2x-GRAMMY® Award Winner and 17x-GRAMMY® Nominated Jazz Piano Legend BOB JAMES’ career is long, varied and continues to evolve at every turn. From his first days in Marshall, Missouri, the music of Bob James has captivated audiences throughout the world. Tickets for Bob James and his Acclaimed Quartet at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club in Portsmouth, NH on Tuesday July 11 at 7:30 P.M., as well as the current list of 2023 shows, can be found on Ticketmaster.com and Jimmy’s Online Event Calendar at: https://www.jimmysoncongress.com/events.
PORTSMOUTH, N.H., June 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club Features Multi-Platinum-Selling, 2x-GRAMMY® Award-Winner & 17x-GRAMMY® Nominated Jazz Piano Legend BOB JAMES and his Acclaimed Quartet on Tuesday July 11 at 7:30 P.M. Discovered by Quincy Jones at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival in 1963, Bob James recorded his first solo album, Bold Conceptions, that year for Mercury Records. Over 60 albums and innumerable awards would follow for more than five decades as James toured all over the world.
“What is evident from start to finish is that James still has the chops and the impulses…”
— DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE (2022 Album Review of ‘Bob James Trio: Feel Like Making Live!’)
“Not surprisingly, an enthusiastic audience insisted on an encore and the trio returned to the stage to find James seated again at the Rhodes for “Angela,” the theme from Taxi. Like he had done throughout the set, James waxed eloquently over multiple choruses proving that the pianist is still at the top of his game in terms of creativity and storytelling.”
— ALL ABOUT JAZZ (2018 Live Performance Review)
“He became one of the biggest stars of smooth jazz…”
— NEW YORK TIMES
In 1974, Bob James recorded his acclaimed album, One, which propelled his career forward. After three more albums, James began his own label, Tappan Zee Records. This allowed James to spend more time in the studio, focusing on his own creative works. It was during this time that he recorded his own Gold Selling album, Touchdown, which included his composition, “Angela”, the instrumental theme from the sitcom Taxi, and possibly James’ best-known work. Bob composed all the original music used in that television series for its entire run.
James’ album, One On One, the first of three collaborations with Earl Klugh, won a GRAMMY® Award in 1980 for “Best Pop Instrumental Performance”, and has sold over a million copies. During this time, James set the standard for the smooth jazz sound in the late 1970s. In 1985, James moved to Warner Bros Records, and kicked things off with Double Vision, a collaboration with David Sanborn. Double Vision was another GRAMMY® Award-Winner, selling over a million albums.
While recording his album, Grand Piano Canyon in 1990, James reunited with longtime friend, drummer Harvey Mason, Jr. It would also be the first time James would work with guitarist Lee Ritenour, and bassist Nathan East. This would be the start of something beautiful, as these early sessions ignited a spark which would engulf the Jazz world as the band Fourplay.
Legendary jazz supergroup Fourplay‘s first album was recorded and released in 1991, entitled Fourplay, and sold over a million copies and remained at the #1 position on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart for 33 weeks. Their next album, Between the Sheets (1993), reached #1 and went Gold. It also received a GRAMMY® Award Nomination. In 1995, their third Gold Album, Elixir, also reached the #1 position and remained on the chart for more than 90 weeks. The Group would collaborate until 1998 when Ritenour left the group, and guitar legend Larry Carlton took over. This version of Fourplay continued the group’s huge success for seven more albums. After 12 years, Carlton decided to delve further into his solo career, and the band brought in guitarist Chuck Loeb in 2010.
James continued collaborating on separate projects with Earl Klugh, (Cool – 1992) and Kirk Whalum (Joined At The Hip – 1996). Both albums were Nominated for GRAMMY® Awards. His solo career continued throughout the 90’s, culminating with Joy Ride in 1999, garnering him another GRAMMY® Award Nomination.
