“one of the biggest stars of smooth jazz” – Jazz Times
Grammy winner and Fourplay founder Bob James is a legend in the world of jazz. There, he is revered for his discography of more than fifty-eight albums. Moreover, he pioneered the sounds and style that came to be known as contemporary jazz. Thus, Bob’s shadow looms large over the music world of the last fifty-plus years.
Discovered by Quincy Jones in 1963, Bob briefly played piano for Sarah Vaughan, before becoming a solo artist in 1974. Then, many solo projects followed, as well as collaborations with such artists as Roberta Flack, David Sanborn, and Earl Klugh. Furthermore, smooth jazz supergroup Fourplay brought improvised music to the mainstream in exciting new ways. And he’s still going as strong as ever.
He also recorded Touchdown, which included his composition, “Angela,” the instrumental theme from the sitcom Taxi. Here, this remains possibly James’ best-known work. Additionally, Bob composed all the original music used in that television series for its entire run.
James is recognized as one of the progenitors of smooth jazz. However, his music has also had a profound effect on the history of hip hop having been sampled often. Two of James’ songs –“Nautilus” from 1974’s One and “Take Me to the Mardi Gras” from 1975’s Two – are among the most sampled in hip-hop history.
Recommended for fans of David Sanborn, Ramsey Lewis, Larry Carlton and Jeff Lorber.
