ISAAC JAMES
MUSICIAN/DRUMMER
COMPOSER/WRITER
VISIONARY
DREAMER
POET

Isaac James was raised around master musicians and has been playing music all of his life. Drumming and other forms of music have always come natural to him. At age 6 he began studying with some of the best African Congolese master drummers in the world; (Ferdinand) Batantu Dia Nkaba, Titos Sompa, Massengo Constant, Samba Ngo and Borrina Mapaka are just a few of his musical mentors.
In 2003 Isaac travelled to Senegal, West Africa to study djembe with master drummer Mamadou Sidibe, and to connect with other West African artists.

As a teenager, Isaac was mentored by master Jazz guitarist Steve Homan. During this time Isaac studied with world-renowned upright bassist Bill Douglass. In addition to playing upright bass Isaac also plays acoustic and electric bass. Isaac studied with Jamaican Reggae drummer Kenny Porter, and World renowned percussionist Daniel Moreno. Isaac plays drum kit , congas, djembe, bongos, Ngoma as well as many other percussion instruments including udu, kalimba, & digeridoo.

Isaac’s musical offering spans multiple genres of music including jazz, Congolese, West African, world music, celtic, folk, funk, R n B, hip-hop, and devotional. He is also a composer, poet and lyricist. Isaac has performed with renowned Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser, Congolese musician extraordinaire Borrina Mapaka, Grammy Award winning Native American Flutist Mary Youngblood, and world renowned Guinean singer Alpha Yaya Diallo, to name a few.
Isaac has traveled and performed throughout the United States, France, Mexico and Senegal, West Africa. He is in the zone on the stage and in the recording studio. Isaac James has mad knowledge of musical artistry and technique.
Check out this multi-talented musician’s contributions on the diverse array of cd’s listed on this site.