New releases from Bob James typically get their fair share of fanfare but one from earlier in 2022 slipped out fairly quietly, yet it might be one of his most adventurous releases in decades. 2080 is an odd-couple collaboration between Sam Franz, a producer and DJ around 20 years old and the 80-something James, who we all know as the crossover jazz keyboardist, composer, producer and arranger of great renown since the 70s.
As a recent graduate from the University of Michigan, Franz shares an alma mater with James but perhaps little else. That’s what inspired James to collaborate with Franz, who James felt was more in touch with the sounds of today and tomorrow and could provide a conduit for applying his own seasoned flair closer to the forefront of where contemporary music is and where it’s headed.
James’ interest in electronica well predates electronica as a genre, he was actually one of the originators of electro-acoustic jazz way, way back in the mid-60s. And he’s no stranger to fully electronic jazz, he explored that in the early ’80s. It’s funny to state this but in a way, 2080 is a return to his roots. And it’s not entirely without recent precedent; a few years ago James incorporated hip-hop elements into “Submarine,” a re-write of his funk-jazz classic “Nautilus.”
Like “Submarine,” the veteran musician remains very much in character on keys for 2080, giving the album a crucial balance between hand-made and manufactured. Many of the tracks aren’t too dissimilar to a Jan Hammer record and are actually riffs instead of fully-blown songs that plays up the house and broken beat skills of Franz. Yet, you can tell that’s an accomplished pianist/keyboardist overlaying his parts on Franz’ programmed stuff, such as the piano turn on the super catchy “See Ya” and that signature Rhodes on the convincing, faux-orchestral “Atsuko’s Arcade.” This kind of musicianship never goes out of style.
James and Franz avoided recycling the same formula for every piece. “A Final Apology” stays on a single key but it’s serene and slowly developing texture provides fertile ground for James’ graceful piano. And the two venture into avant-garde territory for “Starless Vault of Heaven” and “Brew This Again and Again,” with the former containing some electronic sounds that are distant echoes of the ones heard on James’ 1965 ESP-Disk experimentation Explosions. “(Intermezzo) Letter B,” meanwhile, dabbles in musique concrète.
Bob James was born in 1939 but he has the same dauntless side to him that he displayed some sixty years ago. The only thing ‘old’ about Bob James is his willingness to step outside his comfort zone and try new things.
2080 is available via Eight Islands Records. Purchase a download copy here.
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