Bob James: The Man with the Golden Touch

Bob James and I go back pretty far. I fell in love with his production sound with the 1977 arrival of Kenny Loggins' amazing Celebrate Me Home album. BJ4 was my first purchase and it quickly became a "comfort" staple in my record play--for some years. Though I know look upon Bob's contribution to music as one of having helped establish, define, and solidify the now-ubiquitous presence of "Smooth Jazz" in our world (a phenomenon that I resent for its destruction of the momentum of joyful creativity that Jazz-Rock Fusion had built up during the first half of the 1970s) but I accept it because A) there's nothing I can do about it and B) I understand the other levels of joy and comfort that Smooth Jazz has provided our (though I see it as a parallel trend and symptom of the dumbing down of our society).

     There is certainly no shame in Bob James' start as a arranger and studio musician for the likes of Quincy Jones and Creed Taylor but as his solo career launches the listener will note the preponderance of covers that he chose to record (a pattern of arranging and producing the music of other musicians' compositions with which he was obviously familiar and comfortable) but I enjoy observing the twin trends of his becoming more confident and competent at relying on his own compositions as paired up with the increasing sophistication of his compositions (when he wanted to). There can be no denigrating Bob's lifelong contribution to popularizing a jazzy side to pop music--for which we should all be grateful.

BOB JAMES One (1974)

After "apprentice" work under Quincy Jones and as an arranger for Creed Taylor and his record label's stable of studio musicians, Creed backed Bob to start up his solo career. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Bob James / keyboards
- Gary King / bass
- Steve Gadd / drums
- Idris Muhammad / drums
- Richie Resnicoff / guitar
- Eric Weissberg / pedal steel guitar
- Ralph MacDonald / percussion
- Dave Friedman / vibes
- Grover Washington, Jr. / soprano saxophone
- Hugh McCracken / harmonica
- Jon Faddis / trumpet and flugelhorn
With: 

Thad Jones / trumpet and flugelhorn
Victor Paz / trumpet
Alan Rubin / trumpet
Lew Soloff / trumpet
Marvin Stamm / trumpet
Wayne Andre / trombone
Paul Faulise / bass trombone
Jack Gale / bass trombone
Alan Ralph / bass trombone
George Marge / alto flute and recorder
Romeo Penque / alto flute and recorder
Max Ellen / violin
Paul Gershman / violin
Emanuel Green / violin
Harold Kohon / violin
Charles Libove / violin
Harry Lookofsky / violin
Joe Malin / violin
David Nadien / violin
Gene Orloff / violin
Seymour Barab / cello
Jesse Levy / cello
Charles McCracken / cello
George Ricci / cello
Alan Shulman / cello
Anthony Sophos / cello

A1. "Valley Of The Shadows" (9:42) great sound, great musicians over a not-so great composition (where are the earworm melodies?) Trying too hard to sound like DEODATO's "Also Sprach Zarathustra: 2001" (17.5/20)

A2. "In The Garden" (3:06) again, like Deodato's prelude here is a smooth-jazzified version of Pachelbel's famous Canon (in D Maj, P 37). It's rather sad in this countrified form. (8.6667/10)

A3. "Soulero" (3:22) a song that is credited as composition by Bob and Richard Evans though it existed since 1965 when Eddie Higgins recorded it (with Richard) as the B-side of his single "Beautiful Dreamer" that sounds a lot like the Ravel "Bolero"-inspired Sketches in Spain. Nicely sophisticated. (8.75/10)

B1. "Night On Bald Mountain" (5:51) the music everyone knows from the Disney use in the uber-popular Fantasia animated film. At least Bob and his gents make it jazzy. (8.875/10)

B2. "Feel Like Making Love" (6:40) Bob & Company's smooth jazz rendition of the Roberta Flack hit. Definitely sounds like a song rendered--and destined--for the Adult Contemporary/Easy Listening/Elevator Music audiences. Pretty, but so was the original. (8.75/10)

B3. "Nautilus" (5:08) Bob's second and only other original composition--and the one that really launched his career as a solo artist. Spacious and slow paced in a way that predicts and feeds into all of the jazz-tinged music that would hit the radio waves in 1975 & 6. There is some great orchestration integrated into this one as well as some awesome bass play (courtesy of Gary King). (9/10)

Total Time: 34:02

87.92 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a nice presentation of well-performed and -arranged Smooth Jazz--one that relies too heavily on known songs and too little on interesting and engaging melodies.

