Fourplay

Archive for January, 2015

Warm up with Bob James at a Fireside Chat

by on Jan.30, 2015, under Press &Reviews

bob_james_1000x664pxMost people know only fragments of his music via samples in hip hop tracks. Now here’s the whole story, told by the man himself: Bob James.

Bob James’s music has informed and inspired some of the most important producers and musicians in the post-disco era, and has been sampled by hip hop and dance producers alike. At the same time his take on fusion has been a constant key presence in the development of jazz since the mid-seventies. And, of course, his studio work with folks like Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack and Quincy Jones well deserves the legendary status it has with those in the know.

Listen to the chat HERE!

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Bassist Nathan East on Playing for the Pope, Obama, and Daft Punk

by on Jan.26, 2015, under Press &Reviews

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If you have listened to a radio, watched a TV or gone out of your house in the last thirty years, you have heard bassist Nathan East. The Tarzana-based musician has 2000 recording credits that range from Kenny Rogers to Wayne Shorter. That’s East shouting “Put your feet on the ground” during Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose.” That same year he co-wrote the Phil Collins/Phillip Bailey hit “Easy Lover.” His funky bassline drives Daft Punk’s recent hit “Get Lucky” while Whitney Houston’s slow burner “Saving All My Love For You” is lifted by his patient support. Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” and Michael Jackson’s “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” also feature East’s electric bass. But it wasn’t until March of last year that he finally saw his own name on the cover of an album.

“Nathan East” dominated the Billboard Smooth Jazz charts when it was released last March. Friends like Eric Clapton and Michael McDonald made guest appearances while drummer Ricky Lawson contributed to numerous tracks before his untimely passing last winter. The album was recently nominated for a Best Contemporary Instrumental Grammy Award and East has plans for a follow-up as well as a celebration of the 25th anniversary of his co-founding the band Fourplay.

East spoke to Artbound about a few of his more memorable live gigs in and out of the spotlight.

CLICK HERE to continue reading, see video, and more!

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Catch the Fireside Chat with Harvey Mason

by on Jan.22, 2015, under Press &Reviews

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From Herbie Hancock to Donald Byrd and the Mizell Brothers: meet one of the most iconic drummers in the history of jazz and funk.

Harvey Mason is a master of the drum. His work on Donald Byrd’s breakthrough LP Black Byrd showcased his signature loose, rolling funk feel, and soon he was a fully fledged member of Herbie Hancock’s seminal Headhunters group. After that the floodgates opened, with ‘The Mase’ laying down the rhythm track on classic records by the likes of James Brown, Freddie Hubbard, Ahmad Jamal, Bobby Hutcherson, Chick Corea, Minnie Riperton, Patrice Rushen, Earth, Wind & Fire, Bobbi Humphrey, Gary Bartz – the list goes on and on. He’s also put the hours in behind the desk, producing records for the likes of Seawind, Midnight Star and Dionne Warwick. Besides being the go-to drummer of the Mizell Brothers’ biggest compositions, Mr. Mason embarked on a solo career and signed a five-year contract with Clive Davis’ Arista Records in 1975. For his five jazz-rock and disco-tinged albums for Arista (and Ratamacue released for Atlantic in 1996), he earned five Grammy nominations. His journey in the drum has seen him go from Atlantic City, Erroll Garner and Duke Ellington to fusion, disco and film scores alongside the likes of CTI, George Benson, and Quincy Jones, not to mention his own smash hit records.

Listen to the chat HERE!

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Nathan East Looks Back – For The Record…

by on Jan.05, 2015, under News, Press &Reviews

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About one hour into the fascinating, just-released documentary Nathan East: For The Record, there is a quick scene of the bassist sitting on a sofa, quietly perusing his old calendar books from the mid-nineties. “I love keeping these around,” he says as he scans his life-at-a-glance in the little black journals. “It’s like a time capsule and I can go back and see what I was doing.” The entire scene lasts no more than forty seconds, but it is a moment in the film that seems to perfectly capture Nathan’s life and career. As the camera gently pans across and zooms in on the open pages, we see his clean meticulous handwriting, his attention to detail. The names of music stars and legends scatter across the calendar days that are filled with sessions to make and gigs to play, reading almost like a pop music history book. The man is in demand by the very best in the business. But an even closer look also reveals his self-reminders about those who aren’t the stars, written with as much care. Mom’s operation @ Sharp Memorial, right knee is inked in on the 4th, just above Herbie Hancock at Pyramid Studio on the 11th and Natalie Cole and George Duke at Ocean Way on the 18th. He has Mom and Dad’s anniversary on the 28th, the same day as a 9-hour Phil Collins big-band rehearsal in France, one box down from a session for the Escape From LA soundtrack. A flip of the page, more of the same. Sting, Elton, James Taylor, Don Henley. Aunt Doris and Uncle James. Birthday reminders about friends and relatives.

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