Fourplay - Fourplay (MQA-CD, 30th Anniversary Remastered Edition) (1991/2021)

There was no great cunning master plan that brought noted jazz instrumentalists Bob James (keyboards), Lee Ritenour (guitar), Nathan East (bass) and Harvey Mason (drums) together to form a supergroup. Released in October 1991, Fourplay - aided by the success of the smash single 'After The Dance' - peaked at No. 1 in America' s Contemporary Jazz charts for 33 weeks and sold over a million copies. It rose to No. 16 in the R&B rankings and N o. 97 in America' s list of top pop records, The Billboard 200.Thanks to the group' s impeccable musicianship and it's internal creative chemistry, Fourplay created an immediately identifiable signature sound, setting the gold standard for smooth jazz in the 1990s. Now three decades old, the band' s self-titled debut album was not only the blueprint for the group's sound but also functioned as a foundation stone upon which Fourplay built a remarkable career. Originally released in September 1991, Fourplay is now reissued by evosound, to celebrate the album 's 30th Anniversary, as a MQA-CD. A previously unreleased long version of 'After The Dance ' is included as a bonus track. The remastering of the album was undertaken using the high-resolution digital transfers from the original analogue master tapes.

The success of Fourplay, an all-star pop-jazz unit featuring keyboardist Bob James, guitarist Lee Ritenour, drummer Harvey Mason, and bassist Nathan East, offers further proof that history recycles itself. In the '70s, James, Ritenour, and Mason were busy laying the groundwork for a genial mode of pop-jazz fusion that would become hugely successful by the late '80s. At a time when there are many pretenders to the throne, these veterans still show how it's done on Fourplay, with music that is perfectly hummable, perfectly polished, and perfectly harmless. Melodic nuggets are neatly laid over pillowy funk grooves and solos are pithy and polite. The aura of calculated pleasantness occasionally yields to unusual musical twists, such as the slalom-course arrangement of James' 'Quadrille'.

Allmusic Review by Scott Yanow
This CD was the debut for Fourplay, a popular quartet comprised of keyboardist Bob James, guitarist Lee Ritenour, bassist Nathan East, and drummer Harvey Mason. The music sounds more or less like a Bob James small-group date with Ritenour as a major soloist. The style is between jazz, R&B, and pop with an emphasis on lightweight originals, soulful and moderately funky rhythms, and predictable radio-friendly music. Nothing unexpected occurs, but fans of James and Ritenour should enjoy both this CD and Fourplay in general.

Tracklist
1. Bali Run
2. 101 Eastbound
3. Foreplay
4. Moonjogger
5. Max-O-Man
6. After The Dance
7. Quadrille
8. Midnight Stroll
9. October Morning
10. Wish You Were Here
11. Rain Forest
12. After The Dance (Long Version) feat.El Debarge