BOB JAMES Two (1975)

This one was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studios in New Jersey during December of 1974 and January of 1975. Bob seeks to solidify his place within the Jazz-Rock Fusion tidal wave. 

Line-up / Musicians:

– Bob James / electric piano, clavinet, synthesizer [Arp Odyssey], organ [Yamaha Yc30] 
– Eric Gale / bass; guitar (A1, A2, B1)

– Steve Gadd / drums 

With:

– Arthur Jenkins / percussion

- Ralph MacDonald / percussion

- Eric King / bass (A3)

– Andrew Smith / drums (A3)

– Patti Austin / vocals (A2)

– Hubert Laws / flute (B1)

– Rickie Resnicoff / guitar [solo] (A3, B2)

– Eddie Daniels / clarinet [solo] (A1) 
– Tony Studd / trombone [solo] (A1)

And:
French Horn – Al Richmond, Jimmy Buffington , Peter Gordon
Trombone – Eddie Bert, Tom Mitchell , Wayne Andre
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – John Frosk, Lew Soloff, Marvin Stamm, Randy Brecker, Victor Paz
Violin – Charles Libove, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Gene Orloff, Harold Kohon, Harry Cykman, Harry Glickman, Harry Lookofsky, Joe Malin, Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman
Cello – Alan Shulman, Alla Goldberg, Tony Sophos , George Ricci, Jesse Levy, Seymour Barab, Warren Lash

Vocals – Frank Floyd, Lani Groves, Zachary Sanders

A1. "Take Me To The Mardi Gras" (5:50) a remake of the Paul Simon song, it is a nice smooth jazz arrangement but Eric Gale's sliding bass notes become rather irritating over the course of six minutes. I never before realized how this song provided the main melody for big hit by  (8.75/10)

A2. "I Feel A Song (In My Heart)" (5:26) a Mary Sawyer and Tony Camillo composition that is here sung by Patti Austin. It was originally recorded by Sandra Richardson in 1971 and made a minor hit by Gladys Knight and the Pips in 1974. Here its jazzier rendering was intended to make waves on the jazz and pop charts. A nice rendition. (8.875/10)

A3. "The Golden Apple" (7:20) one of Bob's compositions that is very symphonic and theatric--like an intro to a Broadway musical or a Bond film--with strings and full orchestra playing a very significant role over the opening two minutes. After that it smooths out into a jazz-rock tune with a hypnotic bass line supporting syncopated drumming, a dynamic electric guitar solo form Rickie Resnicoff, a (poorly recorded) piano solo, Arp Odyssey solo, all glued together by wonderfully-arranged symphonic bridges. It ends kind of strangely--faded out just as a synth solo is beginning, but I have to give a shout out to drummer Andrew Smith for his superlatively unusual and creative work. (13.5/15)

B1. "Farandole" (8:24) a jazzy rendering of a classical piece by George Bizet drenched with lots of horn blasts from the brass section and a fair amount of symphony support despite the jazz combo's funky rhythm track and Bob's soon-to-be-signatory Fender Rhodes play. Nice flute play from Hubert Laws. A little bombastic but still a pretty great composition rendered well. (17.75/20)

B2. "You're As Right As Rain" (5:29) a rendition of a Linda Creed and Thom Bell tune that was first recorded by The Stylistics in 1972. The strummed acoustic guitar sound used here would also become one of Bob's signature elements of his songs as would the background strings teases and smooth/laid back Fender Rhodes. How he pulls off those delicate, "muted wind"-like wind/horn sounds I've never been able to figure out but, again, it is a sound that I only know from Bob James-involved albums. Very pleasant and definitely smooth: all that will become the core and essence of the Smooth Jazz movement of which Bob is a founder, mainstay, and prime example. (9/10)

B3. "Dream Journey" (5:57) Bob's second and only other composition (two per album seems to be the pattern he's setting). The music is a pretty, cinematic/theatric blend of the funk-lite jazz-rock instruments with all that orchestral inputs can provide. In fact, I would use this song to cite how a master arranger  of Elevator Music does it--on a par with the great Burt Bacharach! (9/10)

Total Time: 38:26

While the musical arrangements here are more sophisticated than many of those that will follow on his successive album output, there are more similarities to the jazzier works of the great orchestra arrangers of the era such as Burt Bacharach, David Axelrod, Eumir Deodato, Neil Yardley, Claus Ogerman, Michael Gibbs, and George Martin.

