Dean James

After a knee injury sidelined him from football, Dean James took up the saxophone at age 15 and soon devoted eight hours a day to practice. He studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston before returning to San Francisco, where he performed jazz with the David Eshelmans Big Band and gospel alongside Ben Tankard, Daryl Coley, and Dannie Belle Hall. In the mid-'80s James relocated to Los Angeles and established himself as a sought-after session player and sideman for Rob Mullins, Edwin & Walter Hawkins, Gary Taylor, and additional artists. He also supplied string arrangements for multiple pop acts and secured a solo deal with Brajo Records, resulting in the 1995 smooth-jazz album Can We Talk, which placed his late-night alto front and center. His second release, the aptly titled Intimacy, appeared on Ichiban and registered solid contemporary jazz chart results.