Bob James: Hands Down (1982)

From start to finish this album is a great listen. If you like a good example of early 1980s funk/jazz fusion music, this is the album.
Spunky: This track was worth the price alone. It opens with a crescendo of drums, then Bob James on the synthesizers starts playing a quiet melody while the bass fires up to play along with the disco dance tempo. Throughout the track, Bob dives into various melodies played exceptionally funkily.
Macumba: This is definitely a strange track, this one opens with a synthesized flute, then crescendos with more, louder synthesized textures which subsequently starts a slow jungle rhythm. Throughout the track there is a female singing "Macumba", possibly a traditional African song? Very interesting. Near the end Bob slams in a few funky improvisations with his synthesizers creating a really powerful sound.
Shamboozie: This track feels like a Chuck Mangione composition. It has a good tropical tempo and melody. Nothing to write home about compared to the last track but is a well played piece. Bob plays an electric clavichord throughout, which was a very popular instrument in the 1970s.
Janus: This starts side B and is completely different from the A-side opener. This track focuses on Bob's slow and smooth piano playing. It is more like elevator music here, still enjoyable but definitely one of the weakest tracks on the album.
Roberta: This is quite similar to Janus in terms of pacing, but adds an orchestra and trumpet with occasional hits from the bass. Really smooth and relaxing, but keeps one's attention.
It's Only Me: The final track and what a finish! This one starts with a similar sound to the previous two tracks with a quiet soft synthesizer, which follows with a drum/bass heavy funky melody. The arrangement of this is quite similar to Spunky.
Overall, this album is great if you like jazz fusion from the early 1980s. This album has a lot of different sounds and styles for the particular fan of this genre and period. From the funkiness of Spunky and It's Only Me, the tropical sounds of Macumba and Shamboozie, to the smoothness of Janus and Roberta.

Tracklist:1. Janus (5:54)
2. Roberta (6:54)
3. It's only me (5:25)
4. Spunky (7:03)
5. Macumba (5:14)
6. Shamboozie (5:22)

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Fourplay: Let's Touch the Sky (2010)

Sometimes you have to shake things up, push a little farther, reach a little higher - even when you're a contemporary jazz foursome that's been operating at the top of its collective game for two decades. After twenty years and a dozen albums, in an industry that has undergone sweeping transformations in the past decade, Fourplay knows that the only thing that's certain, in music or any other business, is change. The latest proof of that axiom is the new face in their lineup - that of guitarist Chuck Loeb, who makes his compelling debut with the quartet on Let's Touch The Sky.

Loeb completes the four-man crew that also includes the band's founding members: keyboardist Bob James, bassist/vocalist Nathan East and drummer/percussionist Harvey Mason. Let's Touch The Sky also includes stirring performances by guest vocalists Anita Baker and Ruben Studdard. The infusion of new blood into the Fourplay lineup creates an opportunity to bring an even newer level of energy and inspiration into a band that is already known for taking chances and pushing the limits of contemporary jazz. "All four of us have been in this business long enough to know that there's always pressure to compromise, and we don't want to do that," says James. "We don't want to end up in the middle of the pack. We always aim to be leaders, and take the music to another level and raise the standards higher. I think the music on this new record, thanks in large part to Chuck's early contributions - and to the ongoing team spirit of the band as a whole - is very much a reflection of that philosophy."

Loeb, who openly admits to being a fan of Fourplay since their earliest recordings, sees his new membership status as the opportunity of a lifetime. "I want to be a part of the legacy they've built, going all the way back to their first recording and right up to their most recent one," he says. "There's been an incredible level of quality in the musicianship, the writing, the whole sonic palette that they're famous for. I'm excited to be a part of the next step in the evolution of all that." That sense of romanticism combined with optimism defining the project makes the rhythmic and exotic title track the fitting opener to the set. Written by James, the song sits atop a comfortable Latin groove and showcases the interplay between the keyboardist and his new band mate on acoustic guitar. The follow-up track, Loeb's driving and intense "3rd Degree" is a reference to his role as the third guitarist in the Fourplay saga (the original lineup included Lee Ritenour, who was later replaced by Larry Carlton in the late `90s). The track is built on a syncopated rhythm that allows plenty of room for everyone on hand to stretch out and demonstrate their virtuosity.

