At the Thornton Winery, Temecula, CA, as the curtain came down on another sumptuous series of champagne jazz, it was totally appropriate that the formidable Fourplay were around to play the final show. In only a few short months this famed venue will be opening up for what will be its 22nd season of live jazz while Fourplay (who have been in existence for fully nineteen of those years) are also moving into a new and exciting era. With a brand new album set to be released later in the month and Chuck Loeb taking over from the legendary Larry Carlton, the band is right back to the sort of form that typified earlier releases such as ‘Between The Sheets’ and ‘Elixir’. Indeed this was a performance that acknowledged the best of what has gone before whilst giving the enthusiastic gathering a tantalizing glimpse of what the future holds.

In fact, since 1991, when keyboardist Bob James, guitarist Lee Ritenour, bass player Nathan East, and drummer Harvey Mason first came together for James’ critically acclaimed ‘Grand Piano Canyon’, this all-star collective has been the one genuine super-group in contemporary jazz. Larry Carlton took over the guitarist’s spot to coincide with the bands successful 1998 album ‘4’ and in turn has now been replaced by Chuck Loeb.

Fourplay’s late evening set at Thornton Winery served in part as an early showcase for the new CD ‘Let’s Touch The Sky’ and it was the scintillating guitar of ‘new boy’ Loeb with his composition ‘3rd Degree’ that put down an early marker. Not only is this a tune where the title describes Loeb’s position as the bands third guitarist but also a breathtaking example of how the evolution of Fourplay has been built upon the way in which both individually and collectively the players expertly interpret their own immaculate compositions.

Next to do much the same was the constantly excellent Nathan East who used own song ‘I’ll Still Be Loving You’ to exercise his soulful but oft under-used singing voice. He was joined on vocals by none other than Harvey Mason’s daughter Heather while Mason’s ‘Pineapple Getaway’ also proved to be an inspired selection.

A further Mason tune came in the form of the enticing ‘Argentina’. Taken from the 2008 CD ‘Energy’ it found Bob James on piano at his shimmering best and as Fourplay continued to turn back the clock, the crowd were thrilled by gems such as the seminal ‘101 Eastbound’ from its 1991 eponymous debut and the memorable ‘Chant’ which can be found on the band’s 1993 sophomore release ‘Between The Sheets’. Nostalgia was certainly in the damp October air and this was confirmed when for the obligatory encore number the audience was captivated one last time by the wonderful Bob James classic ‘Westchester Lady’.

It proved to be a fitting end to an evening when this high class quartet conclusively demonstrated that, while in their custody, the contemporary jazz genre is in extremely caring hands.