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Bob James (musician)

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Bob James
Born (1939-12-25) December 25, 1939 (age 86)
Marshall, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation(s)Jazz pianist, arranger, record producer
Known forFounder of Fourplay, composer of "Angela" (Taxi theme)

Robert McElhiney James (born December 25, 1939) is an American jazz pianist, arranger, and record producer. He is the founder of the group Fourplay and is credited with composing "Angela," the theme song for the television series Taxi. As noted by VICE, his music from the first seven albums has been extensively sampled, significantly impacting the evolution of hip hop. His distinguished tracks include "Nautilus," "Westchester Lady," "Tappan Zee," and his interpretation of "Take Me to the Mardi Gras."

Early life and family

Born in Marshall, Missouri on December 25, 1939, James began piano lessons at four years old, demonstrating perfect pitch at an early age. His musical education advanced under several teachers such as R. T. Dufford at Missouri Valley College and Franklin Launer at Christian College in Columbia, Missouri. In addition to piano, he studied trumpet, timpani, and percussion instruments, achieving success in Missouri State Fair piano competitions between 1950 and 1956.

James initially enrolled at the University of Michigan before transferring to Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he shared accommodations with saxophonist Nick Brignola.

Music career

James embarked on his professional music journey at eight years old by playing piano for a tap dance class at Mercy Academy. During his teenage years, he performed and arranged music with the Earle Parsons Dance Band (circa 1952–55) in local venues. In the summer of 1955, he joined the Bob Falkenhainer Quartet aboard the Governor McClurg Excursion Boat on Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. At age sixteen, he secured a solo piano position at Steads Ranch resort in Estes Park, Colorado.

Discovery by Quincy Jones

While studying in Michigan, James engaged in free jazz performances around Ann Arbor and Detroit. In 1962, his ensemble competed in the Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival, judged by luminaries including Henry Mancini and Quincy Jones. After winning unexpectedly, James signed with Mercury Records through Quincy Jones’s facilitation. His debut album, Bold Conceptions (1963), produced by Jones, was a free jazz project that contrasted with his later smooth jazz direction.

In New York City, James served as an arranger and pianist for jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan. Reuniting with Quincy Jones led to arranging contributions for studio sessions where producer Creed Taylor discovered him. Taylor subsequently employed James as a producer, arranger, and studio musician at CTI Records. Throughout the 1970s, James collaborated with artists including Gabor Szabo, Milt Jackson, Stanley Turrentine, Grover Washington, Jr. (notably on Mister Magic), and Maynard Ferguson.

Solo albums and collaborations

At Creed Taylor’s invitation, James recorded his solo album One (CTI, 1974), which featured "Feel Like Making Love," a song popularized by Roberta Flack, for whom James had recently played piano. Both versions gained radio airplay, enhancing the album’s commercial appeal. The record notably incorporated classical compositions such as Pachelbel's Canon in D ("In The Garden") and Modest Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain."

Following three solo releases, James established his own label, Tappan Zee. He produced a disco adaptation of the Theme to Star Trek: The Motion Picture and released Touchdown (1978), which included "Angela," the theme for Taxi. He composed all music for Taxi, compiling selections on The Genie: Themes & Variations from the TV Series Taxi (1983). His 1979 tour was promoted with posters depicting him driving a New York taxi cab—a motif reflected in the album All Around the Town (1980).

Transitioning towards classical music interpretations, James recorded Rameau (1984), focusing on Baroque composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, later exploring works by J. S. Bach and Domenico Scarlatti.

In 1985, he signed with Warner Bros. Records and teamed up with saxophonist David Sanborn on Double Vision (1986), which earned a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance. Warner Bros. reissued his CTI and Tappan Zee catalogs during the mid-1990s and distributed his albums for seventeen years. His collaboration with guitarist Earl Klugh, One on One, received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1980 and sold over one million copies. Additional Grammy-nominated projects include Klugh’s Cool (1992) and Joined at the Hip (1996) with saxophonist Kirk Whalum. He also recorded Flesh and Bone (1995) featuring his daughter Hillary James and released the solo album Joy Ride in 1999. The album Joined at the Hip was remastered and reissued in 2019 through evosound.

