Hi Nathan, it’s very nice of you to participate in an interview with me. You are part of the Toto family so many fans would love to hear some more about this great bass-player who is playing for them now on the Toto stage. We’ll be talking about your Toto connection soon but first we all like to learn some more about you so an obvious but important question to start an interview with a musicians is, when did you start playing music, who taught you and which musicians inspired you to start playing music? And do you play more instruments besides the Bass-guitar?

As young children several members of our family took private piano lessons including me.  At about age 10 or 11 I can remember watching one of the Charlie Brown television specials listening to the music and being very drawn into the “cool piano” being played by Vince Guaraldi. This inspired me to inquire at my jr. high school about studying piano at school.  Piano wasn’t available but I was offered any of the stringed orchestra instruments to study, violin, viola, cello or contra bass.  I chose cello primarily because the violin and viola seemed too small and the upright bass was a bit too big. I then played cello in the school orchestra for the next three years.

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With the highly anticipated solo album by Nathan East scheduled for release on March 25, 2014, the legendary Bob James reflects on his deeply connected history with the storied bassist.

In the last 30 years jazz bassist Nathan East has worked with music luminaries like Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder, to name a few. Last year, he hitched himself to the right wagon yet again, with Daft Punk on their mega hit, Get Lucky.

On March 25, he rolls the dice on himself with his first solo album, Nathan East. He enlisted his band Fourplay to give him the support as well as a couple of star friends. Wonder takes a turn on the harmonica while Sara Bareilles lends her vocals. Michael McDonald also makes an appearance. “(A solo album) has been a long time coming,” he says. “If I didn’t do it, I’d be asking myself why for the rest of my life.”

Michael Jackson, Daft Punk and Eric Clapton hit pretty widely on the musical spectrum, but at the base of it all, East stays true to his own style. “I basically go for a real solid, fat, warm bass tone,” he says. “That’s kind of what I’ve been doing on people’s records. As a solo artist, that’s what I do, too.”

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Guitar legend Eric Clapton has once again recruited bass giant Nathan East to his touring band. East, who played with Clapton from 1984 to 2004, will be hitting the road with the former Cream guitarist in 2014, starting in Japan.

The rest of the band includes keyboardists Chris Stainton and Paul Carrack, vocalists Michelle John and Sharon White, and drummer Steve Gadd.

Nathan East’s prolific recording career includes Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” and “Change the World.” More recently he laid down the low end on the smash hit Daft Punk track “Get Lucky.” (Editor’s note: check out our Stories Behind the Songs with Nathan for more.)

East is currently working on his first ever album as a solo band leader.

Eric Clapton 2014 Tour Dates:

• February 18, 2014: Tokyo, Japan – Nippon Budokan

• February 20, 2014: Tokyo, Japan – Nippon Budokan

• February 21, 2014: Tokyo, Japan – Nippon Budokan

• February 23, 2014: Yokohama, Japan – Yokohama Arena

• February 25, 2014: Nagoya, Japan – Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium

• February 26, 2014: Osaka, Japan – Osaka-Jo Hall

• February 28, 2014: Tokyo, Japan – Nippon Budokan

• March 4, 2014: Singapore – Singapore Indoor Stadium

• March 6, 2014: Dubai, UAE – Dubai Media City Amphitheatre

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Fourplay rang in the holidays, with what has developed into a yearly closeout party each December, at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. 

The entire Fourplay family would like to thank everyone who has contributed to an amazing year, and wishes everyone a wonderful 2014!

Fourplay would like to wish all of our fans a Happy Holiday. 

We have great fans, which has enabled us to be very blessed this year.  We would like to thank everyone for their support throughout the year.

Have a terrific holiday season, and stay tuned for some really exciting things in 2014!

Jazz band Fourplay played at Blue Note Jazz Club all of last week, and we had the pleasure of checking them out Sunday night for their last NYC show. The light and soulful Jazz sounds were just the thing we needed, especially on these cold winter nights like we’ve been having. For those of you who have not been, the Blue Note boasts compact seating for an intimate experience, we suggest red wine and their delicious New York Cheesecake for the full effect. 

 All four musicians were extremely talented and complimented each other well blending their styles and showing their versatility playing both up-tempo and low-tempo songs.  Nathan East started the night off with his whispery scatting and holiday themed melodies which progressed seamlessly into hypnotizing Jazz breakdowns. At several times during the set we were completely engulfed in the rambunctious chord progressions and percussions.  Bob James delighted the audience with smooth and calming piano riffs interspersed with high energy sounds from the band. The verve of the whole performance was one that made you think of nothing but its many shining moments. 

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An amazing evening….

Having seen Fourplay in the Netherlands several months ago, a man and a woman decided to adventure across the ocean to experience one of the group’s legendary year ending performances at the Blue Note in New York City.

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Don’t miss Fouplay tonight…

Last show of the year…

Blue Note New York

Best bet

Jazz supergroup Fourplay is in the middle of a weeklong stand at the Blue Note. If you’re not familiar with them, think of them as a jazz Steely Dan, a collection of solid studio players with some rock inclinations.

The group features piano luminary Bob James, fresh off touring with David Sanborn on their “Quartette Humaine” album, bass player Nathan East, whose bassline to Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” has swept the world, guitarist Chuck Loeb and drummer/producer Harvey Mason.

They’re in their 20^th year together and their Blue Note shows tend to be a homecoming party. 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., $35

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