A Conversation With Bob James

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Bands don’t last over two decades with minimal turnover in personnel and continued success if they’re composed of egotists, prima donnas, drama queens or people that just don’t play nice together. Fourplay has endured and thrived because it is an egalitarian coalition of seasoned professionals who set aside private agendas to serve the group dynamic.

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Listen to the Interview!

Bob James talks about the single “Put Our Hearts Together“, from Fourplay’s new album Esprit de Four, and his personal connection to the people and culture that makes Japan so special.

‘Esprit De Four’ is still working over the top of the charts…

Currently #7 on the Contemporary Jazz Chart!

Heading into their third decade of making multi-faceted recordings that perfectly blend pop accessibility, rhythmic R&B and colorful jazz improvisations, Fourplay in 2010 issued a challenge to their listeners on their second Heads Up date: Let’s Touch The Sky. This project marked the group’s first with Chuck Loeb, a veteran jazz guitarist whose resume includes everyone from Stan Getz and Steps Ahead to a two decade catalog of contemporary and traditional jazz solo recordings. Joining founding members Bob James (keyboards), Nathan East (bass/vocals) and Harvey Mason (drums/percussion), Loeb follows in the formidable footsteps of founding Fourplay guitarist Lee Ritenour and Larry Carlton, who toured and recorded with the group for 12 years. Six of the supergroup’s 12 recordings since 1991’s self titled debut have hit #1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.

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After 13 albums scattered across 21 years, the men of Fourplay need no introduction but here they are nonetheless – Bob James (keyboards), Nathan East (bass), Chuck Loeb (guitar) and Harvey Mason (drums).

The group’s previous Heads Up release, “Let’s Touch the Sky” (2010), was fine but “Esprit de Four” is distinctly warmer and more appealing. The opener, “December Dream,” gets things started right by being both enchantingly ephemeral and rooted in rhythm. Loeb’s guitar work is exquisite here, as it is on the lovely, mellow title track.

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The most difficult thing about listening to Fourplay’s latest offering “Esprit de Four” was selecting my favorite tracks. This super group has been consistent in delivering outstanding product with each release since their 1991 self-titled debut CD “Fourplay”. Although only three of the original group members appear on this project, they all gel so well that it sounds as if that they’ve played together forever. A perfect example of this cohesion is the track entitled “Venus”. Absolutely heavenly. The composition is creatively packed with subtle surprises perfectly blended into one of the most superfluous compositions I’ve ever heard.

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Fourplay’s Esprit de Four has moved to #2 on the Contemporary Jazz Chart!

Fourplay’s new recording, Esprit de Four, is another fine example of contemporary jazz. This is the kind of music that connects with its soul-searching passion and its sweetness of heart. Among the more notable tracks is the Bob James’s composition “Put Our Hearts Together,” which he wrote for a concert in a region of Japan severely impacted by the tsunami of 2011. It appears as both an instrumental and vocal version on the CD. Japanese pop star Seiko Matsuda lends her voice to this moving tribute.

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