2x-GRAMMY® Award Winner and 19x-GRAMMY® Nominated Jazz Piano Legend BOB JAMES' career is long, varied and continues to evolve at every turn. From his first days in Marshall, Missouri, the music of Bob James has captivated audiences throughout the world. Tickets for Bob James and his Acclaimed Quartet at the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market on Thursday and Friday October 2 & 3 at 7:30 P.M., as well as the current list of 2025 and 2026 shows, can be found on Ticketmaster.com and the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market Online Event Calendar at: http://www.jazzandbluesmarket.com/events.
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market Features Multi-Platinum Selling, 2x-GRAMMY® Award-Winner & 19x-GRAMMY® Nominated Jazz Piano Legend BOB JAMES on Thursday and Friday October 2 & 3 at 7:30 P.M. Discovered by Quincy Jones at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival in 1963, Bob James recorded his first solo album, 'Bold Conceptions', that year for Mercury Records. Over 60 albums and innumerable awards would follow for more than five decades as James toured all over the world, both on his own and with the Jazz supergroup Fourplay.
"What is evident from start to finish is that James still has the chops and the impulses…"
— DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE (2022 Album Review of 'Bob James Trio: Feel Like Making Live!')
"Not surprisingly, an enthusiastic audience insisted on an encore and the trio returned to the stage to find James seated again at the Rhodes for "Angela," the theme from Taxi. Like he had done throughout the set, James waxed eloquently over multiple choruses proving that the pianist is still at the top of his game in terms of creativity and storytelling."
— ALL ABOUT JAZZ (2018 Live Performance Review)
"He became one of the biggest stars of smooth jazz…"
— NEW YORK TIMES
In 1974, Bob James recorded his acclaimed album 'One' which propelled his career forward. After three more albums, James began his own label, Tappan Zee Records. This allowed James to spend more time in the studio, focusing on his own creative works. It was during this time that he recorded his own Gold Selling album 'Touchdown', which included his composition "Angela", the instrumental theme from the sitcom Taxi, and possibly James' best-known work. Bob composed all the original music used in that television series for its entire run.
James' album 'One On One', the first of three collaborations with Earl Klugh, won a GRAMMY® Award in 1980 for "Best Pop Instrumental Performance", and has sold over a million copies. During this time, James set the standard for the smooth jazz sound in the late 1970s. In 1985, James moved to Warner Bros Records, and kicked things off with the album 'Double Vision', a collaboration with David Sanborn. 'Double Vision' was another GRAMMY® Award-Winner, selling over a million albums.
While recording his album 'Grand Piano Canyon' in 1990, James reunited with his longtime friend, drummer Harvey Mason, Jr. It would also be the first time James would work with guitarist Lee Ritenour and bassist Nathan East. This would be the start of something beautiful, as these early sessions ignited a spark which would engulf the Jazz world as the band Fourplay.
Legendary jazz supergroup Fourplay's first album was recorded and released in 1991, entitled 'Fourplay', and sold over a million copies and remained at the #1 position on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart for 33 weeks. Their next album, 'Between the Sheets' (1993), reached #1 and went Gold. It also received a GRAMMY® Award Nomination. In 1995, their third Gold Album, 'Elixir', also reached the #1 position and remained on the chart for more than 90 weeks. The Group would collaborate until 1998 when Ritenour left the group and guitar legend Larry Carlton took over. This version of Fourplay continued the group's huge success for seven more albums. After 12 years, Carlton decided to delve further into his solo career, and the band brought in guitarist Chuck Loeb in 2010.
James continued collaborating on separate albums with Earl Klugh ('Cool' - 1992) and Kirk Whalum ('Joined At The Hip' - 1996). Both albums were Nominated for GRAMMY® Awards. His solo career continued throughout the 90's, culminating with the album 'Joy Ride' in 1999, garnering him another GRAMMY® Award Nomination.
