Grammy Award winning Jazz Legend Bob James returns to the Milliken Auditorium with the Bob James Quartet.  Featuring James on piano, Clarence Penn on drums, Perry Hughes on guitar and Nate Phillips on bass.

Bob James was discovered at the 1963 Notre Dame Jazz Festival by legendary producer Quincy Jones.  That same year he recorded his first solo album “Bold Conceptions” for Mercury Records. From there he went on to make his  mark as the musical director for Sarah Vaughn.  Bob also worked on many successful albums for CTI Records.

In 1977 James started his is own label, Tappan Zee Records, which gave him the opportunity to spend more time in the studio working on his own recordings.  During that time he recorded the gold award winning album “Touch Down,” which included his composition “Angela” from the TV show Taxi.

James won a Grammy Award in 1980 for with the release of “One On One” with Earl Klugh and also in 1985 for the release of “Double Vision” with David Sanborn. In 2008 Bob and his close friend Tony award inning director Jack O’Brien, were awarded the International Achievement Award from the State of Michigan. Bob will also be inducted in the 2014 University of Michigan Hall of Fame this October.

Clarence Penn is a native of Detroit and started playing the drums semi-professionally at the age of 15. He has performed and recorded with many successful artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, and Roberta Flack. Clarence is very familiar with the Grand Traverse area as he attended the Interlochen Arts Academy.

Perry Hughes is a self taught jazz guitarist who has lived most of his life in Detroit. He has performed and recorded with Bob James on numerous occasions and also with many of  the worlds leading vocalists.

Bassist Nate Phillips has produced or played with a number of well known artists and bands including The Crusaders, Bobby Caldwell, and Gerald Albright. He grew up outside Portland and was influenced by jazz and early fusion.