No more results on this page
FOURPLAY IN CONCERT:
Iconic smooth jazz quartet Fourplay hold the distinction of being the only music group in history to be recognized by the United States Congress, and it's easy to see why. Comprised of some of the best jazz musicians in the world, the supergroup never fails to dazzle with their virtuosic playing and electrifying chemistry on stage, creating an outsized live sound that belies their humble setup. Featuring selections from more than two decades of recording, Fourplay's 2013 shows hit all the right notes, building excitement for their 2014 tour dates.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
Formed in 1990 by Bob James, Harvey Mason, Nathan East, and Lee Ritenour, Fourplay made their self-titled album debut in 1991, topping the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Albums chart for a whopping 33 weeks. Their potent blend of pop, R&B, and smooth jazz clearly struck a chord with audiences — 1993 sophomore album Between the Sheets was a similar success, also topping the charts and receiving a Grammy nomination. Over the years, they've been joined on their recordings by a range of celebrated pop vocalists including Phil Collins, Patti Austin, and Babyface, and they hold the honor of being the only musical group ever honored by the United States Congress. With a host of highly anticipated tour dates scheduled for 2014, fans eagerly await a follow-up album to 2012's lauded Esprit de Four.
FANS WHO BOUGHT TICKETS SAY:
"These guys are the most professional, tight, hard playing SMOOTH jazz band I've had the pleasure of seeing live. They played continuously and ebulliently for almost 2 hours!"
"It's hard to believe that two guitars, a piano and drums can put out the sound that Fourplay does. What a talented foursome."
"The musicianship was impeccable, the mood was enchanting, and the energy was electric."
Genius times 4. I throughly enjoyed the evening. The birchmere is the perfect venue to see acts like this. Fourplay conveyed warmth and whimsy in their set, and did some great jammin. This was my first time seeing them, it won't be my last. Thanks for a great show!
The concert from beginning to end was outstanding. I've bought a lot of Four Play CDs, but until now, I've never heard them live. They were truly professional, and Kirk Whalum just added the topping on the concert. I think that they should play together more. Definitely, cut a CD. My wife and I really enjoyed the concert.
Fourplay, featuring Kirk Whalum ! One of the best performances I've seen recently. Unlike so many R&B based "Smooth Jazz " performers, these guys are real musicians who happen to be great jazz musicians. Each of these guys perform with such mastery and confidence while always listening to and being listened to by the others, that every tune is open to infinite possibilities. Colors shift, Ideas are tossed from player to player on the fly giving the whole performance a kind of depth that many out there today can't come close to. Yeah these guys can play smooth, but first they are great musicians who are very good at sharing their total joy in what they do with an audience.
Great music as always when you hear Fourplay, sorry about Larry Carlton not being there but Kirk Whalum more than made up for it.
Great sax .Missed the lead guitar.Of course Bob James wonderful piano. Great bassist, interesting vocals with the guitar. Could have been a little more crowd participation.
The show was great; Larry Carlton couldn't make it so they had Kirk Whalum to stand in for one time only. Bob James is still wonderful tickling the ivories. Nathan East has an amazing voice, and Harvey Mason tore those drums up. The concert was wonderful; I do hope that they travel back this way again with Larry Carlton. We would love to see Kirk Whalum come back and do another show too. The Birchmere is a nice venue to attend and here some jazz..
I was greatly disapointed the discover that guitarist, Larry Carlton, was not there. However, I am a huge Kirk Whalum fan, so it was a wonderful surprise to have him join the band. Still, I can imagine how disapointed the guitar fans must have been. All in all, a Great concert.
What a great combination...Kurk Whalem joining Fourplay! Phew!
I have been attended the Capitol Jazz Festival for several years. I am pleased to say they haven't let me down yet.
