BOB JAMES TRIO
Piano feat. Michael Palazzolo (bass) | Patrick Williams (drums)
His music has been shaping the (contemporary) jazz scene for over 50 years – he himself has long since become a legend: Bob James. The pianist and keyboardist was born in Missouri in 1939 and began playing the piano at the age of four. Aged eight, he played his first professional gig for a tap dance class at Mercy Academy. Discovered by Quincy Jones at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival in 1963, Bob recorded his first solo album that year; another 58 CDs and innumerable awards – including two Grammys – would follow. Along the way, he has worked with the Who is Who of the music industry, has made several detours to classical music and has founded, along with Harvey Mason (drums), Lee Ritenour * (guitar) and Nathan East (bass), the quartet Fourplay. Their first album was released in 1991. While Bob is recognized as one of the progenitors of smooth jazz, his music has also had a profound effect on hip hop. His songs “Nautilus” and “Take Me To The Mardi Gras” are among the most sampled in hip hop history (Nautilus 32 times, Take Me To The Mardi Gras 43 times). By the way, besides piano and keyboard, Bob also plays trumpet, timpani and percussion.
* Ritenour left the band in 1998 and was followed by Larry Carlton. In 2010, Carlton left and the late Chuck Loeb took over.
Listen to Bob James on YouTube.de: