CONGRATULATIONS To Bob James for his nomination for the 58th Grammy Awards
IN EVERY SPORT, THERE ARE PLAYERS THAT, WHILE YOU MAY NOT EVER REALLY NOTICE THEM, THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO BE ON THE WINNING AND CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM. YOGI BERRA WAS ONE OF THOSE GUYS, MAGIC JOHNSON ANOTHER. THEY ONLY KNOW HOW TO SUCCEED.
BOB JAMES IS ONE OF THOSE TYPES OF GUYS. HE’S BEEN ON COUNTLESS SESSIONS THAT HAVE BEEN BEST SELLERS. HE WAS THE KEYBOARDIST IN RESIDENCE FOR THE CLASSIC CTI ALBUMS IN THE 70S THAT SET THE STANDARD FOR JAZ Z RECORDINGS. HIS WORK WITH GROVER WASHINGTON JR MADE JAZZ A HOUSEHOLD NAME. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THAT HAPPENED?!?
BESIDES ALL OF THAT, HIS BAND FOURPLAY HAS BEEN A PERENNIALLY… Continue Reading Here at Jazz Weekly…
Mike Ragogna: What? Fourplay’s been around for 25 years? The hell you say!
Bob James: You gotta love it! Here we are, Mike. Humbled by the math, but still thinking of adding some more arithmetic.
Nathan East: Hi Mike! It’s hard to believe 25 years since we started Fourplay but as they say “time flies when you’re having FUN!”
Chuck Loeb: Yes! Amazing…let’s do this!
MR: Cool. Before we get into the material on Silver, what are your thoughts about reaching that milestone?
BJ: Looking down at the roses beats pushing them up.
NE: When you embark on a career-defining journey with a gathering of musical-champions, in an exhilarating atmosphere like the vibrant music industry in 1990, it’s celebrated with the kind of energy that makes a milestone like this more likely.
CL: My situation in the band is unique, in the sense that I am the newest member of the band, and I’m just celebrating my fifth year as a member. This offers me some insight from a different perspective of the 25th anniversary. Back at the inception of the band I was a fan of all of the original members individually, and was just totally knocked out when I heard the collaboration on the original CD Fourplay. And so, I can offer my perspective as both an avid observer, and a member. I think the thing that contributes the most to the longevity of the band is the continual striving for excellence in all the facets of creating contemporary jazz: composition, improvisation, production, performance, and a strong connection with the listening audience. I know that the band hit those marks in the first 20 years, and it is my hope that they’ve continued to be met on the three CDs I have had the pleasure to have been involved with, including Silver.
Harvey Mason: From the outset of Fourplay, we insisted our project would not be a “one off” as we intended to follow the longevity model of the Modern Jazz Quartet, commonly known as the MJQ. The synergy was so very special why not continue making this great music. Twenty-five years is indeed a group milestone achieved by few, I’m proud and happy we’ve reached it. From my perspective it has certainly come quickly.
CONTINUE READING THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW AT THE HUFFINGTON POST
The latest reports show that SILVER is currently…#1 on Yamano Music Jazz Chart
… Continue reading
September 2015 – 25th Anniversary Tour … Continue reading
Allt är silver som glimmar när superkvartetten Fourplay 25-årsjubilerar. Tre av fyra har varit med
sedan starten och på platta nr. 13 serveras idel nya kompositioner på temat snillrikt harmoniserad och fulländad smooth jazz.
THE NEW COOL is available NOW! Get yours here:
iTunes download: http://smarturl.it/TNC-iTunes
Physical CD + bonus photos: http://4wrd.it/TNC-YEGstore
Amazon.com: http://4wrd.it/TNC-Amazon
Behind-the-scenes videos & more at http://thenewcoolalbum.com
Nathan talks about Bob’s brilliant talent for arranging music…
THE NEW COOL is coming… 9.18.15. Pre-order now and get TWO instant tracks from the new album: http://smarturl.it/tnc-preorder
More at http://thenewcoolalbum.com
The New Cool, an acoustic offering by Fourplay founders Bob James (keyboards) and Nathan East (bass), will be released September 18 via Yamaha Entertainment Group. Recorded entirely in Nashville, the album was co-produced by Yamaha label president Chris Gero with James and East.
JazzTimes is pleased to present this exclusive premiere of the entire album!
Listen to the FULL ALBUM HERE!
