# Bob James Trio – Java Jazz 2019: Live full concert video, Photos

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2019/11/03/bob-james-trio-java-jazz-2019-live-full-concert-video-photos/
- Published: 2019-11-03T19:40:28+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Bob James (born December 25, 1939) is an American Grammy Award-winning jazz keyboardist,
arranger, and record producer.**

He founded the band Fourplay and wrote “Angela,” the theme song for the TV show 
Taxi. He is most famous for standards such as “Nautilus”, “Westchester Lady”, “Heads”,“
Night Crawler”, “Touchdown”, “Blue Lick”, “Sign Of the Times”, “Spunky”, “Marco 
Polo”, “Courtship” and “Just One Thing”.

The career of Bob James is long, varied and continues to evolve at every turn. From
his first days in Marshall, Missouri, the music of Bob James has captivated audiences
throughout the world.

Discovered by Quincy Jones at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival in 1963, James recorded
his first solo album, **Bold Conceptions**, that year for Mercury Records. 58 albums
and innumerable awards would follow through five decades. He honed his skills working
with Creed Taylor, working on albums for artists like Hank Crawford, Grover Washington,
Jr, among others.  While with CTI, James found great popular success overseeing 
significant hits for Paul Simon, Neil Diamond, Maynard Ferguson, and Kenny Loggins.

In 1974, James finally recorded his own album, **One**, which launched a lifelong
career of recording and performing live. After three more albums, James began his
own label, Tappan Zee Records.   This allowed James to spend more time in the studio,
focusing on his own creative works.  It was during this time that he recorded his
own gold seller, **Touchdown**, which included his composition, “Angela”, the instrumental
theme from the sitcom **Taxi**, and possibly James’ best know work.  Bob composed
all the original music used in that television series for its entire run. **One 
On One**, the first in three collaborations with Earl Klugh, was awarded a Grammy
in 1980 for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, and has sold over a million copies.
During this time, James set the standard for the smooth jazz sound in the late 1970s.

A different aspect of the musical talent of Bob James was demonstrated on his three
classical albums recorded for the CBS Masterworks division, the first of which was**
Rameau** released in 1984, and followed by **The Scarlatti Dialogues** & Bach keyboard
concertos with the Pekinel Sisters.

[[In 1985 James moved to Warner Bros Records, and kicked things off with **Double
Vision,** a collaboration with David Sanborn, and produced by Tommy LiPuma.  **Double
Vision** was another Grammy winner, selling over a million albums.

While recording his album, **Grand Piano Canyon**, in 1990, James reunited with 
longtime friend, drummer Harvey Mason, Jr.  It would also be the first time James
would work with guitarist Lee Ritenour, and bassist Nathan East.  This would be 
the start of something beautiful, as these early sessions ignited a spark which 
would engulf the Jazz world as Fourplay.  Fourplay’s first album was recorded and
released in 1991.  The Group would collaborate on a total of three albums, until
1998 when Ritenour left the group, and Larry Carlton took over.  This version of
Fourplay continued the group’s huge success for seven more albums.  After 12 years,
Carlton decided to delve further into his solo career, and the band brought in guitarist
Chuck Loeb in 2010.

A personal and professional highlight was the collaboration with his daughter, Hilary,
on their **Flesh & Blood** album, which toured 15 U.S. cities.  James continued 
collaborating on separate projects with Earl Klugh, (**Cool**) and Kirk Whalum (**
Joined At the Hip**). Both albums were nominated for Grammys. His solo career continued
throughout the 90’s, culminating with  **Joy Ride** in 1999, and another Grammy 
nomination.

In 2001, **Dancing On the Water**, was released, once again showcasing James’ creative
versatility.  The album includes performances with Keiko Matsui, Joe Sample, Dave
Holland, and Chuck Loeb.  Fourplay released **Heartfelt** in 2002, and spent much
of the year touring across the globe.  That same year, James released **Morning,
Noon, & Night**, whose title track went to #1 in Contemporary Jazz Radio.

[[While appearing at New York’s Blue Note, in February of 2003, James went into 
the Hit Factory with Billy Kilson, James Genus, and Ken Freeman on the board.  The
result was **Take It From the Top**, a tribute to pianists who inspired James; Ahmad
Jamal, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, and Oscar Peterson, among others.

The very next year James was at it again, with Fourplay releasing **Journey **in
2004.  Fourplay toured most of the year, culminating with a trip to South Africa
in November of 2005 and a final tour stop in Bangkok, Thailand in December.  This
event featured the world premiere live performance of James’ **‘The Angels of Shanghai.’**
This project encompased several months in the Far East collaborating with students
from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, who played ancient Chinese instruments,
as well as James Genus, Nathan East, and Harvey Mason.  This project finally toured
the U.S. in 2007, and culminated with a performance later in the year at the prestigious
Seongnam Art Center in Seoul, Korea, where James was also invited to have a solo
exhibit of his art in conjunction with the performance.

