Bob James

Bob James is a pianist, composer and arranger from Marshall, Missouri. Quincy Jones heard his trio at the Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival and signed him to Mercury, which released his debut, Bold Conceptions, in 1963. After a spell accompanying Sarah Vaughan, he became one of the main arrangers and producers at CTI, Creed Taylor’s label, during the 1970s, then set up his own Tappan Zee imprint. His 1978 album Touchdown included “Angela”, which became the theme of the sitcom Taxi.

Two duo albums brought him Grammy wins: One on One with guitarist Earl Klugh, and Double Vision (1986) with saxophonist David Sanborn. While recording Grand Piano Canyon (1990) he worked with Harvey Mason, Lee Ritenour and Nathan East, and the four went on to form Fourplay, whose debut appeared in 1991. Just Us, his duo album with Dave Koz, earned a Grammy nomination. His CTI records blended jazz with pop, classical music and funk, and hip-hop producers have sampled his work extensively.