I have been a fan of Fourplay since my graduate. This is the band got me truly intrigued in the smooze jazz after Kenny G became so popular in Shanghai(China) - where I was born and raised. Jazz is the genre best explicit Shanghai, this most vibrant city in China and mix so well the culture crosses east to west. It was so exciting already when I found Fourplay's show in Seattle through Ticketmaster, my husband and I had a wonderful night at their last show in the Jazzalley, in fact now my husband also became a fan of Fourplay - it's kinda interesting that his Chinese wife(me) introduced him to this band who has been well-known for 2 decades in U.S.. Just the night before we were at a new restaurant in Tacoma, which they had this drink names "Between the Sheets", I wondered why the name sounds so familiar, that's right it's Fourplay's 1993 album title. Hey, they certainly have many admirers! We had a great chat with Nathan and Harvey after the show, they're wonderful, warm and charming artists, although we have to sort of "block" them in the hallway to the bathroom as no other place/time to have this contact (Hopefully the organizer would arrange something better in the future!); and too bad didn't get to meet Larry and Bob after the show. We certainly looking forward to another occassion we can enjoy this sensational band again, maybe in Shanghai as well?
We did not appreciate the substitution of Chaka Khan for Natalie Cole. Didn't even get the option of returning the tickets. Realize Natalie's cancellation was beyond their control, but we were still not happy campers. I don't think we'll be doing it again next year. Fourplay was a great show.
First time ever seeing Fourplay, Second time ever being to Jazz Alley. Fourplay was Awesome. This was Fourplay's first time ever being to seattle, so i decided to get tickets for my partner and me. I can't say it enough, the music was great. not only were they great at preforming, they had a blast with it. They made us laugh. I will definately get tickets to any Fourplay concerts that we would be able to go to in the future. Jazz Alley is a fantastic place. Not only for the fact that you can see great jazz concerts there, but they actually have great food. We spent around $160 in food and drinks. Appetizer, two entries, two desserts, and drinks. So not too bad. I had their pasta penne with sausage. The food was fresh, hot, and really filling. For dessert I had their Chocolate one... you know when you taste something for the first time, and you look at whoever you're with and you're eyes get really big and are like "oh my god, you need to have some of this!" this was one of those moments, it was so good. In this day and age, when we're bombarded by junk, and fast food, you just know when you get a taste of something that was not premade, that someone actually took time to prepare. Jazz Alley, i believe, is one of the 4 oldest running jazz clubs in the nation, and with my experiences there, i do believe that they will continue for a long time yet.
Wonderful bunch of studio pros who really light up the stage and have some fun! With Jazz Alley's great seating, you could tell this wasn't a stage face sort of joy. They really did have fun up there and it was wonderful. You could see any one of them headlining a show and feel like you got your money worth and more. But four of them... Jazz Alley...make this an annual concert like Tower of Power. They do a great job and it's wonderful music done well.
This years concert was a dissapointment. The replacement for Natalie Cole was a bad one. The line-up seems to of the same artists from previous years. Out of all the Jazz artistist or R&B artists, surely the line-up can be much better than it has been. The area in the woods is still disappointing year after year, especially after a rain. There was mud everywhere. There wasn't much of an effort to do anything about the mud. People weren't allowed reentry if they had to go back to their cars or leave for whatever reason. In the past, this was allowed. After the festival was moved from Bull Run, it has gone down hill ever since.
I wait all year for this event. This is the best concert in the DMV area.
I was a wonderful evening of Fourplay. The venue was superb
This year, the Capital Jazz Fest was awesome - and a bit sad wth the rememberance of the late Wayman Tisdale who performed in 2008. With the demise of smooth jazz radio on the airwaves, this concert is the only way to get your jazz fix in a tranquil setting. And, with 80 degree weather instead of 100 degree weather, it was truly a pleasure to just sit and enjoy Chaka Kahn, Fourplay, Will Downing, George Duke, Roy Ayres, Regina Bell, Marion Meadows, et. al.
Seats were Fantastic, show was fantastic. Had a fantastic evening. Will definitely be there next year.
the music was great each artist showed an example of what the people want to hear,
The night consist of Fourplay and Chaka Khan. Whatever do you need to know. Chaka could sing more, but the overall feel for the night was wonderful . It rained, but the music allowed you to forget about the weather. Besides, I was within the Pavilion.
