slow burn: noun, informal

A feeling that grows with a slow but deliberate intensity.

For saxophonist and composer Boney James, these words perfectly describe the music he has crafted for his new Concord Records album, Slow Burn, to be released on October 18, 2024.

“When I mentioned that phrase to people as a possible title, they said, “That also refers to your whole career in a way” James says with a laugh. “This is my 19th record and I feel like I’m just hitting my stride.”

Slow Burn is a new high point in a remarkable career that now spans more than three decades and includes a long list of accolades; four GRAMMY nominations, three NAACP Image Award nominations, a Soul Train Award for Best Jazz Album and four RIAA Gold Record certifications. In 2009, Billboard named James one of the Top 3 Contemporary Jazz Artists of the decade. In 2024 year Boney became the first ever artist to score 20 number one singles on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart.