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FOURPLAY. [Bob James (executive producer); Don Murray (engineer)] WARNER
BROTHERS 26656-2. CD. (AAD) by
Siegfried P. Duray-Bito
His sound is unmistakable. A
funky bass (usually anchored by the rock-solid Gary King) and drum rhythm
track lays down a cool, unwavering groove.
Various guest instrumentalists play safe, mild-mannered solos and
James adds an aloof punctuation on piano to the whole proceedings.
The package is gift-wrapped to the listener in crystalline studio
sound, often with striking and unusual album graphics.
It has become quite chic to equate Bob James' music with the
mindless drivel of the "beautiful" people.
Seemingly without direction and consistently familiar, few serious
music lovers would dare admit to even listening to Bob James, let alone
being a fan. Well, maybe its
time for a revisionist view.
Is it going too far to compare James' sense of musical perfection
to Mozart? Or his economic
piano style to Miles and Monk? Probably. But,
inescapably, Bob James has added to the language of modern electronic
music a style all his own. As
certain indulgences of our musical era have drifted into the mists of the
past, like the emphasis on solo expression (most notably in jazz), it may
well be artists like Bob James whose music endures.
Still reaching? Certainly, especially considering that, of twenty or so Bob
James releases, only a handful of his albums are worth considering.
His first, Explosions, is a rare find and of collectors value only.
While reasonably well-recorded, this 1965 release on the ESP label
is an all-out attempt at dissonant avant-gardism that caught some ears in
the crazy Sixties.
In the early Seventies, James released several albums on the CTI
label that were to establish his sound.
Using the best studio talent available in New York at the time,
James tapped such names as Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Stanley Turrentine,
Eric Gale, Hubert Laws - to name a few.
Often he would just re-work the hits of the day, but on occasion
he'd throw in something of his own, such as the venerable
"Westchester Lady" or "One Mint Julep."
Often backed by CTI's in-house orchestra, these compositions
alternated between tight, funky rhythm grooves and expansive, big
band-style arrangements.
Unfortunately, those CTI releases were veiled and muffled - drums
had tape all over them and the stage was placed narrowly between the
speakers. It wasn't until
James moved over to Columbia in 1977 that he was afforded decent sound.
He took advantage of the opportunity right away, releasing his best
two albums of the Seventies, Heads and Touchdown.
Heads features a large blow-up of a well-worn nickel as cover,
signifying that the release is James' fifth.
From the opening bass notes of the title track, you can immediately
hear the best subterranean levels of late Seventies' studio technology.
True analog synthesized bells come in from outside the speakers and
James rushes into a tight riff that's truly baaad.
Though the sound is larger-than-life, the whole arrangement has
bloom and impact, in stark contrast to the rather flat and lifeless sound
of current digital bands. On
to Boz Scaggs' "We're All Alone" with all the fury of a rushing
freight train, yet still wonderfully composed and in control.
Mike Mainieri's vibraphone solo rings merrily while clearly
delineating mallet strikes.
Another classic leads off side two, the shimmering "Night
Crawler," with a cascading synthesizer flowing into another hard funk
blast. While the horns are
tilted forward a bit, you won't mistake the background strings for
synthesizers. Follow the
definition of the hi-hat on the left channel throughout the piece. Unlike flat, hissy digital hi-hats, you can clearly hear wood
touching metal. And yes,
that's sax-meister Dave Sanborn before he attached all sorts of processors
to his horn. What a treat!
Touchdown is best known for the large football strapping the
gatefold cover and "Angela (Theme from 'Taxi')" borrowed from
the TV-series as the intro track. Things
pick up with "Touchdown," a full-tilt swinger lead by
Dave Sanborn. Bass
here is deeper than on Heads, but also very slightly thumpier.
Front-to-back balance is improved with a definite sense of the
horns being in the back row. On
"I Want to Thank You (Very Much)," Ron Carter crafts a superb
acoustic bass line around which James plays one of his better electric
piano solos. Though Hubert
Laws' flute is slightly grainy, it's free from digital whistling, and Earl
Klugh's guitar has that transient definition only analog can offer.
Side two of Touchdown begins with "Sun Runner," a
fun-filled synthesizer jaunt with Laws flauting front and center.
The slithery beat and calming melody of "Caribbean
Nights" may be one of James' best compositions, anchored by Carter's
slippery acoustic bass. Throughout
Touchdown, you get a sense of strong dynamic range, mostly grain-free,
with only occasional hints of the harmonic overload that is endemic to
analog. Yet isn't this
preferable to the ambiguity of digital where, after a while, you find
yourself fidgeting and looking around for other things to do?
Following these two jewels, James began a steady descent into
disco-inspired commercial garbage. Hands
Down, released in 1982, has the superbly recorded "Spunky," but
the rest of album doesn't hold up. Throughout
this period, there are one or two cuts per release that are worth
listening to and a patient audiophile probably could put together a decent
compilation tape of this period.
