The Best Of Fourplay

爵士四人行 / 名曲精选辑 这一个由键盘手鲍伯．詹姆斯（Bob James）、贝斯手兼主唱纳森．伊斯特（Nathan East）、吉他手拉瑞．卡尔顿（Larry Carlton）、鼓手哈维．梅森（Harvey Mason）等四位“爷爷级”的人所组成，而且每个成员个个都“身怀绝技”，大有来头：吉他手赖瑞．卡顿曾为多位天王级艺人制作及跨刀，包括摇滚经典名团史提利．丹“Steely Dan”、爵士乐大师迈尔士．戴维斯、吉他之神艾瑞克．克莱普顿、芭芭拉．史翠珊、昆西．琼斯、麦可．杰克森、琳达．朗斯黛等人。键盘手鲍伯．詹姆斯则是知名的跨界音乐键盘手与作曲家；鼓手哈维．梅森则是为许多爵士乐大师与R＆B歌手席尔（Seal）与洛史都华的爵士音乐专辑跨刀等等；贝斯手兼主唱纳森．伊斯特的经历更丰富，横跨爵士、流行、摇滚、世界音乐的范畴，简直就是一本活字典。此外，他们在自身专长的领域也都各领风骚，拥有为数甚丰的而出色的个人专辑，跨刀艺人更是众星云集。 “爵士四人行”的成军，在于其他三人临时跨刀帮键盘手鲍伯．詹姆斯担任专辑演奏，于是就一拍即合，原先的吉他手李．莱特诺则是在1998年由赖瑞．卡顿接替。从1991年发行第一张专辑，随即获得市场上的成功与造成极大的回响，创造奇佳的销售，现在我们一般所说的抒情爵士、情调爵士、浪漫爵士等等，就是由他们当时建立起来的。由于彼此深厚的音乐历练，加上十足的默契，使得他们的音乐创作充满即兴与自由，往往撞击出意想不到的化学效果，实在精采可期。 AMG Review by Richard S. Ginell What looked at first like a premature marketing ploy -- a greatest-hits collection after only three albums? -- now makes some historical sense, for founding member Lee Ritenour left the quartet not long after the CD\'s release. So this is in essence a summary of Fourplay\'s first edition, a collection of mildly funky, ethereally voiced selections from Fourplay, Between the Sheets, and Elixir, where Ritenour, Bob James, Nathan East, and Harvey Mason integrate their personalities into a smoothly homogenized whole. To sweeten the pot for the hardcore fans, Fourplay recorded three new tracks for the album -- Stevie Wonder\'s \"Higher Ground\" with vocals by Take 6, \"4 Play and Pleasure,\" and \"Any Time of Day\" -- all fairly uneventful. The musicianship is impeccable, the production velvety, and despite the suitable-for-lovemaking-and-commuting stamp of approval, one wishes that these fine players would just cut loose and really rip once in a while.