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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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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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

~ Source Article

On November 11, 2013, the ‘Quartette Humaine’ tour came to the Copenhagen’s Koncerthuset. 

Bob James and David Sanborn, the high priests of jazz, put their vast talent on display along with the exceptional Steve Gadd and James Genius to round out the quartette.

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You’d think after (accidentally) creating “Nautilus,” Bob James would take it easy for the remainder of his musical career, content with composing one of the most sampled tunes in music. He’s not though, not by a damn sight. “Nautilus” aside, there are many other contributions to music that he’s made and is still making. Fondling the keys of his Fender Rhodes in the 1970s led to him create the jazz subgenre fusion/smooth jazz, which he’s been deemed the father of.

All that easy listening got chopped up into villainous, threatening soundscapes by The RZA, Large Professor, and Eric B to create some of hip-hop’s most famous neck-snapping beats. Even out west, Souls of Mischief were stepping away from P Funk heavy sounds and using songs like James’ “Angela” to create a new wave in California rap.

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI – What sets jazz apart from other forms of American music is it’s a conversation that happens in real time.

Saxophonist David Sanborn and pianist Bob James had a lot to say at St. Cecilia Music Center on Thursday.

Sanborn and James were in Grand Rapids as St. Cecilia’s 2013 Great Artists, an annual gala event that’s brought the likes of Itzhak Perlman, James, Galway, Victor Borge, Denyce Graves and Tony Bennett to Royce Auditorium.

With drummer Steve Gadd and bassist James Genus, the quartet opened St. Cecilia Music Center’s 130th season to an enthusiastic, sold-out audience.

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Pianist and composer Bob James may very well be the most sampled jazz musician in the history of hip-hop. Pieces of his now famous compositions like “Nautilus” and “Take Me to the Mardi Gras” have been endlessly loaded into MPCs, SP-1200s, and various other sampling devices for well over two decades. And those loops and chops make up the sounds of some of rap’s dopest records ever, like Ghostface Killah’s Wu banger “Daytona 500,” and Warren G and Nate Dogg’s West Coast classic “Regulate.” And that’s just two of hundreds. Scroll through Bob’s WhoSampled page, and you’ll find the names and sounds of seminal songs by Run-D.M.C., Gang Starr, Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, Main Source, Slick Rick, and countless other renowned rap acts. They all recognized Bob’s brilliance, and chose his music to be a part of their sample-based hip-hop masterpieces.

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