Fourplay was formed 25 years ago, born of a merging of jazz styles and instruments and expertise that forged the Berks Jazz Fest that same year.

A quarter-century later, both are matured, enhanced, reconfigured and still honoring the synergy that created them. So what better way to celebrate both silver milestones than to have Fourplay perform at Jazz Fest, which is exactly what will happen April 18, 7 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. Tickets are $49.

Three of the four current members of Fourplay — Bob James, Nathan East and Harvey Mason — have been together since the beginning, crafting the improvisational contemporary jazz sound that still identifies the quartet today.

“We were in the studio recording “Restoration,” (a cut from Grand Piano Canyon),” said keyboardist Bob James, who is generally credited for bringing the musicians together (guitarist Lee Ritenour completed the group then and worked on the first three albums). “And we knew that something special was going on. Whenever you (collaborate) you hope things will click and sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t, but when the vibe is really happening, you feel it.”
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