Joy Ride

by Bob James

Overview

This keyboardist was putting the "smooth" into "jazz" long before there was a format by that name. Since the mid-70s, Bob James has been one of instrumental music's most consistent purveyors of tunes that hover in the gray area between lighthearted pop and more sophisticated jazz textures. James' approach here is a little like his contribution to the supergroup Fourplay -- rather than dominate, he's content to jam and be one of the guys. Though his solos stand out, it's almost as if he's a hired gun on a project featuring the best and brightest of this second generation of smooth jazzers. He's farmed out the production tasks to some top studio guys (including musician/artists Paul Brown, Chuck Loeb, Michael Colina, and David McMurray. On the lively, shuffling "Take Me There," he bounces around joyously over Loeb's crisp guitar lines and Kim Waters' smart mix of soprano and alto saxes. "Raise the Roof" features James jazzing it up as saxman Boney James (no relation) harmonizes with a soulfully simmering sax line. "Strollin'" finds Chris Botti's trumpet strutting around like an overachieving jazz student eager to impress professor Miles Davis, while Jonathan Butler's breezy acoustic touch spruces up the elegant funk of "Trade Winds" and "Bisso Baba." A little touch of Fourplay is hard to miss too, as Harvey Mason checks in occasionally on drums, Nathan East plays bass on a few cuts, and former guitarist Lee Ritenour jams on the title track. ~ Jonathan Widran

Product Details

Release Date:	08/24/1999
Label:	Warner Bros.
UPC:	0093624735526

Tracks

1. Take Me There
2. Raise the Roof
3. It's All Right
4. Swingset
5. Joy Ride
6. What's Up
7. Fly By
8. The First Time
9. Strollin'
10. Sweet Talk Me Now
11. Trade Winds
12. Bisso Baba

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bob James   Primary Artist,Piano,Keyboards
Dave McMurray   Guest Artist,Keyboards,Sax (Soprano)
Chuck Loeb   Guest Artist,Guitar,Keyboards
Jonathan Butler   Guest Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Steel)
Tim Heintz   Guest Artist,Keyboards
Norman Brown   Guest Artist,Guitar
Lee Ritenour   Guest Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Will Lee   Guest Artist,Bass
Boney James   Guest Artist,Saxophone
Marcel East   Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion,Drums
Dave Mann   Flute
Leonard "Doc" Gibbs   Percussion
Tony Maiden   Guitar
Kim Waters   Sax (Alto),Sax (Soprano)
Larry Frantangelo   Percussion
Richard Bona   Bass,Vocals,Percussion,Guitar (Acoustic)
Al Turner   Bass
Rasheeda Mason   Vocals
Billy Kilson   Drums
Chris Botti   Trumpet
David Torkanowsky   Keyboards
Alex Al   Bass
Lenny Castro   Percussion
Jerry Hey   Flugelhorn
Nathan East   Guitar (Bass)
Michael Colina   Synthesizer
Nick Moroch   Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Rasheeda   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Wayne Gerard   Guitar
Michael Thompson   Guitar
Brian Culbertson   Keyboards
David Charles   Percussion
Harvey Mason, Jr.   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Paul Brown   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Paul Christensen   Engineer
Ted Jensen   Mastering
Paul Peterson   Composer
Steve Dubin   Arranger,Composer,Drum Programming
Bob James   Composer
Marcel East   Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Brad Gilderman   Mixing,Engineer
Dave McMurray   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Drum Programming
Larry Buksbaum   Engineer
Don Murray   Engineer
Jun Murakawa   Assistant Engineer
Richard Bona   Arranger,Composer,Drum Programming
Tim Heintz   Composer
Hilary James   Composer
Dave Fischer   Assistant Engineer
Garzelle McMurray   Production Coordination
Martin Christianson   Engineer
Jeffrey Henson Scales   Photography
Wassim Zreik   Assistant Engineer
Steve Capp   Engineer
Dave Fisher   Assistant Engineer
Marion Orr   Associate Producer
David Woods   Drum Programming
Lexy Shroyer   Production Coordination
Evan Hollander   Assistant Engineer
Ken Freeman   Mixing,Engineer
Chuck Loeb   Composer,Drum Programming
Ricky Peterson   Composer
Michael Colina   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Rasheeda   Composer
Brian Culbertson   Arranger,Composer,Drum Programming
Harvey Mason, Jr.   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Drum Programming