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| Jazz quartet - Fourplay to tour South Africa in November Award Winning Jazz Quartet, Fourplay's South African tour tour kicks off on 2nd November at Carnival City on the East Rand, before heading to the International Convention Centre in Durban on the 4th Nivember, and finally the intimate Auditorium 1, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on the 6th November. The all-star group, comprising of keyboardist Bob James, guitarist Larry Carlton (who replaced Lee Ritenour in the late 90s), bassist Nathan East, and drummer Harvey Mason, was formed in 1991 after the quartet came together on part of James’ “Grand Piano Canyon” album. Their first record, 1991's “Fourplay”, sold half a million copies and it remained at number one on Billboard's contemporary jazz charts for 33 weeks. Their next Album, 1993's “Between the Sheets”, reached number one, went gold, and received a Grammy nomination. In 1995, their third gold album, “Elixir”, inherited the number one position from Kenny G and held on to the top spot for a record 92 weeks! Their album titled “4” album entered the jazz charts at an impressive number one. Bob James' recordings have practically defined pop/jazz and crossover during the past few decades. After spending time as a session musician and producer, his first commercial album as a leader was released in 1974. Collaborations on his big-selling albums include Earl Klugh and David Sanborn. Grammy Award winning eclectic guitarist and composer Larry Carlton’ s studio credits include musicians and groups like Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson, Sammy Davis Jr, and Quincy Jones among dozens of others. He recorded a number of albums under his own name as early as 1968, the same year he toured with The Fifth Dimension. Before becoming a member of the jazz band “The Crusaders”. His theme music credits for TV and films include “Against All Odds”, “Who’s The Boss”, and the theme for “Hill Street Blues”, which won a Grammy award. He has released over a dozen albums, including the Grammy nominated “Friends”, the acoustic album “Discovery”, containing the Grammy Award winning single “Minute By Minute”, and live album, “Last Night”, which was also nominated for a Grammy award. Winner of the “Most Valuable Player” Award in the bass category at the International Rock Awards, Nathan East’s breakthrough came when his band, Power, was hired by Barry White for a national tour. East became a member of the Love Unlimited Orchestra. He has done sessions for Lionel Ritchie, Phil Collins and Kenny Rogers, toured with Kenny Loggins, and was part of Eric Clapton’s late-80s band. Harvey Mason is a talented studio musician and a highly versatile drummer able to excel in many different situations. Early gigs included four months with Errol Garner and a year with George Shearing. After moving to Los Angeles , he started working in films and television. Mason has played with the likes of Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Gerry Mulligan, Freddie Hubbard, Grover Washington Jr. and George Benson amongst others. The group's music borders on jazz with some strong improvisations mixed in with large doses of pop and R&B, about what one would expect from these celebrated musicians! Their SA performances will showcase their enormous talent, with a remarkable collection of their award winning tunes, and promises to leave music enthusiasts absolutely speechless! write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |