The legendary song “Nautilus” is being released as a 7’ Vinyl on Record Store Day Black Friday (November 27) in the US!
This release will be very limited with 500 gold vinyl for the US, 500 transparent vinyl available in Asia, and 500 transparent yellow vinyl in Europe.
This is one for the collector looking for a super rare release!
Discover more at Record Store Day…
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A taste of “Basin Street Blues”
Here’s a taste of “Basin Street Blues” from the upcoming album ON VACATION…available on October 30!
“4 Play & Pleasure” (2020 Remastered)
From the upcoming ‘The Best of fOURPLAY, Remastered’ set for release on November 6, here’s the track “4 Play & Pleasure”.
Discover the pleasure of fOURPLAY’s best HERE!
‘The Best of fOURPLAY, Remastered’ Release Announcement
fOURPLAY is releasing their best from the early days of the jazz group that features Bob James, Nathan East, Harvey Mason, and Lee Ritenour on November 6.
First released in 1997, ‘The Best Of Fourplay’ showcases the smooth jazz supergroup’s signature style of indelible melodies, tasteful arrangements and addictive, toe-tapping groove.
Remastered using high resolution digital transfers from the original analogue master tapes, ‘The Best Of Fourplay (2020 Remastered)’ will be available on 6th November for the first time on 180g Vinyl LP, MQA-CD, SACD.
The new edition of the album includes the bonus track, ‘The Closer I Get To You,’ a duet between Patti Austin and Peabo Bryson.
Get your copy today HERE!
Something Else! reviews ONCE UPON A TIME: THE LOST 1965 NEW YORK STUDIO SESSIONS
Once upon a time, there was a forward-thinking piano prodigy who made his first album in his early twenties, a wide-ranging affair produced by Quincy Jones. Soon afterwards, he composed a stridently civil rights piece that prominently featured Eric Dolphy. And then this avanteer recorded one of the first electro-acoustic experimental music recordings at the house Albert Ayler built, ESP-Disk Records.
This diversely talented musician later rose to prominence as a sideman, producer, arranger, a much-sampled funk-jazz maestro and godfather of smooth jazz. Yes, Bob James is all of these things.
Continue reading at SOMETHING ELSE!
All Music’s review of ‘Once Upon a Time: The Lost 1965 New York Studio Sessions’
The superb archival collection Once Upon a Time: The Lost 1965 New York Studio Sessions finds acclaimed pianist Bob James leading two separate trio dates during the early years of his career. Recorded by Resonance Records’ founder and co-president George Klabin while a freshman at Columbia University, the recordings capture James during a period in which he was working as a sideman with singer Sarah Vaughan and before he had established himself as a titan of crossover jazz, funk, and pop. These sessions came two years after his debut, 1962’s Bold Conceptions, and were recorded the same year he released his sophomore studio album, 1965’s Explosions. Perhaps not surprisingly then, Once Upon a Time is an almost perfect balance between the hard-swinging sophistication of his debut and the more avant-garde experimentalism of his follow-up.
Continue reading at ALLMUSIC.com…
Forbes Reviews ONCE UPON A TIME: THE LOST 1965 NEW YORK STUDIO SESSIONS
With a career and discography as lengthy as Bob James’, you wouldn’t blame him for forgetting about a session of two. For close to 60 years, the jazz pianist and keyboardist has written, produced and arranged for other artists as well as his own bandleader efforts, which includes groundbreaking, influential and Billboard 200 charting fusion records including BJ4 and Touchdown. But back in 1965, well before he became one of the biggest names in what came to be called smooth jazz, the Fourplay bandleader was just another musician trying to find his way in New York City.
“I didn’t didn’t have a label deal of any of any kind—and no plans,” he says over the phone. It was during this period that he found himself playing two studio dates in trios recorded by a young man named George Klabin. 55 years later, this long-forgotten music sees the light of day with the Resonance Records release of Once Upon A Time: The Lost 1965 New York Studio Sessions.
Continue reading at FORBES.com…
Film Launch Event: “Interrupted: Prologue to a Mem-noir”
ART AS A RESPONSE TO ANTI-BLACKNESS Film-Launch Event!
This conversation is inspired by the film “Interrupted: Prologue to a Mem-noir.” Panelists are jazz-great Bob James, two-time NAACP Image Award-nominated author Marita Golden, and Joseph Lewis, founder of Black Bottom Film Festival and executive director of Jazz Bridge. Lindsey Yancich, gallery manager at Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery will also speak on the art of interdisciplinary-artist Pamela Woolford, who will be on hand. Moderated by Andy Shallal and Dr. Charles Chavis.
NOTE: Part of the film trailer is cut off from the recording. See the full trailer at Mem-noir.com and PamelaWoolford.com.
“Long Goodbyes” by Dave Koz, feat. Bob James
Take a listen to “Long Goodbyes”, a song from the upcoming album ‘Colors of a New Day’ by Dave Koz, which features Bob James. The new album will be released on October 9th, and features a plethora of musicians and special guests who came together to provide a sense of hope, comfort and good feeling to all of those whose lives have been so transformed by this pandemic. Hopefully, “Long Goodbyes” does just that for you.
JPC Reviews ‘ON VACATION’ by Bob James & Till Brönner
Together with jazz legend and Grammy award winner Bob James, trumpeter Till Brönner – Germany’s most successful jazz musician – has transformed holiday moods into a multi-layered sound painting. Close your eyes and dream: “‘On Vacation’ is first and foremost a feeling for me and we have transformed this feeling into music,” explains Brönner
Virtuosic, full of creative love for refined details and at the same time of the greatest possible nonchalance, Brönner and James create an imaginative and sonorous music for inspiration, reflection and daydreaming.