The Jazz Organ Scene
USA
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Bob James
Bob (*1939) was born in Marshall, Missouri. He started playing the piano at age four
and began piano lessons at age seven. Apart from the piano, James learned to play trumpet,
timpani, and percussion. Later, he attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
His first music jobs included being a member of the Earle Parsons Dance Band, and the Bob Falkenhainer Quartet. While in college at Michigan, James played free jazz with musicians in Ann Arbor and Detroit. In 1962, his band entered the Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival, where the judges included Henry Mancini and Quincy Jones. After James's band won the competition, Jones signed James to an album deal with Mercury Records. Mercury released James's first album, Bold Conceptions (1963), a free jazz exploration that was produced by Quincy Jones and that differed from the smooth jazz for which he would later become known. In New York City, James worked as an arranger and was hired as piano accompanist for jazz singer Sarah Vaughan. He reunited with Quincy Jones when Jones asked him to do some arranging for studio sessions. Creed Taylor, producer and founder of CTI Records, was at the sessions and hired James to work for CTI as a producer, arranger, and studio musician. In the 1970s, James worked on albums by Gábor Szabó, Milt Jackson, Stanley Turrentine, Grover Washington jr, and Maynard Ferguson. After three solo albums produced by CTI, he founded his own label, Tappan Zee. In 1984, he turned from smooth jazz to baroque music, and made recordings with the compositions of Jean-Philippe Rameau, Johann-Sebastian Bach, and Domenico Scarlatti. A year after this baroque episode, he collaborated with David Sanborn. His collaboration with Earl Klugh, One on One, won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1980. Another collaboration with Klugh, Cool, was nominated for a Grammy, as was Joined at the Hip with Kirk Whalum, recorded Flesh and Bone in 1995 and another solo album, Joyride. James was looking for a bass player while recording the album Grand Piano Canyon with drummer Harvey Mason and guitarist Lee Ritenour. Mason and Ritenour suggested Nathan East. After working with them for a while, James suggested they form a band, which resulted in the contemporary jazz quartet Fourplay. The band has recorded over ten albums and has seen a couple of personnel changes, with guitarist Larry Carlton replacing Ritenour and then Chuck Loeb replacing Carlton. Fourplay celebrated its 25th anniversary with the album Silver. James's music, especially his early albums, has been sampled often, with his songs "Nautilus" and "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" leading the field. from Wikipedia |
| contact: | SonnyAbelardo@me.com |
| homepage: | bobjames.com |
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Click on the logo to see Bob's tour dates. |
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The Other Side of Abbey Road A&M Records SP-3028 released 1970 recorded October/November 1969 in Englewood Cliffs, NJ/USA |
George Benson, guitar Sonny Fortune, alto sax Jerome Richardson, tenor sax Don Ashworth, baritone sax Wayne Andre, trombone, euphonium Mel Davis, trumpet, flugelhorn Bernie Glow, trumpet, flugelhorn Marvin Stamm, trumpet, flugelhorn Freddie Hubbard, trumpet Phil Bochner, flute, oboe Hubert Laws, flute Jerome Richardson, flute Herbie Hancock, piano, organ, harpsichord Ernie Hayes, piano, organ, harpsichord Bob James, piano, organ, harpsichord Raoul Poliakin, violin Max Pollikoff, violin Emmanuel Vardi, viola George Ricci, cello Ron Carter, bass Gary Jemmott, bass Idris Muhammed, drums Ed Shaugnessy, drums Ray Barretto, percussion Andy Gonzalez, percussion |
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Giant Box CTI Records CTX 6031/32 released 1973 recorded April/May 1973 in Englewood Cliffs, NJ/USA |
Don Sebesky, accordion, clavinet, piano, organ, vocals, conductor Grover Washington jr, soprano sax, alto sax Paul Desmond, alto sax Walt Levinsky, clarinet. tenor sax Freddie Hubbard, flugelhorn George Marge, flute, clarinet, soprano sax, baritone sax, oboe, English horn Jerry Dodgion, flute, piccolo flute, clarinet, soprano sax Phil Bodner, flute, piccolo flute, clarinet, soprano sax, baritone sax, oboe, English horn Romeo Penque, flute, piccolo flute, clarinet, soprano sax, baritone sax, oboe, English horn Hubert Laws, flute, soprano sax Earl Chapin, French horn Jim Buffington, French horn Alan Raph, bass trombone, euphonium Paul Faulise, bass trombone, euphonium Joe Farrell, soprano sax Garnett Brown, trombone Warren Covington, trombone, euphonium Wayne Andre, trombone, euphonium Freddie Hubbard, trumpet Alan Rubin, trumpet, flugelhorn Joe Shepley, trumpet, flugelhorn Randy Brecker, trumpet, flugelhorn Tony Price, tuba George Benson, guitar Harry Leahey, guitar Margaret Ross, harp Milt Jackson, vibes Bob James, organ, piano Ron Carter, bass Homer Mensch, bass Airto, percussion Dave Friedman, percussion Phil Kraus, percussion Ralph MacDonald, percussion Rubens Bassini, congas Billy Cobham, drums Jack DeJohnette, drums Jackie Cain, vocals Roy Kral, vocals |
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Forecast Kudu KU-11 released 1973 recorded January 1973 in Englewood Cliffs, NJ/USA |
Eric Gale, guitar Jerry Dodgion, alto sax, tenor sax Joe Farrell, tenor sax, flute Pepper Adams, baritone sax Tony Studd, trombone, baritone horn Garnett Brown, trombone Alan Raph, trombone Jon Faddis, trumpet, flugelhorn Marvin Stamm, trumpet, flugelhorn Randy Brecker, trumpet, flugelhorn Victor Paz, trumpet, flugelhorn John Frosk, trumpet, flugelhorn George Marge, flute, alto flute, bass flute Hubert Laws, flute, piccolo flute Bob James, piano, organ, synthesizer, bass marimba string section Gordon Edwards, bass Bill Salter, bass Idris Muhammad, drums Rick Marotta, drums Artie Jenkins, congas, tambourine Arthur Jenkins, congas, tambourine Ralph MacDonald, percussion |
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Double Vision Warner Bros. Records 9 25393-2 released 1986 |
Bob James, keyboards David Sanborn, sax Paul Jackson, guitar Eric Gale, guitar Marcus Miller, bass Steve Gadd, drums Paulinho da Costa, persussion |
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