Line-up

Andy James | vocals, baile
John Patitucci, Vinnie Colaiuta, Chris Potter, John Beasley, Nicholas Payton, Terell Stafford, Bill Cunliffe

Jon Cowherd | piano
Brian Blade, Joni Mitchell, Cassandra Wilson, Lizz Wright, John Patitucci, Chris Potter, Norah Jones, Brandi Carlile, John Scofield, Rosanne Cash

Juan Antonio Suárez “Canito” | flamenco guitar
Sara Baras, Niña Pastori, Miguel Poveda, Joaquín Grilo, Rocío Molina, Andrés Marín, Rocío Márquez, Manuela Carrasco, Merche Esmeralda, Belén Maya

John Ellis | saxophone
Charlie Hunter, Robert Glasper, Darcy James Argue, Helen Sung, Kendrick Scott Oracle, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Sting, John Patitucci, Miguel Zenón, The Holmes Brothers

John Patitucci | bass
Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Sting, Joni Mitchell

Vinnie Colaiuta | drums
Frank Zappa, Sting, Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Jeff Beck, Faith Hill, Megadeth, Gino Vannelli, Barbra Streisand

Alex Acuña | percussion
Weather Report, Pérez Prado, Elvis Presley, Diana Ross, U2, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Corea, Santana

Style

Standards and Latin jazz are reframed through flamenco compás, narrative vocal phrasing and a rhythm section built on exceptional dynamic control.
Jon Cowherd’s piano opens modern harmonic space, while bass, drums and percussion build an elastic pulse across swing, song form and Afro-Latin accents.
The presence of baile and flamenco guitar turns the project into a physical, timbral and collective language, closer to interplay than to a simple fusion of genres.

Profile

Andy James & Jon Cowherd All Star ft. John Patitucci & Vinnie Colaiuta is conceived as a meeting point between jazz voice, baile, contemporary pianism and an international rhythm section of the highest order. Andy James brings a dual identity to the project: a singer connected to standards, ballads and Latin repertoire, and a performer shaped by the rhythmic body of flamenco. Jon Cowherd steers the ensemble toward an open, lyrical and harmonically mobile sound in which the song becomes a field of conversation. With John Patitucci, Vinnie Colaiuta, Alex Acuña, John Ellis and Canito, the band builds a credible bridge between New York jazz, Andalusian compás, Afro-Latin groove and chamber-like sensitivity.

Details

Andy James | vocals, baile. Co-leader of the project, she works with the voice as a narrative and timbral center, but with a physical presence rooted in her career as a flamenco bailaora. Her recent discography for Le Coq Records connects her with John Patitucci, Vinnie Colaiuta, Chris Potter, John Beasley, Terell Stafford, Bill Cunliffe, Jon Cowherd and Alex Acuña. In “An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James” she says she wanted to create “a listening experience of serene pleasure,” a useful key to her idea of elegance, breath and communication.

Jon Cowherd | piano. Co-leader and harmonic architect, he brings together jazz language, gospel voicings, modern lyricism and the sensitivity of an arranger. He is co-founder, with Brian Blade, of the Fellowship Band and has worked with Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Lizz Wright, Brandi Carlile, John Scofield, John Patitucci and Chris Potter. His function in the project is to give harmonic depth to the song form while keeping the rhythmic dialogue open with voice, bass and drums.

Juan Antonio Suárez “Canito” | flamenco guitar. A guitarist and composer linked to the Gitano roots of Extremadura, he brings compás, rasgueado, internal pulse and the memory of baile into the project. He has accompanied Sara Baras, Niña Pastori, Miguel Poveda, Joaquín Grilo, Rocío Molina, Andrés Marín, Rocío Márquez, Manuela Carrasco and Belén Maya. His role is to make flamenco a living grammar inside the ensemble, not an ornamental color.