89.167 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent album of orchestra-supported jazz-rock verging on the Smooth Jazz idiom. Definitely one of the few of Bob's albums that steers pretty close to the Third Wave of Jazz-Rock Fusion without having totally given in to the Smooth Jazz wave.

BOB JAMES Three (1976)

Recorded in Englewood Cliffs, N.J.,  at Rudy Van Gelder Studios, in November of 1975 and January of 1976. An album I owned but never felt very attracted to repeated listens back in the 70s.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Bob James / keyboards

Bass – Gary King (tracks: A1, A2, B3), Will Lee (tracks: B1, B2)
Cello – Alan Shulman, Charles McCracken
Drums – Andy Newmark (tracks: A1), Harvey Mason (tracks: A2 to B3)
Flute – Hubert Laws, Jerry Dodgion
Flute, Saxophone [Tenor] – Eddie Daniels
Guitar – Eric Gale (tracks: A2 to B2), Hugh McCracken (tracks: A2 to B2), Jeff Mironov (tracks: A1)
Percussion – Ralph MacDonald
Saxophone [Tenor, Soprano], Tin Whistle – Grover Washington, Jr.
With:

Trombone – Wayne Andre
Trombone [Bass] – Dave Taylor
Trombone [Bass], Tuba – Dave Bargeron
Trumpet – John Frosk, Jon Faddis, Lew Soloff, Marvin Stamm
Viola – Al Brown , Manny Vardi
Violin – David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Frederick Buldrini, Harold Kohon, Harry Cykman, Lewis Eley, Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen
Harp – Gloria Agostini 

A1. "One Mint Julep" (9:03) an attempt at the Big Band side of orchestrated Jazz-Rock Fusion (not unlike the work that Eumir Deodato had been doing in the previous three years). Where this song suffers in is in its spaciousness: it just makes everything seem so laid back and easy (while I know it's not). Very solid play from the rhythm section and accenting brass section. (17.5/20)

A2. "Women Of Ireland" (7:58) opening with 90 seconds of quite lovely solo Irish flute before a masterful display of Smooth Jazz song construction unfolds. The initial flute melody really hits home with Bob's gorgeous piano rendering but once things start getting recapitulated and the rhythm track morphs beneath (into an almost-Jamaican Reggae ). At 3:23 the gorgeous orchestral strings take over the main melody (thereby rendering this an Adult Contemporary cover); not even Eric Gale's guitar solo in the fifth minute  (or his excellent rhythm accents alongside Bob's Fender Rhodes solo in the sixth) can save it from elevator conscription. (13.25/15)

B1. "Westchester Lady" (7:23) a very popular Smooth Jazz radio hit on the Adult Contemporary and Smooth Jazz formatted shows. The main hook melody is definitely one of those unforgettable earworms. The song is essentially a masterclass of composition and arrangement and remains one that I still like to this day even though it plays out a little longer than one might desire. (13.75/15)

B2. "Storm King" (6:30) horns and synths making themselves known from the opening strains while the funky-lite Smooth Jazz foundation is laid down beneath. So classic 1970s Smooth Jazz/Yacht Rock! Excellent discipline shown by the rhythm section as well as pretty dynamic (and extensive) saxophone solo from Grover Washington, Jr. while Bob continues to display masterful placement of his orchestral injections. (9/10)  

B3. "Jamaica Farewell" (5:16) the classic Harry Belafonte hit here covered by Bob and the Irish flute play of Grover Washington, Jr. Weird to have that BJ strumming guitar and Fender Rhodes with Gary King's pseudo-Reggae bass and the soft-jazz-diluted performances percussion section. (8.6667/10)

Total Time: 36:46

There are elements and passages and performances on this album that shine--that contribute nicely to the advancement and lexicon of the Peak Era of Jazz-Rock Fusion, and yet there are more that feel schlocky. The mere fact of three of the album's six songs being covers (thereby launching them into the realms of Elevator Music) denigrates the Jazz-Rock Fusion domain that BJ purports to strive for. 

