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Two (Bob James Album)
''Two'' is the second solo album by jazz keyboardist Bob James. Reception The album is the second of a series of jazz-funk classics (along with ''One'', '' Three'' and '' BJ4''). Released in 1975, the album charted at number two on the Jazz Album Charts. The track " Take Me to the Mardi Gras" is one of the most widely used tracks in hip-hop breakbeat samples. Track listing # " Take Me to the Mardi Gras" (Paul Simon) – 5:50 # " I Feel a Song (In My Heart)" ( Tony Camillo, Mary Sawyer) – 5:26 # "The Golden Apple" (Bob James) – 7:20 # "Farandole" (Georges Bizet) – 8:24 # "You're as Right as Rain" ( Thom Bell, Linda Creed) – 5:28 # "Dream Journey" (Bob James) – 5:55 Personnel * Bob James – electric piano, clavinet, ARP Odyssey, Yamaha YC-30 combo organ, arrangements and conductor * Eric Gale – guitars (1, 2, 4), bass (1, 2, 4–6) * Richard Resnicoff – guitars (3, 5) * Gary King – bass (3) * Andrew Smith – drums (1, 2, 4–6) * Steve Gadd – d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob James (musician)
Robert McElhiney James (born December 25, 1939) is an American jazz keyboardist, arranger, and record producer. He founded the band Fourplay and wrote "Angela", the theme song for the TV show ''Taxi (TV series), Taxi.'' According to ''VICE (magazine), VICE'', music from his first seven albums has often been sampling (music), sampled and believed to have contributed to the formation of hip hop. Among his most well known recordings are "Nautilus (song), Nautilus", "Westchester Lady", "Tappan Zee", and his version of "Take Me to the Mardi Gras". Early life and family James was born on Christmas Day of 1939 in Marshall, Missouri, United States. He started playing the piano at age four. His first piano teacher, Sister Mary Elizabeth, who taught at Mercy Academy, discovered that he had perfect pitch. At age seven, James began to study with R. T. Dufford, a teacher at Missouri Valley College. At age 15, James continued his studies with Franklin Launer, a teacher at Christian College ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thom Bell
Thomas Randolph Bell (January 26, 1943 – December 22, 2022) was an American record producer, arranger, and songwriter known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s. Hailed as one of the most prolific R&B songwriters and producers ever, Bell found success crafting songs for Delfonics, Stylistics, and Spinners. In June 2006, Bell was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2016, Bell was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. In 2025, Bell was selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence Award category. Background Bell was born on January 26, 1943 in Kingston, Jamaica, to Anna and Leroy Bell, and moved to Philadelphia with his parents when he was four, according to an interview Bell had with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air. Both of Bell's parents were from Jamaica. Thomas Bedward Burke, Bell's maternal grandfather, was born in Kingston.His father was a botanist, and his mother a secretary. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flute
The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, flutes are edge-blown aerophones. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist or flutist. Paleolithic flutes with hand-bored holes are the earliest known identifiable musical instruments. A number of flutes dating to about 53,000 to 45,000 years ago have been found in the Swabian Jura region of present-day Germany, indicating a developed musical tradition from the earliest period of modern human presence in Europe.. Citation on p. 248. * While the oldest flutes currently known were found in Europe, Asia also has a long history with the instrument. A playable bone flute discovered in China is dated to about 9,000 years ago. The Americas also had an ancient flute culture, with instrumen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hubert Laws
Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist, piccoloist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 50 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop, and rhythm-and-blues genres, moving effortlessly from one repertory to another. He has three Grammy nominations. Biography Hubert Laws, Jr. was born November 10, 1939, in the Studewood section of Houston, Texas, the second of eight children to Hubert Laws, Sr. and Miola Luverta Donahue. Many of his siblings also entered the music industry, including saxophonist Ronnie and vocalists Eloise, Debra, and Johnnie Laws. He began playing flute in high school after volunteering to substitute for the school orchestra's regular flutist. He became adept at jazz improvisation by playing in the Houston-area jazz group the Swingsters, which eventually evolved into the Modern Jazz Sextet, the Night Hawks, and The Crusaders. At the age of 15, he wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patti Austin
Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter best known for " Baby, Come to Me", her 1982 duet with James Ingram, which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after its re-release that same year. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington referred to themselves as her godparents. When Austin was four years old, she performed at the Apollo Theater. As a teenager she recorded commercial jingles and worked as a session singer in soul and R&B. She had an R&B hit in 1969 with "Family Tree". She sang backing vocals on Paul Simon's 1975 number-one hit " 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover". The jazz label CTI released her debut album, ''End of a Rainbow'', in 1976. She sang backing vocals on the track "Everybody has a Dream" for Billy Joel's hit album ''The Stranger'' (album) in 1977. She sang " ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ralph MacDonald
Ralph Anthony MacDonald (March 15, 1944 – December 18, 2011) was an American percussionist, steelpan virtuoso, songwriter, musical arranger, and record producer. His compositions include " Where Is the Love", a Grammy Award winner for the duet of Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway; " Just the Two of Us", recorded by Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr.; and " Mister Magic" recorded by Grover Washington Jr. Career Growing up in Harlem, New York, United States, under the close mentorship of his Trinbagonian father, Patrick MacDonald (a calypsonian and bandleader originally from Trinidad and Tobago who used the stage name "Macbeth the Great"), MacDonald began showing his musical talent, particularly with the steelpan, and when he was 17 years old started playing pan for the Harry Belafonte show. He remained with the Belafonte band for a decade before deciding to strike out on his own. In 1967, together with Bill Eaton and William Salter, he formed Antisia Music Incorporated. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur Jenkins (musician)
