At the Thornton Winery, Temecula, CA, as the curtain came down on another sumptuous series of champagne jazz, it was totally appropriate that the formidable Fourplay were around to play the final show. In only a few short months this famed venue will be opening up for what will be its 22nd season of live jazz while Fourplay (who have been in existence for fully nineteen of those years) are also moving into a new and exciting era. With a brand new album set to be released later in the month and Chuck Loeb taking over from the legendary Larry Carlton, the band is right back to the sort of form that typified earlier releases such as ‘Between The Sheets’ and ‘Elixir’. Indeed this was a performance that acknowledged the best of what has gone before whilst giving the enthusiastic gathering a tantalizing glimpse of what the future holds.

In fact, since 1991, when keyboardist Bob James, guitarist Lee Ritenour, bass player Nathan East, and drummer Harvey Mason first came together for James’ critically acclaimed ‘Grand Piano Canyon’, this all-star collective has been the one genuine super-group in contemporary jazz. Larry Carlton took over the guitarist’s spot to coincide with the bands successful 1998 album ‘4’ and in turn has now been replaced by Chuck Loeb.

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