A Bob James Tribute by Jason Miles
Another Expat Who Never Stops Creating
Around the same time Sherrie and I moved to Mexico, I found out that my new friend Jason Miles and his wife Kathy were heading to Lisbon.
I had known of Jason for years—mainly through his groundbreaking work with Miles Davis and mutual friends in the music world—but we didn’t actually connect until he hired me to produce a promotional film about his legendary career:
Jason Miles is a Grammy-winning keyboardist, composer, producer, and arranger whose contributions to jazz, R&B, and fusion have spanned more than five decades. Born in Brooklyn in 1951, Jason came of age in the fertile chaos of the 1970s New York music scene and soon became one of the foremost pioneers of synthesizer and electronic textures in modern music.
His credits read like a history of postmodern soul: Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Chaka Khan, David Sanborn—the list goes on. Jason played a major role in shaping the sound of Miles Davis’s Tutu, Music from Siesta, and Amandla, ushering in a new era of electronic jazz.
But that’s just part of the story. Jason’s own albums are deep and heartfelt tributes to the artists and sounds that shaped him. To Grover, with Love, honoring Grover Washington Jr., and What’s Going On? Songs of Marvin Gaye showcase his remarkable ability to reinterpret the music of giants while keeping their soul intact.
In the 2000s, he co-founded Global Noize, a boundary-smashing collective blending jazz, funk, world music, and electronica. Featuring artists like DJ Logic and Bernie Worrell, the group reflects Jason’s refusal to be boxed in—a lifelong theme.
In 2022, seeking fresh creative ground and a new chapter in life, Jason and Kathy moved to Portugal. The results have been transformative. Since relocating, he’s released a live EP (Miles to Miles), revisiting material from his 2005 album, and doubled down on both performing and recording.
He also published a memoir, The Extraordinary Journey of Jason Miles: A Musical Biography, an inside look at the wild, profound, and often unbelievable world of a working musician at the top of his game.
Since we’re now expats on different sides of the planet, Jason and I stay in touch regularly. He’s a native Brooklynite through and through—intense, driven, relentlessly creative. And he’s not slowing down. A sequel to his memoir is on the way this year: Journey to the Center of My Life in the Music Business.
“It’s a perfect follow-up to the first book,” Jason says. “It’s a deep dive into the many characters I came in contact with—and more stories about the amazing albums I’ve been part of.”
To celebrate the memoir and his renewed dedication to the piano—an instrument to which he’s recommitted himself since the move—Jason has been performing a one-man show that spans his 50-year career in music. It’s part concert, part storytelling session, and all heart.
And there’s more: two new albums are in the works.
The Unity Funk Project: Dedicated to Bernie Worrell, a tribute to the late P-Funk keyboardist.
Brazilian Love, a follow-up to A Love Affair: The Music of Ivan Lins, celebrating the beauty and rhythm of Brazilian music.
Now that he and Kathy are settled and thriving in Lisbon, Jason says he feels more inspired than ever.
“Moving to Portugal was the right thing for us,” he told me. “I had a good life, but I was stagnating in the U.S. I wanted Kathy to have a fresh start too—she’s been such a huge part of everything we’ve achieved. In many ways, the move is a celebration of our life together.”
He doesn’t mince words when it comes to encouraging others to leap into the unknown:
“I want Americans to understand how much of the world they’re missing by not exploring. You have to be bold. You have to be willing to make big moves to get to the next chapter. Life shouldn’t just be on autopilot.”
Jason’s not only thriving personally—he’s also plugged into Lisbon’s vibrant music scene. He formed a new group, Jason Miles’s Lisbon Electric 4tet, and they’ve been performing across Europe, blending his signature sound with local flavors. Their debut recording is out now.
Here’s a video I produced for their single Mr. James, a funky, heartfelt tribute to keyboard legend Bob James:
For more on Jason Miles, his music, and his ever-expanding universe, visit:
Very interesting and informative, thanks.
I never knew Bob James was a sideman for Sarah Vaughan! I will have to look those up.