When keyboardist Bob James, bassist Nathan East, guitarist Larry Carlton and drummer Harvey Mason come together as Fourplay, the result is an undeniable energy that perpetuates itself. This the title of their upcoming release, Energy, makes perfect sense. The acclaimed contemporary jazz quartet is scheduled to release their new album worldwide on September 23rd.

Energy grafts a variety of sounds – R&B, pop, African and more – to Fourplay’s unwavering jazz foundations. In addition to vocals by East – a charter member since the band’s inception in 1990 – the album also features a vocal track by Esperanza Spalding, the upright bassist, composer and vocalist who has recently taken the jazz world by storm with her self-titled debut earlier this year.

“I always feel a special energy coming from all four corners of this group,” says James, who originally came up with the album title. “This combination of passion and intensity is what keeps me coming back for more. The energy is multiplied by a factor of four.”

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