As a troika of Houston-adjacent cities, Sugar Land, Stafford and Missouri City have certainly experienced a boom in both population and business growth during the past decade. This has trickled down to the cultural level with a proliferation of arts-related events and gatherings, often with a multicultural emphasis.

Sugar Land will get especially musical with the inaugural edition of the Sugar Land Jazz Festival, held over Mother’s Day weekend on May 11 and 12 at Crown Festival Park.

The lineup is especially impressive with headlining smooth jazz king Boney James, along with horny funkateers Tower of Power and fellow sax player Vincent Ingala on Saturday. Then on Sunday it’s Houston’s own musical hot export, multi-genre pianist Robert Glasper, supported by saxman Gerald Albright (with a James Brown tribute) and multi-instrumentalist/rapper/producer Terrace Martin.

However, James says he won’t approach playing an outdoors general jazz festival much differently from a headlining theater gig.
“It depends on what the vibe is. We might drop one of the more introspective moments of the show for something a little more upbeat,” he says. “The show already has so many flavors to it, it really fits any occasion. Or that’s what I’m trying to make of it!”

Boney James (nee’ James Oppenheim) first took up the saxophone at the age of 10 and was already playing in bands four years later. Influenced by both the Motown sound and sax player Grover Washington, Jr. James then toured and recorded with soul/R&B acts like Morris Day, The Isley Brothers, Bobby Caldwell, Randy Crawford and Teena Marie.
It was while with Crawford he was given the nickname “Boney,” both for his slim physique and for joking that he’d have to starve himself to survive on his daily per diem. The 1992 album Trust marked his debut as a bandleader, with nearly 20 studio efforts to follow. He’s also notched 20 No. 1 hits on the Billboard chart dedicated to smooth jazz. His most recent record was 2022’s Detour.

For that effort—and really, all his releases—James says he doesn’t start writing or go into the studio with many preconceived notions or directions. “I just want to start with great songs and just follow them to where they lead me. It’s an exploration. On this one, there were so many interesting turns, which is why I called it Detour.”

And indeed, the album travels from the breezy adventure of the title track, the funky “Bring It Back,” and the bluesy “Memphis,” to the emotive “Northern Lights,” sexy “Intention” and lullaby “Blur.” In “The Loop,” he even dips his bill into hip hop and sampling with “The Loop.”

Two songs though, are especially special to James. “Coastin’” delivers the riding-with-the-top-down-warm-weather feel that the title indicates. Providing vocals is Lalah Hathaway, someone with whom James had wanted to collaborate with for a long time, but never could.

He chalks it up to Hathaway having some reps around her who may or may not have even told her that James was chasing her (musically, that is) years ago. He was finally about to get in touch with her “Creative Consultant” who liked his submitted song and passed it along.

“It’s always little a bit of a movie to try and get in touch with a singer you envision to be a guest on the record, and then seeing if they can even do it with their schedule. So, the stars aligned for this one. She wrote the lyric, came to my house, and we recorded it that day.”
Another tune is even closer to the 62-year-old James’ personal life. “Tribute” is exactly that, an ode to his late father who died last year and who also served has his son’s entertainment attorney for much of his career.

James laughs when asked if there was any intersection between “proud parent” and “sharky attorney” when it came to his work. “He was quite the strong advocate on my behalf, let’s just put it that way! And it was really a great thing for me to share that part of my life with him.”
Much of Detour was recorded right in James’ backyard studio, only steps from his home. “I didn’t even have to wear street clothes to get there!” he says. He did have to go to East/West Studio for some of the more complicated recording and mixing, but notes that he has also recorded music for release in his hotel room, even with his band, since the technology has gotten better and better.

As for having all his music on streaming services, James says he’s fine with it, especially as it allows new fans to easily access his older material.

“It’s a two-sided coin, though. It’s brought those catalog records back to life and I do get paid. At the same time, people don’t buy records in the way that they used to that made more money,” he says. “But on the whole, it’s a good thing. I think my core fans will still go out and buy the CDs. We’re making vinyl now, too. And I don’t even have a turntable!”
James also brings smooth jazz to the high seas for themed cruises, on which he told The Houston Press in 2019 he sometimes felt like Madonna. But he enjoys them, and often co-hosts two-week jaunts with bassist Marcus Miller.

“They’re really fun and there’s a lot of great music,” he offers. “Of course, it’s also not too bad for people to tell you how much they love you all day long!”

Currently, Boney James is in the final phases of putting together a new record that will come out this year. “I actually had to stop mixing it to call you!” he laughs. And while he says he can’t divulge the title or the special guest he’ll have on its first single due out as early as June, he says all the tea will be spilled by the record company “soon.”

“I can’t reveal the name!” he laughs. “The record company wouldn’t like it!”

Boney James plays at 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, at the Sugar Land Jazz Festival at Crown Festival Park. Tower of Power and Vincent Ingala open. The May 12 lineup includes Robert Glasper, Gerald Albright and Terrace Martin. Visit SugarLandJazzFestival.com for tickets and info. $59 and up single day, $99 and up both days.

For more on Boney James, visit BoneyJames.com