Singing is not the forte of Boney James.
“I don’t sing at all; I’m a terrible singer,” the vaunted jazz saxophonist said in a phone interview this month. “I think of myself as singing with the horn — that’s my voice. And I think that that’s what people seem to say is one of the things that’s appealing about my style of music, is that they can hear, sort of, the singing in my playing.”
The sales performance of his latest album, “Honestly,” is music to the ears of James, who performs at 8 p.m. July 20 in The Venue at Hammond’s Horseshoe Casino.
Released in September 2017, “Honestly” produced cuts that were hits in the urban adult contemporary and smooth jazz charts.
“We’re still on the ‘Honestly Tour,’ ” said James, noting the namesake CD “still feels fresh to me.”
His 16th album continues to spin off hit tunes: “It’s still a work in progress.”
Early this month, radio got another taste.
“We got a new single out that’s called ‘Up All Night,’ ” James, 56, said. “That’s the third instrumental single.”
The sax master was weaned on the clarinet as a youth.
Born James Oppenheim in Lowell, Mass., the player of tenor, alto and soprano saxophones is often touted as a genre-blurring musician who yearns “to be my own artist and not be pigeonholed.”
Dabbling in funk and rhythm and blues, James has notched four Grammy Award nominations.
The composer said one of those nominations was logged in an R&B category, “which is very gratifying.”
Regarding influences, James points to an iconic saxophonist. “When I was growing up, Grover Washington Jr. was pretty much my idol,” James said.
His debut album, “Trust,” was released in 1992.
Three decades ago, James’ distinctive professional name was born while touring the Scandinavia area as a support musician with limited means to cover expenses.
“Everything was very expensive over there,” James recalled. “I said to the keyboard player, ‘oh, I just won’t eat for the next couple days.’ And he said, ‘oh, you’ll get all skinny; I’ll just start calling you bony James or something.’
“It was really just a silly joke. And that’s how you get a nickname.”
In his personal life, James is married to actress/director Lily Mariye, known for her longtime role as a nurse on NBC’s hit television drama “ER” (1994-2009).
Regarding his own entertainment career, James’ Hammond date on a summer Friday night will focus on breezy, well-crafted instrumentation. “My guitar player sings,” said James about one of his band members. “Generally, there’s some vocals, but it’s mostly instrumental.”
James’ opening act will be Avery Sunshine, who co-wrote the title cut of the “Honestly” album with him. “She’s an amazing talent; great keyboard player, songwriter and singer,” James said.
Road dates like the one in Hammond are a source of continuing enjoyment for James. “I love touring, I really do,” he assured. “Playing music live, in front of an audience that’s interested in hearing it, is still my favorite thing to do.”
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Boney James
When: 8 p.m. July 20
Where: Horseshoe Casino, 777 Casino Center Drive, Hammond
Tickets: $50-$75; 21 and older only
Information: 219-473-7000, www.horseshoehammond.com