James Speer

James Speer plays The Continental Club Gallery this Thursday, August 27. He's an Austin-based piano virtuoso who does two things at once: he plays the keyboard and he sings, and he's known for doing both with a lot of skill. The set pulls from jazz, R&B and modern standards, so you'll hear classic jazz standards alongside more current material.

His singing is described as blending the soul and character of R&B legends like Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder with the charisma and swing of contemporary troubadours like Michael Bublé and John Legend. That's a wide reach—from the grit of old-school soul to the polished swing of a modern crooner—and he's at ease with both ends of it. The piano work is the other half of the equation, and it's what earns him the virtuoso tag.

The venue is the Gallery, the room upstairs over the Continental Club 'mothership' on South Congress. It opened in 2008 and holds around 40 people, so it's a small space. It books rotating acts across jazz, singer-songwriter and jam-band styles, and it runs 'Tertulia' quarterly in the Iberian tradition of mixing poetry, song and performance. The room has picked up Best of Austin Awards, including Critics Picks for Best Intimate Music Moments in 2015 and Best Re-Opened Li'l Lounge in 2009.

Speer takes the stage at 8:30 PM. There's a $10 cover, and the show is 21+ only. The Continental Club Gallery is at 1313-A S. Congress, Austin, TX 78704.