88.81 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; another excellent collection of fairly simple song constructs making a fair contribution to the burgeoning movement toward a more popular "Smooth Jazz" domain of music. 

BOB JAMES BJ4 (1977)

Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ in November - December, 1976, this is an album I played to death back in college. I now listen to it with both fond nostalgia and cringe-worthy embarrassment as I find magical moments mixed with others of pure schlock and/or discomfort.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Bob James / Fender Rhodes, Acoustic Grand, clavinet, Arp Odyssey, Oberheim Polyphonic, arranger, conductor
- Gary King / bass
- Steve Gadd / drums
- Ralph MacDonald / percussion
- Eric Gale / guitar
- Art Farmer / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Hubert Laws / flute, alto flute

With:

John Frosk, John Gatchell - trumpet
Eddie Daniels - tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet
George Marge - alto recorder
Romeo Penque - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, tenor recorder
Sidney Weinberg - oboe, English horn
Max Ellen, Paul Gershman, Harry Glickman, Emanuel Green, Harold Kohon, Charles Libove, David Nadien, Matthew Raimondi - violin
Lamar Alsop, Emanuel Vardi - viola
Charles McCracken, Alan Shulman - cello

A1. "Pure Imagination" (5:22) though I never liked the opening 20 seconds of this version of one of my all-time favorite songs, the rest of the song provides a wonderful rendition as well as a staunch example of the newly-dominant Smooth Jazz. This was, in fact, the piece that made me a superfan of flutist Hubert Laws. I never liked the way the piano was recorded/engineered on this song. (8.75/10)

A2. "Where The Wind Blows Free" (6:44) the magic in this song comes from the earworm of the chord progression of the main theme as well as the wonderful "side" work of the strings. One of the few songs on BJ4 that I still like today. (8.875/10)

A3. "Tappan Zee" (6:51) the magic in this song that I still like is the floating/drifting piano soloing that Bob does throughout: it almost sounds as if he's just playing around--as if he is unaware that he's being recorded or that he could care less about what his soloing sounds like he's just having fun being in the moment. Otherwise, this song is too sprawling and patchworked for my tastes. (13.125/15)

B1. "Nights Are Forever Without You" (6:25) the magical element of this comes during Eric Gale's guitar solo: the sublime motif played by the rhythm section beneath him, otherwise it just sounds too TV theme song like--the main melody too directly imitative of the vocal line of the 1976 pop hit by England Dan & John Ford Coley. (8.75/10)

B2. "Treasure Island" (6:41) A song I used to adore I now only really like for the gorgeous, spacious intro (before the guitar chords enter and ruin it); after that it just becomes the practice ground for the nauseating schlock that will become the massively overheard "Angela (Theme from "Taxi")" I do still enjoy Art Farmer's trumpet play and the strings work in the end section. (8.875/10)

B3. "El Verano" (4:55) I've always absolutely adored the intro and opening section of this song. In fact, I think I'd have to admit that this song still sends me into heart-wrenching throes of deep nostalgia--which means a lot. Though I now have less tolerance for the Smooth Jazz that BJ and songs like this helped usher in (that replaced the high-skill and experimental risky songs that peak-era Jazz-Rock Fusion had produced) I understand when perfection is so good that it becomes timeless. (9.5/10)

Total Time: 36:21

89.04 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent collection of era-defining Smooth Jazz songs from one of the absolute masters of the genre.

BOB JAMES Heads (1977)

Recorded at Media Sound, Sound Mixers and A&R Studios, New York City, May-September 1977, Bob was definitely in the middle of a hot streak with songs from each of his previous four albums receiving regular rotational play on Adult Contemporary/Smooth Jazz radio shows. Bob's success in fact allowed him to start his own record production label in the summer of 1977: Tappan Zee Records, a subsidiary of the giant Columbia Records conglomerate.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Bob James / keyboards: clavinet, electric piano [Fender Rhodes], piano, synthesizer [Oberheim Polyphonic], bells [Oberheim Polyphonic Tinkle Bells] 

