Bob James "Take Me to The Mardi Gras". (1975)

Bob James (born December 25, 1939) is a smooth jazz and jazz fusion keyboardist, arranger and producer.

James is recognized as one of the progenitors of smooth jazz and is best known for his score to the 70's sitcom "Taxi". His music has also had a profound effect on the history of hip hop music, having been sampled often. Two of James' songs "Nautilus" from the 1974 album "One" and "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" from the 1975 album "Two"

Influenced by pop and movie music, James has often featured soloists, who add a jazz touch to his sound (most notably Grover Washington, Jr.). While best known for his fusion sound, James began In 1962, recording a bop-ish trio set for Mercury, and three years later his album for ESP was quite avant-garde, with electronic tapes used for effects. After a period with Sarah Vaughan (1965-1968), he became a studio musician, appearing with Stanley Turrentine and Milt Jackson on the 1972 album Cherry and with Turrentine on his following album Don't Mess with Mister T. (1973), and that same year was arranging and working as a producer for CTI. In 1974, James recorded his first purely commercial effort as a leader; he later made big-selling albums for his own Tappan Zee label, Columbia, and Warner Bros., including collborations with Earl Klugh and David Sanborn. James is the founding member of smooth jazz supergroup Fourplay and is a Yamaha Artist.




Personnel on the album includes: Bob James (keyboards); Grover Washington Jr. (soprano saxophone); Jon Faddis, Thad Jones (trumpet, flugelhorn); Hugh McCracken (harmonica); Dave Friedman (vibraphone); Rickie Resnicoff (guitar); Eric Weissberg (pedal steel guitar); Gary King (bass); Steve Gadd, Idris Muhammad (drums); Ralph MacDonald (percussion).

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Music

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• Mardi
• Gras
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• Jazz