Fourplay

Formed in 1991, Fourplay assembled keyboardist Bob James, guitarist Lee Ritenour, bassist Nathan East, and drummer Harvey Mason after the four first united on portions of James’s Grand Piano Canyon. Their subsequent Warner Bros. releases achieved strong commercial results, reflecting the established appeal of James and Ritenour. Larry Carlton assumed the guitar chair in the late 1990s and appeared on the band’s 1998 album 4. The 1999 holiday project Snowbound interpreted both traditional and contemporary seasonal material in the group’s increasingly polished manner. Their final Warner Bros. outing, the mellow 2000 album Yes, Please, closed that chapter.

Fourplay sought fresh territory on Heartfelt, their 2002 debut for RCA’s Bluebird imprint, which drew from live studio jams that were heavily edited and assembled in Pro Tools. Journey, issued in 2004, largely reverted to the smoother approach of earlier recordings. The 2006 set X marked their last RCA/Bluebird release and featured Michael McDonald’s vocal on a version of Steve Winwood’s “My Love’s Leavin’.”

The band moved to Heads Up International for 2008’s Energy, which showcased two notable Carlton compositions and included Esperanza Spalding’s vocal on “Prelude for Lovers.” With Chuck Loeb replacing Carlton on guitar, Fourplay recorded 2010’s Let’s Touch the Sky, which brought guest turns from Ruben Studdard and Anita Baker. The 2012 album Esprit de Four added contributions from Kenny Mason & the Voices of Praise Choir and Japanese singer Seiko Matsuda. Silver, a stylistically wide-ranging studio collection, appeared in 2015 to mark the group’s 25th anniversary. Intense individual schedules prompted an indefinite hiatus beginning in 2017. The Best of Fourplay compilation followed in 2018, and a thoroughly remastered edition of the band’s self-titled debut was released in 2021 to mark its 30th anniversary.