Alto Saxophone – David Sanborn
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Alto Flute – Gerry Niewood
Bass – Gary King, Alphonso Johnson, Will Lee
Cello – Alan Shulman, Charles McCracken, Jonathan Abramowitz
Drums – Andy Newmark, Steve Gadd, Alan Schwartzberg
English Horn, Flute, Baritone Saxophone, Oboe, Recorder [Sopranino] – George Marge
French Horn – Brooks Tillotson, Jim Buffington, Peter Gordon
Guitar – Jeff Layton, Jeff Mironov, Eric Gale, Steve Khan
Harp – Gloria Agostini
Keyboards [Acoustic Rhythm] – Richard Tee
Oboe, Alto Saxophone, Alto Flute, Bass Clarinet – Phil Bodner
Percussion – Ralph MacDonald
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Eddie Daniels
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Michael Brecker, Grover Washington, Jr.
Trombone – David Taylor, Tom Mitchell, Wayne Andre
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – John Frosk, Jon Faddis, Lew Soloff, Marvin Stamm, Randy Brecker
Vibraphone – Michael Mainieri
Viola – Al Brown , Manny Vardi, Lamar Alsop
Violin – Barry Finclair, Diana Halprin, Harold Kohon, Harry Cykman, John Pintavalle, Marvin Morganstern , Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen, Max Pollikoff, Paul Gershman
Vocals – Gwen Guthrie, Lani Groves, Patti Austin, Vivian Cherry

A1. "Heads" (6:40) Rapper's Delight bass opening coupled with tubular bells melodic hook and bass/trombone notes made this popular to play while studying in my college dormitory but its infectious "magical" effect has long since worn off. (8.75/10)

A2. "We're All Alone" (5:32) another aberration of a contemporary pop hit (written and performed by Boz Scaggs) that turns out to be much better once it veers away from the main melody and theme. Yeah, these dudes are cookin' it in the second and third minutes and then again when the DEODATO "Also Sprach Zarathusra: 2001"-like section that ends the song starts. (9/10)

A3. "I'm In You" (6:47) a song that opens like a Disco BeeGees "Night on Disco Mountain" before turning to pick up Peter Frampton's lead melody from his hit of the same name--but this is quite an unrecognizable rendering of that song as so many odd instruments are used to take the place of the vocals (including synth saws and horn section blasts). To my ears this sounds more like a novelty song--one of those that gets radio play specifically for its odd sounds and Disco beat. It's not horrible--and definitely displays some sophistication and tightly-co-ordinated arrangements, it's just not that great of a song! (13/15)

B1. "Night Crawler" (6:17) another of those songs that I would include in my own playlist entitled "The Best of Bob James"--as much for its multiple earworm melody hooks but also for its tight, professional performances. (9/10)

B2. "You Are So Beautiful" (6:50) an instrumental arrangement of Billy Preston's amazing song--one that actually does justice to the original despite the liberties taken in its jazzification. Grover Washington, Jr.'s very heart-felt, respectful soprano sax play is one of the big reasons, but it's also got a lot to do with the spacious arrangement that Bob has made. The actual weakest part of the song is Bob's own bluesy piano solo! I love the whole-band chord hits (and progression) in the bridge in fifth minute and then the background vocal girls in the final two minutes. (13.375/15)

B3. "One Loving Night" (5:48) Bob's rendering of the famous Henry Purcell British folk song--here even incorporating a harpsichord-like keyboard sound (Bob's Oberheim Polyphonic "Tinkle Bells" setting). The orchestral arrangements added in the second minute even add to the respectful "classic" feel, but then, toward the very end of the second minute, the jazz-rock combo launches into a pretty funky movement (thanks in no small part to the bass play that sounds like Alphonso Johnson but goes uncredited as far as I can find). Nice, mature song rendition. The weakest part, for me, are the saxophone inputs. (9/10)

Total Time: 38:54

Yet another album on which less than half of the songs are original compositions (two of six). I find it quite interesting to realize, just now, that it's the two Bob James originals that I like the most--by far! (Time to get out of the business of banking on covers for sales and radio popularity, Bob!)

88.75 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent display of ever-maturing compositional acumen from one of Smooth Jazz's true masters.

