James Andrews is a singular Jazz, Funk, and Rhythm and Blues artist bringing New Orleans music to the world stage. He is an extraordinary trumpeter, vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader.

Anywhere that he and his Crescent City All Stars Jazz Band perform, from a second line to an international festival stage, Andrews wants "to make the occasion spectacular, and be the best that we can be!”

Born into a culturally rich family in New Orleans' vibrant Tremé neighborhood, James grew up steeped in the musical community. He was ushered into the realm of performance by his grandfather Jesse "O Poo Pah Do" Hill, who played regularly with Professor Longhair, Huey "Piano" Smith, and other Rhythm and Blues legends. His great grandfather Walter Nelson Sr. played guitar with the first generation of Blues stars of New Orleans, including Smiley Lewis and Isidore "Tuts" Washington. James was the first of the Andrews side of the family to play music—having picked up trumpet in the first grade—and several members of his family followed suit, including Glen David Andrews and Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews. James' earliest memories include stepping onstage to perform with his grandfather and starting his first band, for which he recruited his cousins to play with him in Jackson Square.

As a trumpet player and vocalist, James Andrews is a legendary musician in his own right. He has played in several acclaimed brass bands, including the Tremé Brass Band, the Junior Olympia Brass Band, New Birth Brass Band, and Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band under direction of NEA Jazz Master Danny Barker, who gave Andrews the name "Satchmo of the Ghetto."

For over forty years, James Andrews and the Crescent City All Stars has been his mainstay. Together with this group, Andrews has traveled the world, playing shows in Germany, Cuba, Switzerland, Haiti, Brazil, Spain, Italy, South Korea, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City; as well as festivals like the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, the Nice France Jazz Festival, French Quarter Festival, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and many others.

Andrews is a prolific arranger and songwriter as well, having recorded multiple albums with the All Stars, one in collaboration with his brother Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, and a solo-billed studio album, Satchmo of the Ghetto, which was produced by Allen Toussaint. His latest album, Legends, features collaborations with two late-great musicians, Walter "Wolf Man" Washington and Dr. John.

Perhaps as vital as his commitment to bringing New Orleans Funk, Jazz, and Rhythm and Blues to the world is Andrews' commitment to continuing these lineages of music at home. He has mentored and performed with student musicians from New Orleans schools and includes some prodigious young adult musicians in his band alongside its original members. Andrews' commitment to preserving his city's musical culture is clear through his mission, declared days after Hurricane Katrina in the very same Square where he first performed: “We’re going to rebuild this city, note by note.”