FOURPLAY GENERATES HIGH ENERGY
WITH HEADS UP DEBUT
New album features guest vocals by bass phenomenon
Esperanza Spalding
According to some very basic laws of nature, when powerful
forces come together, some form of energy is created –
usually in large amounts. In music, the laws of interaction
are no different. When keyboardist Bob James, bassist Nathan
East, guitarist Larry Carlton and drummer Harvey Mason come
together as Fourplay, the result is Energy (HUCD 3146),
the Heads Up debut of the acclaimed contemporary jazz quartet
scheduled for worldwide release on September 23, 2008.
Energy grafts a variety of sounds – R&B,
pop, African and more – to Fourplay’s unwavering
jazz foundations. In addition to vocals by East – a
charter member since the band’s inception in 1990 –
the album also features a vocal track by Esperanza Spalding,
the upright bassist, composer and vocalist who has recently
taken the jazz world by storm with her self-titled recording
debut earlier this year on Heads Up.
“I always feel a special energy coming from all four
corners of this group,” says James, who originally came
up with the album title. “This combination of passion
and intensity is what keeps me coming back for more. The energy
is multiplied by a factor of four.” read more
FOURPLAY
GENERATES HIGH ENERGY WITH HEADS UP DEBUT
New album features guest vocals by bass phenomenon Esperanza
Spalding
According to some very basic laws of nature, when powerful forces
come together, some form of energy is created – usually
in large amounts. In music, the laws of interaction are no different.
When keyboardist Bob James, bassist Nathan East, guitarist Larry
Carlton and drummer Harvey Mason come together as Fourplay,
the result is Energy (HUCD 3146), the Heads Up debut
of the acclaimed contemporary jazz quartet scheduled for worldwide
release on September 23, 2008.
Energy grafts a variety of sounds – R&B,
pop, African and more – to Fourplay’s unwavering
jazz foundations. In addition to vocals by East – a charter
member since the band’s inception in 1990 – the
album also features a vocal track by Esperanza Spalding, the
upright bassist, composer and vocalist who has recently taken
the jazz world by storm with her self-titled recording debut
earlier this year on Heads Up.
“I always feel a special energy coming from all four corners
of this group,” says James, who originally came up with
the album title. “This combination of passion and intensity
is what keeps me coming back for more. The energy is multiplied
by a factor of four.”
“The title is a reflection of the various moods captured
in the tracks,” East adds. “Whether romantic or
sophisticated, upbeat or mellow, each player brings his own
unique energy to the music. That combination of energies reflects
what this album is all about.”
The set opens with the midtempo and atmospheric “Fortune
Teller,” a track built around a catchy riff, with plenty
of interplay between James and Carlton atop the solid underpinnings
provided by East and Mason.
Further in is the exotic and uplifting “Cape Town,”
a piece co-written by Nathan East, his brother Marcel East,
and their cousin Alan Dones. The track chronicles the journey
of the three cousins’ grandparents – James and Lucinda
East – who traveled to South Africa two generations ago
to do missionary work. “After several weeks at sea,”
East explains, “their ship finally landed on the beautiful
shores of Cape Town. Their calling took them to the village
of Middledrift, South Africa, where they gave birth to our parents,
continued their vision as missionaries, and laid the foundation
for truth and reconciliation.” In addition to the main
vocal track by Nathan East on “Cape Town,” additional
vocals are provided by James and Lucinda East’s great-grandchildren
– Marcel East’s six-year-old son Elijah, and Nathan’s
eight-year-old twins Sara and Noah.
“Prelude for Lovers” turned out to be “one
of the most exciting developments that came about during the
recording,” says James, thanks in large part to guest
vocals by Esperanza Spalding. The song was written by James’
daughter Hilary and her husband, Kevin DiSimone, as a showcase
for a guest vocalist that had yet to be decided. “Heads
Up President Dave Love suggested Esperanza, and the rest, as
they say, is history. Talk about energy, she’s got it!
her fresh, intimate style was a perfect match for this song.
She was a dream to work with in the studio, full of ideas and
confidence. We’re really happy to have her as our special
guest.”
Carlton adds: “All I can say about Esperanza’s contribution
to this track is ‘Wow!’ She sounds so comfortable
in our setting. What a great performance.”
“Look Both Ways” is an extremely dynamic track that
allows plenty of room for James and Carlton to explore and converse.
“While we were recording this song,” says East,
“Bob unexpectedly broke into this blazing piano solo and
Harvey jumped all over it – swinging and bopping as only
he can. It was very inspiring and energetic, a moment I’ll
never forget. We listened to the playback, and the magic that
we heard helped us make the decision about using that particular
take for the record. Those moments are like lightning, and they
don’t usually strike twice.”
In the final stretch, “Comfort Zone” sets up a cool,
guitar-driven groove on top of East’s rock solid bass
lines and Mason’s metronomic drum work. This one’s
tailor-made for late-night drives or kicking back with a cocktail
or two (although indulging in both of these enterprises at the
same time is admittedly not a good idea).
