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The now legendary smooth jazz band Fourplay is back with fresh music to delight old fans and cultivate a new audience.

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A Conversation With Bob James

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Bob James will perform with Seiko Matsuda on October 29, 2012 in Ofunato, Japan to benefit “Jazz for Japan”.  This project has been a personal journey for Bob with his close ties to the country of Japan.

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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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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.

Premier smooth jazz outfit Fourplay have been in business since 1991 when keyboard doyen Bob James set to work with drummer Harvey Mason, bassist Nathan East and guitarist Lee Ritenour to craft an album which successfully blended jazz with soul, R&B and pop. The success of that self-titled set encouraged the foursome to continue and though there’s been the odd personnel change (Larry Carlton replaced Ritenour in the mid 90s and Chuck Loeb replaced Carlton in 2010) the Fourplay sound remains essentially the same – that gentle, often soporific mix of light jazz and soul grooves that proved so effective back in ’91.

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Bob James and Seiko at Landmark Studio

Fourplay had the privilege to bring in the New Year for 2012 with our friends at the Blue Note Tokyo.  It was a tremendous experience, and left us with some wonderful memories of the friends we make every time we visit Japan.  Below are some photos from behind the scenes… (continue reading…)