Fourplay

During the sessions for the album Grand Piano Canyon (Warner Bros., 1990), which featured drummer Harvey Mason and guitarist Lee Ritenour, James was in search of a bassist. Both Mason and Ritenour suggested Nathan East. Following their collaboration, James proposed forming a band, which resulted in the establishment of the modern jazz ensemble Fourplay. The quartet has produced more than ten albums and undergone several personnel changes, with guitarist Larry Carlton succeeding Ritenour, and later Chuck Loeb taking over from Carlton. Fourplay commemorated its 25th year by releasing the album Silver (Heads Up, 2015).

Impact on hip hop

James’s early works have been extensively sampled within hip hop, with tracks like "Nautilus" and "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" serving as essential elements in the genre’s development.

Notable tracks sampling James’s compositions

"Nautilus" has been incorporated by artists including Eric B. & Rakim ("Let the Rhythm Hit 'em"), Run-D.M.C. ("Beats to the Rhyme"), Ghostface Killah ("Daytona 500"), DJ Jazzy Jeff ("Jazzie's Groove"), Jeru the Damaja ("My Mind Spray"), and Freddie Gibbs ("Extradite"). Its distinctive bassline is featured in Slick Rick's "Children's Story".

The bell-and-drum break from "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" has been widely sampled by groups such as Crash Crew, Run-D.M.C., the Beastie Boys, Missy Elliott, will.i.am, Dream (American group), Common (rapper), and Wu-Tang Clan.

"Westchester Lady" was sampled by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince in "Here We Go Again," among others.

James’s 1981 release "Sign of the Times" was utilized by De La Soul in "Keepin' the Faith" and by Warren G and Nate Dogg in "Regulate". His 1980 track "Snowbird Fantasy" was sampled in 2009 by French house musician Eric Chedeville (Le Knight Club).

"Tappan Zee," named after the nearby Hudson River bridge close to James’s studio, was sampled in Arrested Development's "People Everyday (Metamorphis Remix)". Furthermore, Digable Planets included a sample of "Blue Lick" in their track "Jettin".

James has voiced admiration for hip hop producers while opposing unauthorized use of his music. More recently, he has engaged in self-sampling on tracks like "Submarine" and collaborated with artists such as DJ Jazzy Jeff, Ghostface Killah, 9th Wonder, and Slick Rick.

Awards and honors

  • Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, alongside Earl Klugh, for One on One (1979)
  • Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental, shared with David Sanborn for Double Vision (1986)
  • Grammy nominations for Cool with Earl Klugh (1992), Joined at the Hip with Kirk Whalum (1996), Joyride (1999), Best Pop Instrumental for Fourplay's "Fortune Teller" (2008), Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella for "Ghost of a Chance" (2016), and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Just Us
  • George Benson Lifetime Achievement Award (2006)
  • International Achievement Award from the State of Michigan (2008)
  • Nomination for Best Group of the Year at the American Smooth Jazz Awards with Fourplay (2010)

Discography

Bob James has released a total of 53 albums throughout his career.

Studio albums

... [Table continues with selected notable albums and chart rankings highlighting commercial success and collaborations] ...
Year Album Highest chart rankings Record Label
US
200 		US
Top
Sales 		US
Jazz 		US
Contemporary
Jazz 		US
R&B
/Hip-Hop 		US
Traditional
Jazz 		US
Top
Current 		US
Independent 		US
Indie
Store 		US
Vinyl
1962 Bold Conceptions — — — — — — — — — — Mercury
1965 Explosions — — — — — — — — — — ESP Disk
1974 One 85 — — — 48 — — — — — CTI
1975 Two 75 — — — 28 — — — — —
1976 Three 49 — — — 23 — — — — —
Just Us
(Bob James and Dave Koz) 		— — — 7 — — — — — Just Koz

A dash ("—") indicates the album did not appear on the chart.