BOB JAMES Touchdown (1978)

Recorded At CBS Studios, New York / Soundmixers, New York City and released by Bob's fledgling record label, Tappan Zee, I commend Bob for finally putting together an album entirely made up of his own compositions. Bravo!

Line-up / Musicians:

- Bob James / electric piano [Yamaha Grand], keyboards [Fender Rhodes], synthesizer [Oberheim Polyphonic], piano [acoustic]; producer, arranged, conductor, composer

Acoustic Guitar – Earl Klugh (tracks: A3 to B2)
Acoustic Guitar [Rhythm] – Richie Resnicoff (tracks: A3)
Alto Saxophone – Dave Sanborn (tracks: A2)
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Jerry Dodgion
Alto Saxophone, Flute, Oboe – Phil Bodner
Cello – Charles McCracken, Jonathan Abramowitz, Richard Locker, Seymour Barab
Contrabass Clarinet, Baritone Saxophone – Howard Johnson
Drums – Idris Muhammad (tracks: A1), Steve Gadd (tracks: A2 to B2)
Electric Bass – Gary King (tracks: A1, A2)
Electric Guitar – Eric Gale (tracks: A2, B2), Hiram Bullock (tracks: A2 to B2)
Electric Piano [Yamaha Grand], Keyboards [Fender Rhodes], Synthesizer [Oberheim Polyphonic], Piano [Acoustic] – Bob James
Flute – Hubert Laws (tracks: A3 to B2)
Flute, Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Harvey Estrin
Guitar – Hiram Bullock (tracks: A2 to B2)
Percussion – Mongo Santamaria (tracks: B2), Ralph MacDonald (tracks: A1 to B1)
Producer, Arranged By, Conductor, Composed By – Bob James
Soloist [Piccolo Bass] – Ron Carter (tracks: B2)
Soloist, Guitar – Eric Gale (tracks: A1)
Soloist, Guitar, Vocals – Hiram Bullock (tracks: B2)
Tenor Saxophone, English Horn, Flute, Oboe, Recorder – George Marge
Trombone – Alan Raph, Dave Bargeron, Wayne Andre
Trumpet – Jon Faddis, Mike Lawrence, Randy Brecker, Ron Tooley
Viola – Emanuel Vardi, Jean Dane , Sue Pray, Theodore Israel
Violin – Diana Halprin, Harold Kohon, Harry Cykman, Harry Lookofsky, Herbert Sorkin, John Pintavalle, Lewis Eley, Louis Gabowitz, Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen, Richard Sortomme
About this releaseTappan Zee Records / Columbia – JC 35594 (US)

A1. "Angela (Theme From "Taxi")" (5:42) a sappy-saccharine song that even bugged me when it came out. (Having never owned a television, I've never seen a single episode of the iconic series.) I will grant a respectful acknowledgement of the skills exhibited by Bob and his studio crew to create such an universally-beloved song. (8.75/10)

A2. "Touchdown" (5:42) a pre-Disco or pseudo-disco song that I remember hearing in the discothèques but never really generated as much interest or participation from the dance crowds--most likely due to its lack of singing & lyrics as well to its more laid-back pace and feel. It did, I think, generate a growth in popularity for saxophonist Dave Sanborn. (8.75/10)

A3. "I Want To Thank You (Very Much)" (7:09) opening with a kind of Rat Pack jazz-pop horn play before quickly succumbing to the Fender Rhodes and acoustic guitar Smooth Jazz sound that would become such signatures of both Bob and guitarist Earl Klugh. Awesome solo flute play in the fifth minute from Hubert Laws. (13.25/15)

B1. "Sun Runner" (6:16) a great happy-go-lucky Jazz-Rock Fusion classic from a whole band with excellent performances from  Hubert Laws, Ralph MacDonald, Earl Klugh, and, of course, Bob. Great song construct with sophisticated arrangements and awesome earworm chord progressions. (9.25/10)

B2. "Caribbean Nights" (9:22) highlights of this epic-length tune that I used to play to death in the early 1980s are 1)Hiram Bullock's vocal matching of his guitar solo in the opening section, 2) Bob's great Fender Rhodes play next, 3) the sublime dual performances of Earl Klugh's nylon string guitar with Hubert Laws masterful flute in the fifth and sixth minutes, 4) the whole-band recapitulation of the main theme in the seventh minute, and 5) the horn section with Hubert's swallow-like flute in the bridge before the finale (in which Ron Carter solos briefly with his piccolo bass). (19/20)

Total Time: 34:20

90.77 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Smooth Jazz and one of the truly defining and exemplary samples of that new (and dominant) genre.

