Customer Reviews

Morning Noon & Night

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my first Bob James CD since the Double Vision collaboration with David Sanborn. On a whim, I bought Morning Noon & Night as an add-on to my Spyro Gyra "Original Cinema" purchase to get the free shipping. Being a long-time Spyro Gyra fan makes it hard for me to admit that of the two CDs I ordered, Morning Noon & Night is my favorite. A very delightful and relaxing listening experience once you get past the opening track, Street Smart. Not that I didn't like Street Smart, it just takes a few times listening to it to gain a sense of appreciation for Bob James' mixture of Hip Hop electronics and urban jazz. After Street Smart you a rewarded with Just One Thing and the title track, Morning Noon & Night with some great sax by Dave Koz. Overall this is a really good CD that will have you listening to it over and over for hours. Buy it, you'll like it, even Street Smart after a few listens!

BOB JAMES IS BACK, WITH HIS BEST ALBUM TO DATE.
AFTER THE ABYSMAL "DANCING ON THE WATER" ALBUM,
HE GETS BACK TO HIS FORMER SELF, IN THIS SUPERB
NEW C/D. HELPED ALONG BY THE LIKES OF DAVE KOZ,
RICK BRAUN AND CHUCK LOEB, THIS IS A JOY TO
LISTEN TO.
STAND OUT TRACKS ARE "JUST ONE THING", "MORNING,
NOON AND NIGHT", "HANDS ON" AND "FIVE O'CLOCK
CHATEAU". BUY IT NOW !!!

I AM ONE OF THOSE FEW PEOPLE WHO LIKES THE DIXIE CHICKS, DAVE KOZ, GEORGE BENSON, LENNY KRAVITZ, JILL SCOTT AND ERYKAH BADU TO NAME A FEW. WITH THIS BEING THE CASE, I LIKE MUSIC THAT I CAN LISTEN TO WITHOUT PROGRAMMING AND REPEATING THE SAME 2 OR 3 SONGS! THIS CD IS HOT!! I AM LISTENING TO IT AS I SUBMIT MY COMMENTS. IT'S JUST THAT GOOD! I PICKED IT UP WITHOUT EVEN HEARING A TRACK! THERE ARE CERTAIN ARTISTS YOU JUST KNOW THEY HAVE TALENT. THIS ARTIST IS ONE OF THE FEW I GIVE THAT LEVEL OF REPECT TO. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS CD. YOU GET IT ALL-JAZZ, FUSION, HIP-HOP AND VIBRANT SOUL...KEEP IT UP BOB-YOU GOT A FAN WITH ME...

BOB JAMES HAS BEEN A FAVORITE OF MINE FOR AT LEAST THE PAST TWENTY YEARS. EVERY RECORDING THAT HE HAS PUT HIS MIDAS TOUCH TO HAS SKYROCKETED TO THE TOP. IT MAKES NO DIFFERNCE IF ITS WITH HIS GROUP FOURPLAY OR SOLO MR. JAMES IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. THANKS AGAIN BOB JAMES FOR GIVING ME ANOTHER REASON TO KEEP ON LISTENING TO SMOOTH JAZZ.

With or without Fourplay, this guy is a phenomenon! Release after release, he never seems to run out of fresh, great material! Keep it coming, Bob!

Excellent creativity! At first listen, I wondered if Bob James had gone the route of Acid Jazz or hip hop on one of his tracks. Not typical for someone who I consider to be in the same league as Pat Metheny and Lyle Mayes. (Just to drop a few names.) Although it's been quite a while since I've purchased new music by Bob James, I like his unorthodox approach on this particular cd. There aren't any tracks that I can think of in which I was completely blown away, albeit the entire cd is extremely well written. Overall I'm impressed. Got cash? Get the cd! ( ^_^ )

I normally buy Bob James Music without listening,mistake.
With a line up like this how can you go wrong? Easy
Its the writing of the songs that count as well.
I am willing to wait just a little bit longer between releases for the ussual quality.

Jazzman Ray
From the U.K.

Bob James is a living legend. A true artist. and this album proves it once more. This album captures James in what I might call a postcard to the urban jungle. Street smart is a memorable piece. But the rest of the album is a true outbusrt of creative energy and untamed inspiration.

If you analyze the impressive staff you can realize how transcendental was this support; please watch it: Bob James (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Hilary James (vocals); David Mann (alto saxophone); David McMurray (tenor saxophone); Dave Koz (saxophone); Barry Danielian (trumpet); Rick Braun (flugelhorn); Jim Pugh (trombone); Lawrence Feldman (alto flute); Paul Brown (electric sitar, programming); Keiko Matsui (piano); Herman Jackson (organ); Roberto Vally (keyboards, bass); Bill Myers, Ross Vannelli (keyboards, programming); Chuck Loeb (guitar, programming); Paul Jackson, Jr. (guitar); Will Lee, James Genus (bass); Vinnie Colaiuta, Brian Dunne (drums); Paulinho Da Costa, Bashiri Johnson (percussion); Rob Swift (vinyl scratches); Kevin Di Simone (background vocals).

So, making a retrospective look at around the ten best smooth jass albums of the first decade pf this raisng century, this album is among this list.

So, don't think it twice and go for it.

A true friend introduced me to Fourplay and Bob James in the 80's. I guess I see myself as a musical orphan. You can only listen to the oldies so long and then you do long for something fresh and new. My teen son unexpectedly liked Street Smart and almost any time he's in the car, he restarts the album so he can hear it. Without a doubt, my favorite is "When the Lover is Over" with vocals by Bob James' daughter Hilary. This is a powerful trac for me. Buy it--it's new and has an enduring quality.

Bob James does it again with his long-anticipated new CD. He proves himself to be one of the true masters of contemporary jazz. The CD starts off with the savvy "Street Smart", featuring the turntable antics of DJ Rob Swift along with Bob's keyboard wizardry. Next comes the silky "Just One Thing", featuring the great Chuck Loeb. The title song features saxman Dave Koz. "Hands On" is as funky as it gets. "Over and Over" is reminiscent of both Pat Metheny and Keith Jarrett. The smooth sound of trumpeter Rick Braun is present on "Five O' Clock Chateau" (a rather corny title). Bob's daughter Hilary lends her beautiful voice to the sad "When The Love Is Over". "Nightbeat" is the CD's most introspective song featuring David Mann on sax. "Baby Cakes" is a striptease-style tune (naughty, naughty!). "Dai Dai Ya" (named after a restaraunt in Japan)is a classy duet between Bob and Keiko Matsui. The closing number is a slow-swinging blues titled "Count On It", with Chuck Loeb's Wes Montgomery-style guitar work. True Bob James fans will find themselves loving this CD Morning, Noon & Night!