With a low “om”, and an explanation that he had come to celebrate the beauty of life and “the promise of tomorrow”, it was clear last night at Ronnie Scott’s in London that singer José James and his band were on a quest.

Since his devastatingly promising album The Dreamer and rumours of his version of Coltrane’s ‘Equinox’ and a fine Easter show this year at the Jazz Café, the clock has been ticking in the countdown to James’ next album. While that release is still some time off last night showed the clearest indication of James’ current direction. With so much to say about what Coltrane means to jazz singing today, this was the first chance to hear in detail at a jazz club in the capital what James has been working on.

Undoubtedly and not surprisingly the search has been a spiritual one with Coltrane that ultimate enigma and totemic timeless figure. It is also for James part a statement of where the jazz singer finds himself today. Early on a reworked ‘Welcome’ from the newly reissued Kulu Sé Mama with its echo of probably the most famous piece of music known to man in the modern age (‘Happy Birthday’) the long involved specially conceived set featuring James with the highly rated Belgian pianist Jef Neve, UK bassist Neville Malcolm and newcomer US tenorist Michael Campagna adding soprano saxophone and flute.

The gig caught fire on ‘My Favorite Things’ and the roaring opening to ‘Equinox’ and when James later worked at the high end of his range harmonising with Campagna’s soprano saxophone on ‘Naima’ while the momentum only dipped slightly when ‘Central Park West’ needed a quick restart. Neve, James and Campagna worked superbly together while Richard Spaven’s displaced beats modernised at times without distracting. Neve manages the feat of not sounding like McCoy Tyner while keeping to the spirit of his musical approach with the extra element of Debussian light and shade added at times informing his more delicate touches. James has the coiled power of a great singer and the tenderness at the heart of Coltrane’s music. Quite superb.

– Stephen Graham

José James plays New Morning in Paris tonight and returns to the UK at Band on the Wall in Manchester on 5 November and supports Melody Gardot at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 15 November as part of the London Jazz Festival