Being experienced in a vast array of musical styles, James has both played and taught within jazz, rock, funk, Latin American, Scottish & pop music contexts. James held the drum chair with Byres Road Big Band, which is led and directed by Scottish saxophonist/composer/educator Paul Towndrow, for seven years. The band has gigged regularly on the Scottish jazz scene in various performances including support slots for multi-award winning jazz ensemble Brass Jaw.

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In 2011 James took up his post as a drum teacher with Yamaha Music Schools and has been heavily involved in drum education ever since. He currently teaches at Ferguson's Academy of Music and Belmont House School as well as online, and continually inspires his prolific roster of students as well as helping them to regularly achieve results in Graded exams. 

 

In 2014, James performed with Byres Road Big Band and the Ryan Quigley Big Band in a premier double big band suite commissioned for the celebration of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. This performance included a Buddy Rich/Gene Krupa-esque drum battle between James and Scottish National Jazz Orchestra drummer Alyn Cosker, and was a pivotal moment in James’ performing experience. James has also featured regularly in performances at Glasgow’s West End Festival, Glasgow Jazz Festival and Glasgow’s Unesco International Jazz Day programme. James is also highly experienced in the corporate and wedding gig scene as the drummer and bandleader of Scottish corporate and party event band The Freshtones. 

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James also holds the drum chair in Scottish pop band Sara 'N' Junbug, who recently supported Emeli Sande on the Glasgow and Edinburgh branches of her European tour in Glasgow's Armadillo and Edinburgh's Usher Hall. Sara 'N' Junbug have also performed in the Hard Rock Cafe's Global Battle of the Bands as well as at various festivals. The band have also headlined the iconic King Tut's Wah Wah Hut and have recently supported Nashville band Judah and the Lion on a couple of their UK shows.