BOB JAMES Lucky Seven (1979)

Recorded In 1979 at Soundmixers, New York City / Power Station / A&R Studios / Mediasound

Line-up / Musicians:

Acoustic Guitar – Richie Resnicoff(tracks: B2, B3), Steve Khan (tracks: A3)
Bass – Gary King (tracks: A3, B3), Neil Jason (tracks: A1, A2, B1, B2)
Cello – Charles McCracken
Drums – Andy Newmark (tracks: A3), Idris Muhammad (tracks: B1 to B3), Steve Gadd (tracks: A1, A2)
Electric Guitar – Eric Gale (tracks: A2, A3)
Electric Guitar, Vocals – Hiram Bullock (tracks: A2, A3, B1 to B3)
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Synthesizer, Piano, Vocals – Bob James
French Horn – Jim Buffington, Peter Gordon
Lead Vocals – Neil Jason
Percussion – Ralph MacDonald (tracks: A1, A2, B1 to B3)
Saxophone – David Sanborn
Saxophone [Solo] – Michael Brecker (tracks: B1)
Trombone – Dave Taylor, Wayne Andre
Trumpet – Jon Faddis, Mike Lawrence, Randy Brecker
Viola – Theodore Israel
Violin – Barry Finclair, Diana Halprin, Harry Lookofsky, Herbert Sorkin, Marvin Morgenstern, Max Ellen, Richard Sortomme
Violin, Viola – Lamar Alsop
Vocals – Jeff Schoen, Patti Austin

Tappan Zee Records / Columbia – JC 36056 (US)

A1. "Rush Hour" (6:39) some nice performances gathered together over a bit of a monotonous foundation--one that rarely steps out of that slightly-cheesy, slightly discofied motif. (8.75/10)

   
A2. "Blue Lick" (5:31) opening with some ominous-sounding bass and keyboard lines, I found myself thinking of Herbie Hancock's Thrust album, it evolves into a series of similar chord structures, never really settling into a defined motif, until the two minute mark Bob's Fender Rhodes upper-octave melody making lassoes everybody into a lighter-than-expected slightly-syncopated funk-lite tune--one that continues to defy stylistic and melodic familiarity. (8.75/10)

A3. "Look-Alike" (5:30) a fairly typical BJ song: lazily upbeat and innocuous like a purposeless walk down a city street on a sunny summer afternoon. The dreaded sound of Dave Sanborn's saxophone makes a brief early appearance and then in the lead position at 0:55 for less than 20 seconds but then gets paired up with trumpets and flute for a couple of interesting bridges before the strings-rich and bass-popping main motif returns for some BJ Fender Rhodes. The song goes a little too smooth at the end of the third minute--opening the door for a return of the dreaded Sanborn sax. There are elements of this cute, quirky song that I really like and others (you get the trend) that I don't. (I've never been much of a sax fan--and the sound that the likes of Dave Sanborn, Najee, and Kenny G used in the late 70s and early 80s is a big reason for this.) (8.875/10)   

B1. "Big Stone City" (5:42) sounds like the intro to a Philly-Motown/Spinners Soul hit; disco lite with a little funk works into some aggressive Hiram Bullock electric guitar as Neil Jason's funky slap bass works hard to deliver the funk (he's okay). Accents and punctuation marks from the Horn Section bridge two motifs while Bob and Michael Brecker's sax take turns with rather brief solos. Bob's piano takes the longest solo starting at the four-minute mark before horn play interrupts, but then he's back sounding like an old classic jazz player (with the best sound rendering of a piano that I've ever heard from Bob and his engineering crew.) Nice, professional, but nothing really special here in terms of melody or innovation (other than that great piano sound). (8.75/10)

