Son, Can You Play Us a Memory

78-year-old Bob James' latest album debuted No. 1 on iTunes jazz

By Ross Boissoneau | Oct. 13, 2018

After sales of millions of albums, after working with the cream of jazz musicians for the last 50 years in virtually every setting, after jetting around the world for performances in front of enthusiastic fans alongside Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton, Nathan East, Harvey Mason, Kirk Whalum and the late Chuck Loeb in the band Fourplay, there isn’t anything left for Bob James to prove. Or is there?
 
To hear James tell it, with his bandmates in Fourplay, the quartet he performed with at Milliken Auditorium in 2015, or his expansive recording dates, James could always disappear into the mix when he so chose. That’s in part exactly why he put himself out front on his new album, Espresso. “To play in a trio … with the piano being much more prominent, you need perhaps a greater degree of optimism and bravery,” said James in the liner notes to Espresso.
 
In short, the 78-year-old pianist refuses to rest on his laurels. Instead, he continues to look for new ways to express his music. In a wide-ranging interview at his Traverse City home, James expounded on the new album, told stories about his time in the recording studio and on stage, and hinted at future plans.
 
With the untimely death of the gifted Loeb July 31 of last year, Fourplay went on hiatus, and James was looking for a new means of musical expression. “I started to think of solo projects — so what kind?” said James. He had always enjoyed the sound of the classic piano trio, and when he was booked at the venerable New York jazz club the Blue Note last fall with drummer Billy Kilson and bassist Michael Palazzolo, he felt an immediate chemistry. It also answered a question in his mind. “Would fans come to see me without Fourplay?” he wondered. The answer was a resounding yes. “I put myself on the firing line, and the gig was really good, and we did good business.”
 
So the group reconvened two months later to begin recording. “I’m excited to present it as my own personal statement,” said James of the album, which was released Aug. 31. It includes nine James originals and two thoughtful takes on jazz classics: Fats Waller’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Mister Magic,” which James produced and arranged in 1975 for Grover Washington, Jr. It stands at least in part as a sequel to his recording Take It From the Top, a 2003 tribute to pianists who inspired James, such as Ahmad Jamal, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, and Oscar Peterson. It also featured Kilson alongside bassist James Genus.
 
Highlights abound. The sprightly opener “Bulgogi” finds Kilson’s shimmering cymbals balancing a repeating James riff that is established as the melody, before the composer sets off on a solo. Palazzolo gets a solo shot as well, which leads back into the main melody. James repeats the riff in different keys while ascending the scale as Kilson shows off his dexterity. James said he worried about the tune’s seeming similarity to an iconic ’60s song which shall remain nameless, since he was the only one who heard it.
 
The gentle stateliness of “Shadow Dance” follows, with the ever-sensitive Palazzolo providing supple support to James’s gentle explorations. “Topside” includes additional percussion and synthesizer shadings, including sampled voices, reminiscent of James’s full-on approach as a producer and arranger in the '70s for recordings by everyone from Hubert Laws to Maynard Ferguson to Blood, Sweat & Tears.
 
“Mojito Ride” makes full use of additional instrumentation, which James said the trio includes in performance via backing tapes. That’s something he was resistant to previously, feeling it put the musicians in a straightjacket, but in this instance he believes it helps build the grandeur of the piece to the end. The closing “Submarine” has as its touchpoint the 1974 track “Nautilus,” which went on to become one of the most sampled tracks in the history of hip hop. It too builds on the acoustic trio with touches of Rhodes and synth. Kilson’s gently propulsive swing takes it out.
 
The two non-originals hold a special place in James’s heart. His late wife Judy was more a fan of old-time music, such as ragtime and Al Jolson, than modern jazz. “If I got too far away from the elements of the music, she kept me honest,” he said. “Ain’t Misbehavin’” was among the songs he would play for her as she struggled with Alzheimer’s. “It was one of 70 or 80 I recorded and played for her. She retained her love of music. Even when she couldn’t sing the words she would hum the melodies” when he would play, James said. “It’s a symbolic way of thinking about my wife.”
 
Then there’s the bare-bones arrangement of “Mister Magic.” In its original version, there were more than a dozen musicians, with horns, strings and percussion alongside James on piano and Washington’s soaring sax. Here it’s just the three musicians demonstrating that a great song can find life in a variety of settings. “I wanted to do it completely differently,” said James.
 
It, too, brings back memories for James. He said he was listening to the radio while driving in 1999 and heard a radio interview with Washington. The saxophonist was recounting the making of the song and said that he and his band had come up with the arrangement on the spot in the studio. James, who had booked the musicians, arranged the tune and conducted it, couldn’t believe his ears.
 
“I came up with the groove and the thump, thump thump, thump thump,” James said, imitating the piano and bass lines which open and propel the song. “I wanted to … restate my part in history. As history goes on, the part of the arranger goes dark,” meaning the composer and player get all the credit.
 
He contacted Pat Prescott, who had interviewed Washington, and she invited James and Washington to come in whenever they were both in town to discuss it. They did so about six months later, and Washington readily admitted that his memory had been off.
 
“They brought in an electric keyboard, and Grover had his saxophone, and we played it live on the air,” said James, smiling at the memory. The encounter was made all the more poignant as the following day, Washington died of a heart attack.
 
While Fourplay has been on hiatus since Loeb’s death, James said there may be more in store, with a surprise addition to the group. Or readmission, more specifically. Lee Ritenour, the original guitarist for the band, guested on the group’s most recent recording, Silver. James said he and Ritenour used to butt heads during Ritenour’s tenure in the group, but there may be a reunion in the works. “Lee has mellowed, and I have mellowed I think,” he said, leading to discussions about a return for 2019.
 
Before that, though, there’s the matter of Espresso. James is pleased the album debuted at the No. 1 spot on the iTunes jazz chart, though he said that was not and has never been his goal. “My job is to make music, keep making it and hope for the best. I’ve been able to make a living playing music. I had success with LPs in the ’70s and ’80s. I’m not in there needing to chase big success.”
 
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t enjoy it, or enjoy the opportunity to play before crowds. Days after this interview, James, Kilson, and Palazzolo were off to Japan for a series of shows, before returning stateside for more of the same.
 
And for James fans in this area, not to worry, though it will be a while before he’ll perform locally. Bob James, Billy Kilson, and Michael Palozzolo are scheduled to close the Dennos Concert Series at Milliken Auditorium May 4.

For more information or tickets, go to www.dennosmuseum.org.