Fourplay released Heartfelt in 2002, spending much of the year touring across the globe. That same year, James released Morning, Noon, & Night, whose title track hit #1 on Contemporary Jazz Radio. In 2008, James released a Christmas album with Hilary James, and another Fourplay album Energy. The Fourplay album featured GRAMMY® Award-Winner Esperanza Spalding and received a GRAMMY® Award Nomination for the first single, “Fortune Teller”.
In 2010, the 12th Fourplay album was released, Let’s Touch the Sky, which led to another world tour, culminating with an unforgettable collaboration with the New Japan Philharmonic in Tokyo in December. This premiered new orchestral pieces arranged specifically for this concert and was Fourplay’s first performance with a symphony orchestra. Fourplay was voted “Best Group of the Year” at the American Smooth Jazz Awards to wrap up a busy 2010.
In 2013, Quartette Humaine was released, this was the first creative collaboration between keyboardist-composer Bob James and alto saxophonist David Sanborn since their million-selling, GRAMMY® Award-Winning album, Double Vision, twenty-five years ago. In 2015, James’ first live album was released, Live at the Milliken Auditorium, which was captured on a magical night in his hometown of Traverse City, Michigan. This same year also brought the first release from James and longtime collaborator Nathan East, The New Cool, a masterful work of art which truly redefines the essence of cool.
James and Fourplay also came together in 2015 for the release of the group’s 25th anniversary album, Silver, which was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios, where the group recorded their first album 25 years earlier. In 2022, the Bob James Trio released “Feel Like Making Live!” to rave reviews!
BOB JAMES Tickets & Current Schedule of Shows
Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club’s 2023 Schedule of Shows now includes 9 NEA Jazz Masters, 45 GRAMMY® Award-Winning Artists, 38 Blues Music Award-Winners, and a comprehensive list of talented musicians with 435+ GRAMMY® Award Nominations amongst them. Tickets for the BOB JAMES QUARTET at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club on Tuesday July 11 at 7:30 P.M., as well as the current list of 2023 shows, can be found on Ticketmaster and Jimmy’s Online Event Calendar at: https://www.jimmysoncongress.com/events.
ABOUT JIMMY’S JAZZ & BLUES CLUB
The mission of Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club is to provide guests with a one-of-a-kind, world-class experience featuring serious jazz and blues music served with exceptional cuisine. Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club features a spectacular and visually breathtaking environment engineered to deliver the highest quality acoustics while utilizing state-of-the-art production, sound and lighting technologies. Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club is located within a beautifully restored 1905 building at 135 Congress Street in the heart of historic downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. For more information visit www.jimmysoncongress.com or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JimmysJazzBlues and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjazzblues/. Sign-up for Jimmy’s Email Newsletter to stay informed on Upcoming Shows, New Artist Announcements, Promotional Offers, Ticket On-Sale Dates, Special Performances, and Jimmy’s Sunday Jazz Brunch.
PRIVATE EVENTS AT JIMMY’S
An architecturally breathtaking center of arts and culture in the heart of historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club offers a rare and spectacular venue to host important corporate functions, weddings, intimate or large-scale social gatherings, private parties, and memorable celebrations. The team at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club put heart and soul into creating a stunning full-service event space with new state-of-the-art production, sound and lighting technologies delivered with outstanding next-level culinary experiences. Our high-touch approach, provided by professional and experienced event staff, ensures that everything is tailored to exceed your expectations. To start a conversation about hosting your event at Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club, please call us at 888-603-5299, or fill out Jimmy’s Private Event Request Form.
JOIN THE TEAM AT THE LABRIE GROUP FAMILY OF RESTAURANTS
Motivated by a commitment to culinary and hospitality excellence, founders Michael and Peter Labrie and their leadership team understand it is essential to seek out talented team members for each of The Labrie Group family of restaurants — Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club, The Atlantic Grill, The River House, and Rio Tequila Cantina — all in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Career opportunities and current job openings can be found at www.TheLabrieGroup.com.