James stayed busy in 2006, releasing **Urban Flamingo **in February, and on April
7, was awarded the George Benson Lifetime Achievement Award by the Canadian Smooth
Jazz Awards. Summer saw the release of Fourplay’s tenth record, appropriately called**
X**.  This tour literally took James around the world again with stops in Spain,
London, California, Hong Kong, Japan, Kuala Lumpur, and Indonesia.

In 2008, James released a Christmas album with Hilary James, and another Fourplay
album **Energy**.  **Energy** featured Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding, and another
Grammy nomination with the first single, “Fortune Teller”.  The year ended on a 
high note with James and close friend, the Tony award winning Broadway director 
Jack O’Brien, receiving the International Achievement Award by the state of Michigan.

[[Bob has maintained a commitment to sophisticated production and arrangements, 
while stretching out in different and new directions.  This culminated with another
busy year in 2009 with the release of **The Very Best of Bob James**. Not stopping
there, James also released **Botero**, a collaboration with Jack Lee, composed music
for the Broadway play ‘Impressionism’, and recorded **Across the Groove**, a collaboration
with Japanese sax player Masato Honda, all in the same year.  This again led James
touring across Asia, Europe, and the U.S.

2010 saw the twelfth Fourplay album released, **Let’s Touch the Sky**, which led
to another world tour, culminating with an unforgettable collaboration with the 
New Japan Philharmonic in Tokyo in December.  This premiered new orchestral pieces
arranged specifically for this concert, and was Fourplay’s first performance with
a symphony orchestra.  Fourplay was voted Best Group of the Year at the American
Smooth Jazz Awards to wrap up a busy 2010.

2011 brought devastating natural disasters to Japan, and James, with a close relationship
to the region wanted to contribute to the relief  efforts.  This led to the **Jazz
for Japan** benefit album, and the Iwate benefit concert, headlined by James.

Then, in September 2011, **Altair & Vega,** the Four-Hand piano duet collaboration
with Keiko Matsui, was released.  This unique collaboration which took nearly 10
years, resulted in several memorable live tour performances, before being completed
as a recorded album, along with a live performance DVD recorded at the Manchester
Craftsmen’s Guild.  Later that same year, James released a collaboration with Savannah
guitarist Howard Paul with **Just Friends: The Hamilton Hall Sessions**.  All this,
while still touring with Fourplay, including headlining the Playboy Jazz Festival
at the Hollywood Bowl, and receiving the Oasis Contemporary jazz award for ‘Group
of the Year’.  James was also honored in his hometown of Marshall, MO, with the 
inaugural ‘Bob James Jazz Festival’.

Fourplay joined forces again the following year with the release of **Esprit de 
Four**.  The album hit the charts, producing several successful tracks, including
the powerful “Put Our Hearts Together”, which featured vocals by Seiko Matsuda. 
The song was a tribute to the regions of Japan devastated by the natural disasters
just months earlier, and spawned several benefit concerts, such as the Iwate Jazz
Festival, and a full length documentary of James’ visit to the region.

[[In 2013 **Quartette Humaine** was released.  This was the first creative collaboration
between keyboardist-composer Bob James and alto saxophonist David Sanborn since 
their million-selling, Grammy-winning album, **Double Vision**, twenty-five years
ago.

2015 brought the release of James’ first live album, **Live at the Milliken Auditorium**,
which was captured on a magical night in his home town of Traverse City, Michigan.
This same year also brought the first release from James and long time collaborator
Nathan East, **The New Cool**, a masterful work of art which truly redefines the
essence of cool.  Still not finished, James and Fourplay came together for the release
of the group’s 25th anniversary, with **Silver**, which was recorded old school 
at Sunset Sound Studios, where the group recorded their first album 25 years earlier.

While James is recognized as one of the progenitors of smooth jazz, his music has
also had a profound effect on the history of hip hop, having been sampled often.
Two of James’ songs – “Nautilus” from 1974’s One and “Take Me to the Mardi Gras”
from 1975’s Two – are among the most sampled in hip hop history. According to whosampled.
com, “Nautilus” and “Take Me to Mardi Gras” have been sampled in thirty-two and 
forty-three hip-hop recordings, respectively. The title track from his 1981 album
Sign of the Times was sampled in De La Soul‘s “Keepin’ the Faith”, and Warren G‘s“
Regulate”. His “Angela” was sampled in the track “Cab Fare” by Souls of Mischief.
The track “El Verano” from the 1977 album “BJ4” is used as a sample in the song “
Blown Away” by the Cocoa Brovaz and also in the Masta Ace Track “NY Confidential”.
N.W.A‘s “Alwayz into Somethin’” uses a sample of “Storm King” from the album Three.“
Can’t Wait” by Redman features a sample of “Caribbean Nights” from the album Touchdown.
English Drum & Bass pioneer Adam F extensively sampled “Westchester Lady” on his
1995 breakthrough release Circles. Röyksopp sampled his version of “You’re as Right
as Rain” for their instrumental track “Eple.” In addition, James is mentioned in
a verse by André 3000 on “Black Ice” from Goodie Mob’s second album Still Standing.

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