Guest vocalists Ruben Studdard and Anita Baker appear on the soulful "Love TKO" and the dreamlike "You're My Thrill," respectively. Studdard was recruited by East, after the two had appeared together in a live performance in Washington, DC. "They were filming a television special," East recalls. "There was a break to reload the cameras, and I just started playing the bass line of `Love TKO.' Ruben stepped up to the microphone to sing, and everyone in the room just stopped. I knew right then that we needed to have him sing this song on a Fourplay record, and when we asked him, he was very much up for it. The whole thing just came together so easily."

Mason, who has held down the groove for Fourplay since the very beginning, says time has done nothing to dull the edge. The band continues to explore new ways to reach for the next level of musicianship and creativity. "Let's Touch The Sky is the perfect title for where we are right now," he says. "In some ways, bringing someone new into the fold has made us a new band. It opens up new opportunities and new potential, and we want to see how high we can take it."

Tracklist:

1. Let's Touch The Sky

2. 3rd Degree

3. More Than A Dream

4. Pineapple Getaway

5. I'll Still Be Lovin' You

6. Gentle Giant (for Hank)

7. A Night In Rio

8. Love TKO

9. Above and Beyond

10. Golden Faders

11. You're My Thrill

Personnel:

Bob James (keyboards and programing)

Nathan East (bass)

Chuck Loeb (guitar)

Harvey Mason (drums and percussion)

Guest vocalists: Anita Baker, Ruben Studdard

Let's Touch the Sky

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Bob James & David Sanborn: Double Vision (1986)

David Sanborn's saxophone complements Bob James' keyboards perfectly on the appropriately titled DOUBLE VISION. Sanborn, James, and bassist Marcus Miller all contribute compositions, and the listener encounters a wonderful variety of musical styles throughout the album's seven tracks. DOUBLE VISION opens on its highest note with Miller's "Maputo," a lush and moody song that highlights Sanborn's skills and sets the pace for the rest of the recording.

Miller also penned the romantic "More than Friends". James and Sanborn join compositional forces on "Moon Tune" and "Never Enough." Sanborn contributes the popular "It's You," a tune that features James prominently. "Maputo" may be the DOUBLE VISION's instrumental highlight, but Al Jarreau's vocal on "Since I Fell for You" is the album's romantic peak. This 1986 collaboration ranks top among contemporary jazz albums.

Tracklist
01. Maputo
02. More Than Friends
03. Moon Tune
04. Since I Fell For You
05. It's You
06. Never Enough
07. You Don't Know Me
Personnel
Bob James - keyboards
David Sanborn - alto saxophone
Al Jarreau - vocal on track 4
Paul Milton Jackson, Jr. - guitar
Paulinho Da Costa - percussion
Marcus Miller - bass
Steve Gadd - drums
Eric Gale - guitar
Double Vision
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Bob James: Restless (1994)

Less instrusive than real jazz but more energetic than new age, simply constructed but exquisitely performed, James' pop confections are the perfect background music. On this album, James favors acoustic piano over synthesizers (though he uses both) and he employs a shifting cast of supporting musicians. His daughter Hillary James is the sweet-voiced if predictable lead singer on the wispy ballad, "Storm Warning." She joins Luther Vandross for the harmony vocals buried in the mix on "Under Me." Michael Brecker plays strong but simplistic tenor sax lines on that and two other songs. Titles like "Lotus Leaves," "Back to Bali" and "Awaken Us to the Blue" are meant to conjure up a certain romanticism, but they seem no more exotic than airline ads on TV. --Geoffrey Himes

Tracklist

1. Lotus Leaves (6:00)

2. Under Me (5:09)
3. Restless (6:58)
4. Kissing Cross (6:19)
5. Storm Warning (4:05)
6. Animal Dreams (5:34)
7. Back To Bali (7:58)
8. Into The Light (6:30)
9. Serenissima (6:05)
10. Awaken Us To The Blue (5:42)
Restless
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