B2. "Friends" (4:41) acoustic guitars and fretless bass support the singing voice of Neil Jason taking on a soul-TOTO like piece. Neil Jason manages to funk up his bass rather nicely. Smooth AMBROSIA and HALL & OATES also come to mind while listening to this song (riffs and melodies actually lifted straight from all of the afore-mentioned artists). It's nice, well-rendered, but I resent a little the blatant "borrowing" of melodic and stylistic elements like this. (8.75/10) 

B3. "Fly Away" (6:44) a jazzy chord progression and "saw bells" crash opens this familiar song. I'm sure that I've heard this song on the radio or elsewhere (many times). Well constructed and sounding fairly original as well as full of memorable melodic hooks I have to give this one high marks. One of Bob's top ten in terms of ear candy memorability. (9.5/10) 

Total Time: 35:04

As much as I am constantly saddened by the Smooth Jazz trend that sucked jazz artists away from the funky and adventurous music of 1975-76's peak years of Jazz-Rock Fusion (with, I'm sure, considerable pressure from their record labels), I must here acknowledge the continuous trend of maturity and sophistication I've seen in Bob James' work since his debut album. And he does get some great, really high-quality performances out of his studio musicians.

88.96 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent contribution to the better side of the Smooth Jazz lexicon.

BOB JAMES & EARL KLUGH One on One (1979)

Recorded in the summer of 1979 at Mediasound, Sound Palace, and SoundMixers, in New York City, and released by Tappan Zee in October. I purchased this one in the week it was released and remember liking it very much. (I was really into Earl Klugh's solo material from this time.) Alternating songs with compositions from both Bob and Earl, we get three compositions each.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Bob James / keyboards: piano [acoustic], electric piano [Fender Rhodes]
- Earl Klugh / guitars [nylon string acoustic]

- Eric Gale / guitars [electric] (A2, B3, B2)
- Harvey Mason, Sr. / drums
- Neil Jason / bass [electric] (A1, A2)
- Gary King / bass [electric] (A3, B2)
- Ron Carter / double bass [acoustic] (B1, B3)
- Ralph Macdonald / percussion

With:
- Harry Cykman / violin
- Barry Finclair / violin

- Lewis Eley / violin
- Marvin Morgenstern / violin
- Matthew Raimondi / violin

- Max Ellen / violin

- Richard Sortomme / violin

- Al Brown (of Al Brown & His Tunetoppers) / viola

- Emanuel Vardi / viola

- Alan Shulman / cello
- Charles McCracken / cello

- James Buffington / french horn, woodwind

- Phil Bodner / woodwind
- Wally Caine / woodwind
- George Marge / woodwind
- Romeo Penque / woodwind

A1. "Kari" (6:26) Earl's first contribution, compositionally, and it kind of falls flat. (8.75/10)

A2. "The Afterglow" (6:30) Bob's first song offering and it's a beauty--especially when Earl's in the lead position. (9/10)

A3. "Love Lips" (6:33) this has the classic Earl Klugh stamp of originality on it--and he crushes it while everyone else pretty much supports. Bob's pretty good on his Fender Rhodes--and Gary King is great on his electric bass. (9/10)

B1. "Mallorca" (4:46) an unusually sophisticated BJ piece that offers displays of jazz virtuosity on several instruments (piano, guitar, and double bass by Ron Carter). I really like this one despite my fixation on Ron Carter's genius. (8.875/10)

B2. "I'll Never See You Smile Again" (5:25) Earl's last song contribution reveals something quite pacifying. The somewhat unusual/atypical Fender Rhodes play on this is offset by some brilliant bass play by Gary King. Despite it lacking any melodic hooks, I really like and admire the performances on this one. (8.875/10)

B3. "Winding River" (5:22) piano opens this one, Bob's final composition of the album. The interplay of Ron Carter's double bass is wonderful--masterful--and then Earl and the rest of the ensemble join in. A few surprise flourishes around the one-minute mark let us know that this song might not turn out to be exactly what we're expecting--and this bears out to be true as Harvey Mason's drumming becomes more and more nuanced and dynamic while still hiding (somewhat) beneath the piano, guitar, and bass. This may sound as if I'm describing old-fashioned jazz, but it's not: it's still anchored very much in Earl Klugh's musiquarium. (8.875/10)

Total Time 34:38

88.96 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent jazz-leaning display of mature and interestingly-sophisticated Smooth Jazz.