Finally, in 1988, James came out of his slump with the superb Ivory
Coast. From the opening
distant cries of "Ashanti," we are in the hands of a more
abstract, angular sound, yet Alexander Zonjic's lovely flute theme creates
that classic Bob James familiarity and friendliness. Near the end of the piece, bassist Gary King takes a cue from
Michael Henderson, Miles Davis' fusion-period bassist, plucking an
impudent descending line to counter the main melody.
"Rosalie" is an unabashed love ballad played with an
emotional intensity uncommon to instrumental tracks.
Omar Hakim establishes a precise, subtly-varied beat while James
plays another of his better solos. Later,
"Orpheus" begins with a solemn James intro and develops into a
taut, suspenseful tune that would fit like a glove as a soundtrack to a
foreign thriller.
Ivory Coast has its sonic problems, however.
As with Phil Collins' digital-analog hybrid experimentations, the
rhythm tracks seem to have been recorded analog, while the major melodic
instruments (piano, horns, guitars) sound digital.
In that analog is easier to assimilate, this mix leads to emphasis
of the rhythm section, which isn't all bad considering their world-class
status. Still, Ivory Coast
has unique (for Bob James) compositional qualities that mandate including
it among his best releases.
James kicked off the Nineties with Grand Piano Canyon, featuring
Lee Ritenour, Kirk Whalum, Michael Brecker, Eric Gale and Harvey Mason.
This all-DDD recording, released only on CD, is clearly of
demonstration quality, with deep and relatively tuneful bass, decent
transient snap and excellent instrument placement within the context of a
multi-miked studio recording. James'
sound in Grand Piano Canyon has evolved to a "less is more"
approach, with sparser arrangements adding clarity to his composition.
The opening track, "Bare Bones" shows off a properly
placed, if still dry, horn section buttressed by Nathan East's slinky bass
guitar with just the right amount of added bass synthesis.
The effect is one of truly center-of-the-earth bass, the synthesis
carrying the fundamental down further than any conventional bass guitar,
yet retaining growl and punch. East's
basement work anchors the next track, "Restoration," but doesn't
interfere with Mason's intricate snare/hi-hat work.
Cymbals are rounded and in true perspective (still missing the last
degree of metalness) and the distinct trailing rattle of snares is very
apparent. Further through, if you want to hear bass that sounds like a
Mack truck, sample Abraham Laboriel on "Worlds Apart."
One track on Grand Piano Canyon is particularly thought provoking.
"...stop that!" begins with - what's this? - the sound of
a stylus riding a record groove. The
liner notes read: "In Fond Remembrance of the Vinyl LP;" this
from way back in '90, before the current resurgent interest in vinyl.
While the surface noise ends after a bit, this section is of real
interest to those under the misconception that analog "noise"
makes digital more listenable. The reality: digital processing emphasizes the surface noise,
removing transient subtleties, so that all discretion is lost and you can
hardly wait for the scratching to end.
Which finally brings us to the RUR (Release Under Review), which,
despite the guise of the group name Fourplay, is really a Bob James album.
James pared down his crew from Grand Piano Canyon, keeping Lee
Ritenour on guitar, Nathan East on bass and Harvey Mason on drums.
From the tentative opening notes of "Bali," we are in the
hands of the trademark Bob James sound - an optimistic run through
funkland with soloists tastefully taking their turn.
To the casual listener, the songs on Fourplay seamlessly flow into
one another, adding fuel to the criticism that all James' music sounds the
same. But repeated listening
bears out the unique quality of this music - it works equally well as
background music or foreground music. One night you can throw Fourplay on during a dinner party and
the natural good vibes are subconsciously welcomed by everyone.
Invite some musician/audiophiles over the next night and sit
together in the pitch black grooving on solid tunes that have depth and
emotion.
James et al decided to throw an AM radio gem right smack in the
middle of Fourplay, Marvin Gaye's classic "After the Dance" sung
by El DeBarge. It's a jarring
mix, with excessive highs and upper mid-range hash, but not as nearly as
objectionable as some of the tripe James included on his disco-era albums.
At least this cut is a bonafide soul workout.
The best James recordings were engineered by Joe Jorgensen whose
multi-miked style is wide-open and full of transient impact.
You get the feeling his attention to detail helped achieve the low
grain level and excellent sense of instrument texture.
Don Murray carries on this tradition, perhaps down only a notch.
Fourplay, despite being AAD, is not as natural sounding as Grand
Piano Canyon. Murray seems to
have a heavier hand on the processors, reducing transparency in the bass
and lower midrange. Even with
hints of hardness and glare, the sound of Fourplay is better than most
current releases.
No, Bob James won't cut it for those late night sessions when you
want to be challenged. Try
Monk, Miles or Coltrane for that. His
best work - the short list would include Heads, Touchdown, Ivory Coast and
Grand Piano Canyon - measures up as well-crafted electronic jazz.
Highly recommended either as background music or demonstration
material, for cruising down the highway or for the sheer visceral feel.
What more could a hi-fi nut want? |