Live albums

Year Album Title Peak chart position Label
US 200
1981 All Around the Town – live double LP 66 Tappan Zee/Columbia

Compilation albums

Year Compilation Title Label
2001 '’Anthology’' '’Castle’'
2001 '’Restoration’' '’Warner Bros.’'
2002 '’The Essential Jazz Collection’' '’Metro Doubles’'
2003 '’Bob James in Hi Fi’' '’Audio Fidelity’'
2009 '’The Very Best of Bob James’' '’Salvo’'

Singles

  |- align=left|"The Steamin' Feelin'" (no chart data) same album
Year Song Title Highest chart placements Associated Album
Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Smooth Jazz Airplay Adult R&B Airplay
1974 "Night on Bald Mountain" — — — n/a n/a One
"In the Garden" — — — n/a n/a
"Feel Like Making Love" 88 — — n/a n/a
1975 "I Feel a Song (In My Heart)" 105 — — n/a n/a Two
1976 "Westchester Lady" — — — n/a n/a Three
1977 "Where the Wind Blows Free" — — — n/a n/a BJ4
"Heads" — — — n/a n/a 'Heads'


With Fourplay

As sideman

With Patti Austin

With Chet Baker

With George Benson

With Ron Carter

With Hank Crawford

With Maynard Ferguson

With Michael Franks

With Eric Gale

  • Forecast (Kudu, 1973)
  • Ginseng Woman (Columbia, 1977)
  • Multiplication (Columbia, 1977)
  • Island Breeze (Elektra Musician, 1983)

With Jeff Golub and Avenue Blue

  • Naked City (Bluemoon Mesa, 1996)
  • Nightlife (Bluemoon Mesa, 1997)

With Quincy Jones

With Hubert Laws

  • Numerous albums on CTI and Columbia from 1969 to 1977 including titles such as: Afro-Classic, Morning Star, and live sessions

With Harvey Mason

  • Releases spanning from Arista to Columbia between the late '70s and mid-2010s including: Funk in a Mason Jar, and Chameleon

With Ralph MacDonald

  • Significant works on Marlin label during the late '70s like: Sound of a Drum, and ‘’The Path’’

With Idris Muhammad

  • Important albums include: ‘’Power of Soul’’ and subsequent projects on Lipstick Records

With Doc Powell

  • Albums such as: ‘’Inner City Blues’’ and early-2000s releases under Gold Circle

With Lee Ritenour

  • Collaborations on GRP and Polygram labels from the late '80s through the '90s including: ‘’Festival’’, and ‘’This Is Love’’

With Gabor Szabo

  • Early '70s CTI recordings including: ‘’Mizrab’’, and ‘’Rambler’’

With Stanley Turrentine

  • Multiple CTI albums throughout the '70s featuring: ‘’Cherry’’, and ‘’Don’t Mess with Mister T.’’

With Grover Washington Jr.

  • Prominent Kudu label releases in early to mid-'70s such as: ‘’Inner City Blues’’, ‘’Feels So Good’’, and ‘’Mister Magic’’

With Kirk Whalum

  • Columbia records from mid-'80s to early '90s including: ‘’And You Know That’’, and ‘’Caché’’

With John Zorn

  • Avant-garde projects released on Nonesuch and Hat Hut labels during the mid-1980s including: ‘’The Big Gundown’’, ‘’Cobra’’, and ‘’Spillane’’

Other collaborations Extensive session contributions across various genres feature work with artists like Amerie, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chris Botti, Natalie Cole, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Michael McDonald, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, Luther Vandross, Sarah Vaughan, Dionne Warwick among numerous others. These collaborations cover major labels such as Columbia, Warner Bros., Elektra, GRP, Atlantic, Motown, and Virgin spanning from the 1960s through the early years of the new millennium.

Filmography

  • 2005 Live from Montreux
  • 2005 Bob James: Fourplay Evening Volumes 1 & 2
  • 2006 Bob James in Concert

External links

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