Bob James

All of these was like legends in dance hall and reggae music culture.

Jazz, you know, Herbie Hancock, Modern Jazz Quartet, Bob James.

It was a really broad range of music that was being played in the house, for sure.

And I sponged it all up.

who performs on that incredible record alongside Luther.

What more can I say? And Bob James.

Let's carry on with some Prunus Faithfuls.

Talking about a revolution Or maybe just a change of mind Working on my constitution Never could see it coming, no Never could feel it till it's coming, no But all of that don't mean nothing, no When you're all alone, oh Sometimes you gotta do right to be happy One time you gotta believe in what your feelings are Cause I can see it coming, yeah And I can feel it calling out now Loving is so rewarding, yeah When you let it out, sometimes you gotta do right

The Rotary Connections' incredible song, I Am the Black Gold of the Sun, plays into this recording quite a bit.

But a lot of that music that I like, that's basically jazz disdained by jazz purists at the time, like Creed Taylor's records on CTI, which is, you know, late Wes Montgomery records and Airtow and Joe Beam and... you know and george benson and all those kind of things and i love those records to death not only the people it says on the cover but the backing tracks because it's always the same people it's ron carter and billy cobham and i just love that stuff arrangement by don bob james or don sabesky love it and a lot of that stuff kind of ended up as the blueprint for a lot of later 70s cop show themes You know what I mean? If you think of that kind of cop show theme, like the Rockford Files or something like that, that's kind of coming from that you could call it fusion world.

And so, and of course, Bob James did famously write the theme to Taxi.

So that's not a million miles away from it.

And so it doesn't, it's not unexpected that if I hand him a thing called One Last Heist, and we can talk about the lyrics separately, but if I hand him that thing and he goes to town with the music and then I have a little bit of say there and then I change the lyrics so it fits his better, it's a genuine collaboration, all this stuff.

I know it's great.

And you've also got on here, you know, Peace Train.

and uh wild horses and and i don't know how to love him from jesus christ superstar now that might seem like an album of you know could be an album of nightmare music nightmare music when i tell you that the band is billy cobb and ron carter airto eric gale george benson and grover washington jr arranged by bob james you know they were not in around on this record incredible right so Then you think, well, why not start with those arrangements of those songs? And you think how far away from the originals they are.

And so I grew up, I'm a child of the 80s, you know, and the music at the time that I was hearing in the house was my dad's record collection, you know, and it was all of the stuff that would later become so-called smooth jazz.

Like who are we talking? Like what artists are we talking? We're talking about Bob James.

We're talking about Quincy Jones.

We're talking about David Sanborn, Grover Washington, Herbie Hancock.

Great production from Large Professor and Paul C.

You know what I mean? Yeah, you got that Bob James sample in there.

Let the rhythm hit him.

Nothing more left to say, so let's play that clip.

Amaka, Starco I love my life, I love my life I love my life, I love my life I love my life, I love my life None a we nuh know what tomorrow might bring Cah the future, the hours away So me a live my life today Me a live my life today, yeah So allow me, make me talk what me want fi talk Me have nuff to say So me a go live my life today Me a go live my life today So everybody have to sing it out Oh-oh, me love my life Oh-oh, me love my life Oh-oh, me love my life So me a live my life today Oh-oh, me love my life Oh-oh, me love my life Oh-oh, me love my life So me a live my life today Make a change, don't make nobody stress you Don't make no blood pressure make your life left you Never you hurt a soul unless you Haffi defend yourself if them try test you Thank God for me life, yes Me wake up this morning and I'm alive, yes Make them gwan judge, nobody no perfect And Father God alone bring brightness If you no like weh me say, go find the Lord Me nah have time fi the war 'cause times so hard Them nah mad me, me nah go no psycho ward Or go join the morgue, enjoy me life a yard Few friends weh me have weh dear to me Me no trust people so me choose them carefully Them heart no clean so them can't come near to me Can't compare to me None a we nuh know what tomorrow might bring Cah the future, the hours away So me a live my life today Me a live my life today, yeah So allow me, make me talk what me want fi talk Me have nuff to say So me a go live my life today Me a go live my life today So everybody have to sing it out Oh-oh, me love my life Oh-oh, me love my life Oh-oh, me love my life So me a live my life today Oh-oh, me love my life Oh-oh, me love my life Oh-oh, me love my life [singing] Uh, ha, oh, funky

Heard about the party down just east of Harlem Dougie gonna be there, but you've got to call him Even the soldiers need a break sometime Listen to the groove y'all, let it unwind your mind No intoxication unless you see what I see Dancing hot and sweaty right in front of me Oh, call it what you like, I'm gonna call it how it be This is just another one of God's musicality Got to keep the party moving, like I told you Keep the old school joint for the true funk soldiers Musicality Got it Wait a minute, band Wish I had a dollar for every time you say Don't you miss the feeling music gave you back in the day? Let's groove, September, Earth, Wind & Fire Hot pants, Bob James, slides will take you higher Monica's in drugs make a record skate jam Take your pick, table or a band Or if it ain't Chuck D or Jam Master Jay You know what? They losing 'Cause we got a PhD in advance body moving Say, keep the party moving, just like I told you Keep the old school joint for the true funk soldiers Musicality Alright Hold it down, band Ah, get back, fool, get back Don't you touch my stereo, these is my records [beatboxing] Don't touch Don't you dare touch These is my records Musicality Musicality Everybody get down Old school joint for the true funk soldiers Oh, dun-dun, dun-dun

You're listening to the Tembo Sounds show

show[singing] [hip-hop music] J.D.

I may have said this before, but my, one of my favorite pieces of recorded music is, um- That tune, it's a live concert, um, footage of Sarah Vaughan playing that tune.

Um, I think there's more than one clip of her playing that tune 'cause it was, like, in her repertoire, but it's a, it's an amazing clip, and I think it's Roy Haynes on drums, and it's, um, Bob James on piano, like young Bob James, the same guy that wrote the Taxi theme who-

Wow

... you know, and, but he was a bebopper back in the day.

Yeah.

Hm.

And look for Bob James and, and Roy Haynes.

Well, and you mentioned Roy Haynes-