Fourplay

Genres:	Holiday & Seasonal • Jazz • Music Videos & Concerts
Descriptive "tags":	smooth jazz • jazz • fusion • instrumental • jazz fusion
Decades Active:	1990s • 2000s
Links online:	BBC Music • MySpace • Official Homepage • Wikipedia

Biography

A group which has earned consistent critical praise for its blend of pop and contemporary jazz, Fourplay was formed by Bob James (25 December 1939, Marshall, Missouri, USA; keyboards), Lee Ritenour (b. 1 November 1953, Los Angeles, California, USA; guitar), Nathan East (bass) and Harvey Mason (b. 22 February 1947, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA; drums). Since forming in the early 90s the group has worked with a number of prominent R&B singers, including El DeBarge and Chaka Khan. Their self-titled debut album spent 31 weeks at number 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. Their second collection, Between The Sheets, also reached number 1 on the chart. Elixir featured a succession of typically smooth instrumentals and sung numbers. The styles echoed developments in pop music (particularly R&B) as well as jazz. As James told Billboard magazine, ‘Those references to older styles are there in our roots, our training and our respect for what...

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