Track Listing

1. Snowbird Fantasy
2. Shepherd's Song
3. Brighton by the Sea
4. Walkman
5. Thoroughbred
6. Reunited

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30361 in Music
• Released on: 2008-10-28
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .19 pounds

Album Description
Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. 2007.

Customer Reviews

Fabuloso!!!
Bob James has long been the key man in the NYC smooth jazz scene. Over the years he has been the leader of and keyboard man in Fourplay, he has collaborated with Earl Klugh, David Sanborn, Grover Wahington and Lee Ritenauer. This guy has been banging out great music for more than 20 years.

I went back to listen to this album this summer and it holds up well. It could be released next week as new material and Jazz fans would gobble up it again. From beginning to end this is a strong offering. In fact, I think it was Snowbird Fantasy that first hooked my wife and myself on Bob. Buy this album. It is better than Touchdown and better than 95% of the drivel that is being released today. Great stuff!

a true adventure!
Bob James brings musical visions to life in his eighth solo recording. "Snowbird Fantasy" is an infectious samba featuring the distinctive percussion work of Airto Moreira. "Sheperd's Song" (from France's Haute-Auvergne region) gets the smooth treatment with Grover Washington, Jr. playing both sax and tin whistle. The saxophonist is featured once again on the funky "Brighton By The Sea". Bob praises Sony's [then] new invention on "The Walkman", which features a killer guitar solo from Hiram Bullock. The Billy Joel rhythm section steps in for "Thoroughbred", the album's most adventurous number. The album closes quietly with a unique treatment of Peaches & Herb's hit "Reunited. The refrain is left out, giving Bob, bassist Gary King, and Grover Washington, Jr. the opportunity for creative soloing. Also deserving of mention are the album's liner notes and the unusual cover.

BJ's Musical Fantasy 1980
Well well well it's a new decade and Bob James is in the middle of a huge musical output with Lucky Seven and Touchdown in 1979. So considering that "lucky streak" Bob James has decided that the best thing to do is to utilize the same musicians such as Grover Washington Jr.,Hiram Bullock,Gary King and Buddy Williams for a rather different kind of project. Obviously Bob James wasn't in a musical place where he felt like being too commercial;he'd already done that bit so he decided to make music he wanted to. His pop/jazz formula of the 70's already firmly established he decides to take on something of an updated variation on his earlier sound from albums such as 1975's Two-that is an album leaning more toward jazz then pop.And,as with those earlier albums every song is puncuated by an orchestra. The main difference is that by this time Bob James was firmly involved with the use of polyphonic synths in this period and that is used to play the melody line as usual,although other keyboards are used too.While generally the opener "Snowbird Fantasy",a tune that with it's heavy latin percussion really belongs to Airto,who is a sessionman on this album but Bob's use of acoustic piano to draw you in,the pace/tempo quickens and the synthesizer kicks in for a distinct,energetic tune."Sheperds Song" is a great mellow piece that really makes the best of Grover Washington's presense.You get much the same effect at the end on a cover of "Reunited" but,in that case the melody is so improvised on it almost sounds like a whole new song."Brighton By The Sea" is another great example of a tune that builds in intensity and is one of the strongest compositions here.On "The Walkman",no doubt inspired by the then brand new Japanese miniture cassette player is an uptempo "crusin'" type of tune,almost....while mildly discofied in quality but has that great cinematic quality Bob made famous;oddball melody line aside this would've made a pretty good theme for a film or television show.Well it's not that promo commercial but it would sound good in that format."Thoroughbred" rounds out the set that has all the best qualities of the other songs here rolled up in one. While BJ's music was always somewhat hard to classify-it wasn't exactly pop,jazz,funk or even fusion it was a clever,easy going combination of all four styles and this is one of his albums that I'd say is a best example of his sound.