BIX TOP ACT: Bob James

A native of Marshall, Missouri, two-time GRAMMY winner Bob James (b. 1939) has had an extremely varied career marked by many fascinating twists and turns.

For some, he is a hip-hop icon, as samples of his music played a crucial role in the emergence of rap, while for others he is the godfather of smooth jazz.
After being discovered by Quincy Jones at the Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival in 1962, James made a name for himself in the 1970s on producer Creed Taylor's CTI label, developing an innovative new sound that combined jazz with classical music and funk. James' music found a wider audience in 1978 after his track "Angela" was used as the theme tune for the popular US television series "Taxi".

He also ran his record label Tappan Zee Records for many years, released albums of classical music and co-founded the popular and highly successful smooth jazz group Fourplay. His work has also been frequently sampled by hip-hop DJs and producers. He is now signed to the international record label Evosound (Evolution Music Group) and his 2023 album "Jazz Hands" was nominated for a Grammy.

Line-up: Bob James (maestro); Andrii Chmut (sax); Michael Palazzolo (b); James Adkins (dr)