The formidable contemporary jazz quartet Fourplay set it off at Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis on Friday night.

Closing in on 25 years together, the super group featured pianist Bob James, veteran session bassist Nathan East (Eric Clapton, Barry White, Phil Collins), drummer Harvey Mason (Herbie Hancock, Barbra Streisand, Notorious B.I.G.), and guitarist Chuck Loeb (Stan Getz, Chico Hamilton, Ray Barreto).

“All four of us have been in this business long enough to know that there’s always pressure to compromise, and we don’t want to do that,” says James of the group’s current lineup. “We don’t want to end up in the middle of the pack. We always aim to be leaders, and take the music to another level and raise the standards higher.”