About Me
Fourplay ----Toyama Teppan Yaki Jan 21, 2007
Toyama, Japan, January 2007
At the National Concert Hall in Chiang Kai Shek Cultural Center,Taipei, Taiwan Aug 11, 2006
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE NEW FOURPLAY X CD!
FOURPLAY'S TENTH ALBUM "X"
WINS GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
MICHAEL McDONALD IS FEATURED ON SINGLE, "MY LOVES LEAVIN'"
Fifteen years of Fourplay seems too good to be true yet with FOURPLAY X the world's top smooth jazz ensemble makes clear that the pleasure is just beginning.
FOURPLAY X, the supergroup's landmark tenth album, marks a shift from recent experiments in spontaneous composition and tight deadlines to focus more fully on writing and arrangement as groundwork for elegant improvisation.
Unlike previous projects, FOURPLAY X began through exchanges of MP3 demos between all four members. The magic of Fourplay is based on the interactions between keyboardist Bob James, bassist Nathan East, guitarist Larry Carlton, and drummer Harvey Mason, each a pop music icon in his own right. By beginning their creative exchanges earlier than ever on this project, long before they actually gathered in the studio, they insured that FOURPLAY X would be a milestone in their catalog.
The results can be heard in the intricacy of James' alternately breezy and forceful opening track, Turnabout, in Carltons bluesy, Wes Montgomery-inflected "Cinnamon Sugar," in East's exotic and airy "Eastern Sky," in Masons straight-ahead groovefest "Kid Zero" in the polish and conception of each track on FOURPLAY X, making this their most fully conceived group effort to date.
They bring the same qualities to the table for the one cover, and the first single, on the album: "My Loves Leavin'", written and recorded originally by Steve Winwood and performed here with Michael McDonald. From the opening notes a percolating synthesizer figure that pays tribute to Winwoods sound through the searing, smoky vocal, "My Love's Leavin'" shows what a brilliant band can achieve when working in tandem with a singer of McDonalds caliber.
All four members fill their calendars with sessions and solo projects, but it remains a priority to keep Fourplay alive as their only true group endeavor, with each partner an equal contributor. Its unique in that we come together as friends as well as musicians who are at the top of our game, explains East. I dont think Ive had a day off this year, and the other guys are just as busy. But we always make the time to get together to be honest, mainly because its fun.
Fourplay debuted with a splash in 1991: Their self-titled debut album sold more than one million copies and lodged for 33 weeks at the top of the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charts. The follow-up, Between the Sheets, reached number one, earned gold status, and was nominated for a Grammy in 1993. They went three-for-three in 1995 with their third release, Elixir, which also hit number one and stayed on the charts for more than a year and a half. And, as if to save time, their fourth album, 4, entered the charts at number one.
THE FOURPLAY X TOUR started in Europe in the summer of 2006 which included headline dates at the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals. In late July they continued to Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan, where one of the highlights was an appearance as the only jazz artists featured at the Udo Music Festival, alongside Santana, Jeff Beck, the Doobie Brothers, and other rock legends. The U.S. tour started in August with appearances at the JVC Jazz Festivals at Concord Pavillion and Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California. Fourplay returned to Japan in January 2007 for three weeks of sold out concerts in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Toyama and Sapporo.
Further information on FOURPLAY X and all things Fourplay is available from fourplayjazz.com.
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