Fourplay released the album 'Heartfelt' in 2002, spending much of the year touring across the globe. In 2008, James released another Fourplay album entitled 'Energy'. The album featured GRAMMY® Award-Winner Esperanza Spalding and received a GRAMMY® Award Nomination for the first single, "Fortune Teller".
In 2010, the 12th Fourplay album was released, 'Let's Touch the Sky', which led to another world tour, culminating with an unforgettable collaboration with the New Japan Philharmonic in Tokyo in December. This premiered new orchestral pieces arranged specifically for this concert and was Fourplay's first performance with a symphony orchestra. Fourplay was voted "Best Group of the Year" at the American Smooth Jazz Awards to wrap up a busy 2010.
James and Fourplay also came together in 2015 for the release of the group's 25th anniversary album, 'Silver', which was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios, where the group recorded their first album 25 years earlier. In 2022, the Bob James Trio released "Feel Like Making Live!" to rave reviews.
In March 2025, Bob James joined forces with Dave Koz to mark a unique milestone in their iconic careers with an aptly titled duo album 'Just Us', a piano and saxophone only collection of fresh originals and colorful re-imaginings of Great American Songbook standards. Their mini tour for the release led to a performance at the GRAMMY Museum® in Los Angeles, in which JAZZ WEEKLY noted, "The most impressive parts was the inspired playing by James, who at 85 played like he's imbibed from the Fountain of Youth, while Koz's strong and melodic tone revealed an aspect of his playing unable to be captured in a group setting. A rare evening of artists filling a rich canvas."
The Bob James Quartet at the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market will feature Saxophonist ANDREY CHMUT, Bassist MICHAEL PALAZZOLO, and Drummer JAMES ADKINS.
BOB JAMES TICKETS AT NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & BLUES MARKET
Tickets for the BOB JAMES QUARTET at the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market on Thursday and Friday October 2 & 3 at 7:30 P.M., as well as the current list of 2025 & 2026 shows, can be found on Ticketmaster and the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market Online Event Calendar at: http://www.jazzandbluesmarket.com/events.
ABOUT NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & BLUES MARKET
The mission of the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market, a Non-Profit Organization, is to provide guests outstanding, memorable experiences featuring legendary live performances from the most talented, accomplished, and passionate Jazz and Blues musicians in the world. New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market is a "listening room" with high-quality acoustics delivering stunning clarity and presence—capturing every detail and nuance of the music. Each seat offers the kind of intimate, immersive experience expected from a superior world-class performance space. New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market is located at 1436 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard (currently free street parking and private valet parking for every show) in New Orleans, Louisiana. For more information visit www.jazzandbluesmarket.com. Sign-up for the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market Email Newsletter to stay informed on Upcoming Shows, New Artist Announcements, Promotional Offers, Ticket On-Sale Dates, and Special Performances at www.jazzandbluesmarket.com/subscribe.
PRIVATE EVENTS AT NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & BLUES MARKET
A unique center of arts and culture in the heart of New Orleans, Louisiana, the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market offers an excellent venue to host important corporate functions, weddings, intimate or large-scale social gatherings, private parties, and memorable celebrations. New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market is a modern, flexible, full-service event space with advanced production, sound, and lighting technologies as well as outstanding top tier culinary partnerships. The high-touch approach with professional and experienced event staff ensures that everything is tailored to exceed expectations. To start a conversation about hosting your event at the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market, please call 504-636-8390, or fill out New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market Private Event Request Form.
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ ORCHESTRA (NOJO)
The New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market is home to the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO), a Non-Profit Organization, who are dedicated to strengthening the legacy of Jazz throughout New Orleans, local communities, and across the world. The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO) believes that Jazz can be the catalyst for positive and permanent change in the community. More information on the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra can be found at www.thenojo.com.
New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market Website:
http://www.jazzandbluesmarket.com
Media Contact
Suzanne Bresette, Bresette + Company, 1 978-857-7056, [email protected]
SOURCE New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market
Share this article