John Ellis | saxophone. A tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist with a strong identity between New Orleans, post-bop, funk and narrative writing. He has recorded and collaborated with Charlie Hunter, Robert Glasper, Darcy James Argue, Helen Sung, Kendrick Scott Oracle, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Sting and John Patitucci, while developing leader projects including Double-Wide, “MOBRO” and “The Ice Siren.” In the group he acts as a melodic voice connecting song form, improvisation and groove.

John Patitucci | bass. Featured artist and melodic-harmonic axis of the rhythm section, he is one of the central bassists in modern jazz on both double bass and electric bass. His history runs through Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, Sting, Joni Mitchell, B.B. King and Bonnie Raitt. In the project he offers depth, intonation, an orchestral sense of the low register and the ability to move across jazz, Latin and flamenco-jazz contexts.

Vinnie Colaiuta | drums. Featured artist and rhythmic engine, able to move from extreme metric control to a deeply singing groove. His trajectory includes Frank Zappa, Sting, Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Jeff Beck, Faith Hill, Megadeth and Gino Vannelli. In this project his drumming is not only virtuosity: it is precision of accent, management of time and listening to form.

Alex Acuña | percussion. A Peruvian percussionist and drummer, formerly of Weather Report and later a session player across jazz, pop, film and world music contexts. He has worked with Pérez Prado, Elvis Presley, Diana Ross, U2, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Corea and Santana. In the ensemble he broadens the rhythmic field through Afro-Latin colors, percussive textures and a melodic sense of time.

Discography

Andy James: “Tu Amor” (2021), “An Evening with Andy James & John Patitucci” (2021), “Rhythm in New York” (2022), “Let Me See Your Heart” (2024), “Happy People” (2025), “The Architect of My Blues” (2025).

Jon Cowherd: “Mercy” (ArtistShare/Blue Note, 2012), “Gateway” (Newvelle, 2017), “Pride and Joy” with The Jon Cowherd Trio (Le Coq Records, 2022), plus work with Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band including “Landmarks” (2014) and “Body and Shadow” (2017); credits as producer, arranger and musician on “Joni 75” (2019).

Juan Antonio Suárez “Canito”: “Son de Ayer” (2008), recordings with Rafael Jiménez “Falo” on “Cante Gitano”, participation in Gerardo Núñez’s “La nueva escuela de guitarra flamenca”, “Flamenco Crossover” with Ensemble Hispánico Numen, and collaboration with Rocío Márquez on “Visto en el Jueves” (2019).

John Ellis: “Language of Love” (1996), “Roots, Branches and Leaves” (2002), “One Foot in the Swamp” (2005), “By a Thread” (2006), “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow” (2008), “Puppet Mischief” (2010), “MOBRO” (2014), “Charm” (2015), “The Ice Siren” (2020), “Bizet: Carmen in Jazz” (2023), “Heroes” (2025), “Fireball” (2026).

John Patitucci: “John Patitucci” (1987), “On the Corner” (1989), “Heart of the Bass” (1991), “One More Angel” (1997), “Songs, Stories and Spirituals” (2003), “Line by Line” (2006), “Remembrance” (2009), “Brooklyn” (2015), “Soul of the Bass” (2019), plus recordings with Chick Corea Elektric Band, Chick Corea Akoustic Band, Wayne Shorter Quartet and “TRIO” with Bill Cunliffe and Vinnie Colaiuta.

Vinnie Colaiuta: “Vinnie Colaiuta” (1994), “Descent into Madness” (2018), “Mother’s Milk” (2021), work with Jing Chi including “Jing Chi” (2002), “Jing Chi Live at Yoshi’s” (2003), “3D” (2004) and “Supremo” (2017), plus major recordings with Frank Zappa, Sting, Joni Mitchell and Jeff Beck.

Alex Acuña: Weather Report’s “Black Market” (1976) and “Heavy Weather” (1977), Alex Acuña & The Unknowns, “Thinking of You”, “Gifts” (Le Coq Records, 2022), plus extensive credits as a drummer and percussionist in jazz, pop, soundtracks and international productions.