The closing track, “Sebastian,” takes its name from
one of the greatest classical composers of all time. “I
surprised everyone by bringing in a sketch based on a chord
progression from a Bach piano piece I had been playing at home,’
says James. “It occurred to me that it might provide the
framework for a Fourplay song. We all have classical backgrounds
to some degree, so I thought it would be fun to try something
to bring out that aspect of our performing.”
Regardless of the eclectic range of sources – jazz, pop,
funk, R&B or even classical – “the overriding
goal, as always, was to make the very best CD we could,”
says Mason. “Our constant aim is to explore and push the
boundaries while still satisfying our longtime fans, who have
traveled this journey with us for nearly two decades. They still
recognize the Fourplay sound, but I believe their musical taste
has been expanded along the way.”
Tap into the Energy. There are powerful forces coming
together here.
For nearly two decades, the contemporary jazz quartet known
as Fourplay has enjoyed consistent artistic and commercial success
by grafting elements of R&B, pop and a variety of other
sounds to their unwavering jazz foundations. In the course of
ten recordings – five of which have climbed to the top
of Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Album charts
– the supergroup has continued to explore the limitless
dimensions and permutations of jazz while at the same time appealing
to a broad mainstream audience.
The Fourplay story begins in 1990, with keyboardist Bob James,
who had already established himself as a formidable figure in
keyboard jazz – not just as an instrumentalist but as
a composer and arranger as well – with solo recordings
dating as far back as the mid 1960s. In 1990, James reunited
with his old friend, session drummer Harvey Mason (Herbie Hancock,
Sergio Mendes, James Brown), during the recording of James’
Grand Piano Canyon album. Also involved in the project
were guitarist Lee Ritenour (Sergio Mendes) and bassist/vocalist
Nathan East (Barry White, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins).
The Grand Piano Canyon sessions marked the genesis
of the group that eventually came to be known as Fourplay. Their
self-titled debut album was released in 1991, and included a
blend of jazz, R&B and pop.
The original lineup of James/Ritenour/East/Mason stayed together
for three successive albums, including Elixir (1994),
a set that features some high-profile guest vocalists: Phil
Collins, Patti Austin and Peabo Bryson. East also delivers some
noteworthy vocal contributions on Elixir, and has continued
to do so throughout most of Fourplay’s subsequent studio
outings.
Ritenour, whose guitar work in tandem with James’ keyboards
served as the cornerstone of the early Fourplay sound, left
the lineup in the mid-1990s and was replaced by Larry Carlton
(The Crusaders, Joni Mitchell, Quincy Jones). Carlton made his
first studio appearance with the band with the release of 4
in 1998. 4 included compositions by all four members,
as well as an impressive crew of guest vocalists: El Debarge,
Babyface Edmonds, Kevyn Lettau and Shanice.
Following the 1999 release of Snowbound, a mix of traditional
and contemporary holiday songs, Fourplay shook things up a bit
with Yes Please!, an album that challenged the standard
definitions of contemporary jazz by incorporating elements of
blues, funk and even Celtic music. JazzTimes critic
Hilarie Grey called Yes Please! “an expansive
album that incorporates each artist’s strengths, and in
the process travels in some unexpected directions.” Grey
added: “Yes Please! works where similar projects
fail simply because it lets its artists play, without imposing
artificial boundaries.”
The sense of experimentation continued with the 2002 release
of Heartfelt. The material in this set emerged from
a series of improvisational performances that were assembled
into full compositions. As a result, the tunes have less clearly
defined melodies, but the overall album is both exploratory
and accessible at the same time.
Journey, released in 2004, is a laid-back affair, but
complex at the same time. Consistent with Fourplay’s eclectic
philosophy, Journey incorporates a range of stylistic
elements – as evidenced by such high points as the delicate
cover of the 1993 Sting hit “Fields of Gold” and
the bossa nova flavored “Rozil.”
X followed in 2006, with guest vocals by blue-eyed-soul
icon Michael McDonald, who delivers an inspired rendition of
Steve Winwood’s “My Loves Leavin’.”
JazzTimes called X “a softly funky,
superbly crafted and unapologetically low-key album.”
Fourplay joins the prestigious roster of artists on the Heads
Up International label with the September 23, 2008, release
of Energy. Carlton promises that the band’s maiden
voyage with Heads Up “will be a continuation in the growth
of the Fourplay sound. We look forward to delivering the next
chapter in the Fourplay story and having Heads Up deliver it
to the world.”
East is equally optimistic. “I look forward to an adventurous,
classy and soul-filled record that showcases our talents individually
and collectively,” he says. “Until the last note
is played, it’s hard to predict the exact direction. That’s
what we love about jazz – the improvisation that happens
in the moment.”
