Bob James in Minneapolis

Bob James is an American pianist, composer and arranger, born in Marshall, Missouri, in 1939. His jazz-funk and contemporary jazz catalogue includes “Nautilus,” “Westchester Lady” and “Angela,” which became the theme for the television series Taxi. He also co-founded the jazz group Fourplay. The 1979 New York concerts later released as All Around the Town were recorded at the Bottom Line, Town Hall and Carnegie Hall. He led a band at the 1985 Montreux Jazz Festival for the performance issued as Live at Montreux, then toured as Fourplay’s keyboardist alongside Nathan East, Harvey Mason and Lee Ritenour.