestnut, ReginaCarter and Johnny O’Neal, among others.

James has appeared at jazz festivals in North America and Europe including Montreal, the North Sea and Pori. He’s also performed at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy Club, the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, KC Jazz Club and Terrace Theater. In addition to his performances, King has conducted clinics, participated in public school music programs, led his own group and composed a myriad of original compositions.

James studied music at Texas Southern University, Hampton University and the University of the District of Columbia and originally hails from Houston, Texas.