Bob James

Vinyl Discography:

Biography:

James was born on December 25, 1939, in Marshall, Missouri, USA. He began playing piano at age four and earned his Master of Art degree in composition from the University of Michigan in 1962. He collaborated with singer Sarah Vaughan as a conductor and accompanist until 1968.

In 1973, Quincy Jones introduced him to Creed Taylor, who was then founding CTI Records. James became his arranger and producer, working on albums by Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Eric Gale, Grover Washington Jr., and Quincy Jones. He also produced four solo albums there. In 1976, he moved to CBS Records as director of the Progressive A&R department, working with musicians as diverse as Joanne Brackeen and Mongo Santamaria.

In 1986, James collaborated with saxophonist David Sanborn on "Double Vision," which has sold over a million copies. James has also written for Broadway musicals and several films, including "The Selling of the President" and "Serpico." The TV series "Taxi" uses "Angela" from 1978's "Touchdown" as its theme.

It was in 1990, during the recording of his Grand Piano Canyon album, that Bob reunited with his old friend and drummer Harvey Mason Jr. and collaborated for the first time with Lee Ritenour on guitar and Nathan East on bass. The sessions for this project gave birth to the group Fourplay. Their first album was recorded and released in 1991, and many more would follow.

A personal and professional highlight was collaborating with his daughter, Hilary, on their Flesh & Blood album. They co-wrote for this project and toured 15 cities across the United States, performing acoustic vocals and piano duets. Bob continued to record albums with Earl Klugh (Cool) and Kirk Whalum (Joined At the Hip), both Grammy Award nominees. He continued his solo career in the 1990s with Restless, Playin' Hooky, and Joy Ride, another Grammy Award nominee.

While performing at the Blue Note in New York in February 2003, Bob recorded a trio album with Billy Kilson, James Genus, and Ken Freeman. Bob's idea was a personal project, a tribute to the pianists who inspired him. The tracks were originally recorded by Ahmad Jamal, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, and others. The trio debuted to a very enthusiastic and appreciative audience at London's Jazz Café in November 2003. The CD, "Take It From the Top," was released in Japan on JVC and in the US and Canada on Koch Records.

A new Fourplay CD, "Journey," was released in 2004, and the group toured the United States and Japan for much of the year. A long-awaited trip to South Africa took the group to Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban in November 2005. Their final performance of the year was at the Bangkok Jazz Festival in Thailand. This event featured the world premiere of a live performance of Bob's latest recording project, "The Angels of Shanghai." Bob spent many months in the Far East producing this new project, a true "East meets West" project. Five students from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music played ancient Chinese instruments along with James Genus and Nathan East on bass, Harvey Mason on drums, and, of course, Bob James on keyboards. This project was released in both Korea and Japan, and the musicians made their live performance debut at the Bangkok Jazz Festival in December 2005. The group recently completed a tour of Korea and Japan. A tour of the United States took place in 2007.

Bob's latest solo project, Urban Flamingo, was released in the United States and Canada in February 2006, again on Koch Records. It features the Detroit-based band of Al Turner on bass, Ron Otis on drums, Perry Hughes and Wayne Gerard on guitar, and, of course, David McMurray on sax. These guys have had plenty of time to rehearse their music—they've toured the United States this past year, touring the East Coast, West Coast, and a few spots in between!

On April 7, 2006, Bob was awarded the George Benson Lifetime Achievement Award by the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards. The presentation was made in Toronto by his longtime friend and musical colleague, Alexander Zonjic. In 2008, James and his close friend, Tony Award-winning Broadway director Jack O'Brien, received the International Achievement Award from the State of Michigan.
2010 saw the release of the 12th Fourplay album, "Let's Touch the Sky," which led to a world tour, culminating in a memorable collaboration with the New Japan Philharmonic in Tokyo in December. Fourplay was named Best Group of the Year at the American Smooth Jazz Awards. In September 2011, James received the Oasis Contemporary Jazz Award for Band of the Year. He was also honored in his hometown of Marshall with the inaugural Bob James Jazz Festival.

In 2013, "Quartette Humaine" was released. This marked the first creative collaboration between keyboardist and composer Bob James and alto saxophonist David Sanborn, following their million-selling, Grammy-winning album, "Double Vision," 20 years earlier. 2015 saw the release of James's first live album, "Live At The Milliken Auditorium," recorded on a magical night in his hometown of Traverse City, Michigan. The same year also saw the release of James and Nathan East's first release, "The New Cool," a masterful work of art that truly redefines the essence of Cool. Still not finished, James and Fourplay reunited for the release of the album, "With Silver," in honor of the group's 25th anniversary.