Bob James Espresso 2018

In the eyes of the rap generation, an older musician's hipness is often defined by how many times he or she has been sampled for beats and breaks. That means that keyboard wizard Bob James - whose records have been sampled a staggering 1,435 times, according to the website WhoSampled - is a bona fide legend and cooler than cool…

Bob James-Grammy Award-winning Jazz keyboardist, arranger, record producer, record executive, and founding member of Fourplay, returns with a new album, Espresso, his first solo-led project in 12 years. Album tunes, penned by James, reflect the same inventiveness and musical fluency that persuaded Quincy Joines to become his mentor and champion back in 1963. His expressiveness through both writing and performance permeates the rocking minor-key blues of "Bulgogi," the definitive cool jazz of "Topside," the funk strut of "Submarine," the whispered beauty of "Promenade," the turbulent, more complex yet supremely listenable "Mojito Ride" and every other moment on Espresso.