Arthur Eugene Jenkins, Jr. (December 7, 1936 – January 28, 2009) was an American keyboardist, composer, arranger and percussionist who worked with many popular music icons such as John Lennon, Harry Belafonte, Bob Marley and Chaka Khan. Jenkins was born in The Bronx, New York, and began playing piano at the age of 5. After studying music at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio, Jenkins returned to New York and began his professional career. He played for two years at a club called Blue Moracco. The first year was with a singer named Irene Reid and the second was with a new singer from Ohio named Nancy Wilson. Next began a 9-year collaboration as musical director and accompanist to singer Johnny Nash, which included Nash's 1972 smash "I Can See Clearly Now". While with Nash, Jenkins traveled to Jamaica where he also worked on recording projects with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Jenkins had now become a much sought-after studio musician, and soon was the arranger for Harry Belafont ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Gadd
Stephen Kendall Gadd (born April 9, 1945) is an American jazz fusion drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and most highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction into the '' Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1984. Gadd's performances on Paul Simon's " 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"(1976) and " Late in the Evening"(1980), Herbie Mann's "Hi-jack"(1975) and Steely Dan's " Aja"(1977) are examples of his style. He has worked with other popular musicians from many genres including Van McCoy, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione, Randy Crawford, Eric Clapton, Michel Petrucciani, and David Gilmour. Early life Gadd grew up in Irondequoit, New York. He started playing the drums at a very early age. At age 11, he entered the Mickey Mouse National Talent Round Up contest and was one of the winners; he won a trip to California, where he met Walt Disney and appeared on '' The Mickey Mouse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary King (bass Player)
Gary W King (September 5, 1947 – July 23, 2003) was an American jazz bassist, songwriter, composer, and arranger. He was born in Middletown, New York. King appeared on many albums released by CTI Records, especially those by Bob James, and later on James' own album label, Tappan Zee Records. He also played bass on a number of albums by Gato Barbieri, Roberta Flack, Grover Washington Jr., and on The Jacksons' album ''Destiny'', notably the track " Blame It on the Boogie". Discography With Gato Barbieri * ''Caliente!'' (A&M 1976) * ''Ruby Ruby'' (A&M, 1977) * ''Passion and Fire'' (A&M 1984) With Kenny Barron * ''Innocence'' (Wolf, 1978) With George Benson * '' Bodytalk'' (CTI, 1973) * '' Pacific Fire'' (CTI, 1983) * '' Benson & Farrell'' (CTI, 1976) With Luiz Bonfá * ''Manhattan Strut'' (Paddle Wheel, 1974) With John Blair * ''We Belong Together'' (CTI, 1977) With Merry Clayton * '' Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow'' (Ode, 1975) With Marc Colby * ''Serpentine Fire'' (T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eric Gale
Eric Gale (September 20, 1938 – May 25, 1994) was an American jazz and jazz fusion guitarist. Biography Eric Gale was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. His grandfather was English, and Gale had relatives in Venezuela and Barbados. Growing up, Gale spent his holidays visiting family in the UK, which allowed him to look at the world through a different perspective. He was fluent in Spanish, German, and French. Gale started playing the guitar at age 12. He attended private, all-boys Catholic schools and he was exceptionally skilled at math, which resulted in him skipping junior high school. During high school, he frequently visited John Coltrane's home after school and sat in on jam sessions, which inspired Gale's readily recognizable style. Eric mentioned how John Coltrane's wife would provide after school snacks and that he was grateful for them. Gale received his Masters in chemistry at Niagara University. Gale made a fateful decision to pursue a musical car ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Combo Organ
A combo organ, so-named and classified by popular culture due to its original intended use by small, touring jazz, pop music, pop and dance groups known as "combo bands", as well as some models having "Combo" as part of their brand or model names, is an electronic organ of the frequency divider type, generally produced between the early 1960s and the late 1970s. This type of organ predated, and contributed largely to, the development of modern synthesizers. The combo organ concept, at least in the context of mass-production, is thought to have arisen from popular demand, when smaller home organs were seen in music stores. Combo organs were probably originally developed in the United Kingdom, based on the Univox polyphony, polyphonic version of the Clavioline, and some models included the inner-workings of Italy, Italian-made transistor accordions. They were the brainchild of necessity for portable organs of simple design, mainly for use in these small groups. Combo organs ended up ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yamaha Corporation
is a Japanese multinational musical instrument and audio equipment manufacturer. It is one of the constituents of Nikkei 225 and is the world's largest musical instrument manufacturing company. The former motorcycle division was established in 1955 as Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., which started as an affiliated company but has been spun-off as its own independent company. History was established in 1887 as a reed organ manufacturer by Torakusu Yamaha () in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, and was incorporated on 12 October 1897. In 1900, the company manufactured the first piano to be made in Japan, and its first grand piano two years later. In 1987, 100 years after the first reed organ built by Yamaha, the company was renamed Yamaha Corporation in honor of its founder. The company's origins as a musical instrument manufacturer are still reflected today in the group's logo—a trio of interlocking tuning forks. After World War II, company president Genichi Kawakami repur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
