Fourplay is back with their release Esprit De Four, from a band that has continued to cast their magic on the Jazz world for more than two decades and twelve releases, it is crisp, progressive, funky at times, and always engaging.

Fourplay – Esprit De Four: December Dream; Firefly; Venus; Sonnymoon; Put Our Hearts Together (instrumental version); All I Wanna Do; Logic of Love; Esprit De Four; Sugoi; Put Our Hearts Together (vocal track)

Personnel: Bob James: Keyboards; Nathan East: Bass, Vocals; Chuck Loeb: Guitars; Synths; Harvey Mason: Drums, Percussion, Vibes, Synths; Seiko Matsuda: Vocals (track – 10)

Fourplay – Esprit De Four was produced by Fourplay and was released on the Heads Up label a division of Concord Music Group. For over two decades and on twelve releases, Fourplay continues to create energizing, leading edge, progressive music, and Esprit De Four is no exception. The release Esprit De Four contains contributions from all four members, each imparting their unique style writing and arranging tracks.

The release opens with the track, December Dream, from the newest member of Fourplay, guitarist Chuck Loeb. The arrangement is subtle and unpretentious, but it captures the listener’s attention and draws them into the flow of the music, with each member painting their own brush stroke to Chuck’s arrangement. Firefly, written by Nathan East, was inspired by the jazz trio Dirty Loops, who are good friends of Nathan. He wanted to deliver Dirty Loops’ style, energy, and their different chord progressions, and per Nathan, Fourplay delivered; a great track that moves at a snappy pace.

The track Venus, written by Harvey Mason, is mesmerizing and lures the listen into a seductive expression projected by Chuck Loeb’s guitar and Harvey’s tantalizing drum work. Sonnymoon, by Chuck Loeb, is dedicated to the band’s manger, Sonny Abelardo, and it is a poignant arrangement with a tender melody.

The band turns it up a notch with the instrumental version of Put Our Hearts Together, written by Bob James, which is stirring and powerful. The track is a tribute to the victims of the devastating tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011. As Bob James states “The people of Japan have been very supportive of my music for more than 30 years. When the tragedy struck, I was immediately motivated to do something.” He performed the song for the first time in Japan just six months after the tsunami. The release closes with the same track, but with the addition of Seiko Matsuda who lends her vocal prowess to the lyrics written by Bob James’ daughter, Hillary James.

All I Want To Do, by Nathan East, is a passionate and alluring track that calls out, “Now it’s me and you… Loving you is all I want to do.” The release closes with Logic of Love, by Chuck Loeb, the title track, Esprit De Four, by Harvey Mason, Sugoi, by Bob James, and Put Our Hearts Together, the vocal track.

All together, Esprit De Four is a dynamic release that shows the expressions of four masters of their instruments and masters of crossing genres to radiate a sound that is fresh, energizing, and progressive. In essence, this release is what you have come to expect from Fourplay.

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