A Beginners Guide To...Bob James

Why Bother?

That's a fair question. I mean, look at this guy. Before you ever heard a note of the cat's music, you know he's on a serious 70s jazz-funk vibe. It's that Groovy Sociology Professor style, like he's a serious musician. And y'know what? A Serious Jazz-Funk Musician is exactly what Bob James is. You wanna know how 70s jazz-funk Bob James is? This cat is so 70s jazz-funk that he wrote the (heart-breakingly wonderful) Theme From Taxi. Y'know, the show with Danny DeVito and Andy Kaufman. That's right. Fender Rhodes, flute, the whole bit. If you like synth workouts, and I'm sure almost none of you do, Bob's your uncle. But Bob ain't just a regular beardy jazzer, no sir. After Mr Dynamite, James Brown himself, Bob James is probably the most sampled artist in hip-hop history. And that's why you should "bother."

Essential Purchases: One (1974) and Two (1975)

Even if you've never actually heard "Take Me To The Mardi Gras", the first track on Two, you've almost certainly heard the stunning breakbeat that it opens with - indispensable on-line sample resource thebreaks.com lists over 40 hip-hop tracks are based on 'Mardis Gras', and I'm willing to bet that figure ain't the half of it. 'Peter Piper' by Run DMC - that's 'Mardi Gras'. 'Rock The Bells' by LL Cool J's - that's 'Mardi Gras'. The Wu Tang, Public enemy, Ice Cube, Biz Markie, The Beastie Boys, even Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince fercryinoutloud, have dug this record out the crate at some time or another - Eric B & Rakim alone are listed as using it on three different tracks. Drums, off-kilter bells, muffled 'street' dialogue and a soft, rising 'yeeaah...' - the 'Mardi Gras' beat is described on Wikipedia as a 'fundamental' of rap music, and indeed it is, as important to hip-hop as the 12-bar form is to the blues.

The key track on One is 'Nautilus', a very hip, very moody electric piano groove which thebreaks.com lists as having been sampled on over sixty hip-hop joints, including two Run DMC tracks, a couple of Onyx jams, three Pete Rock productions and Ghostface Killah's scorching 'Daytona 500'. While 'Mardi Gras' edges it for hip-hop breakbeat loopability, 'Nautilus' is by far the better original piece of music and remains one of my absolute faves.

Every track on both of these LPs have been sampled; whether you're a fan of early DJ Shadow (who used One's 'In The Valley Of Shadows' on his 'Entropy') or motherlovin' COOLIO (who used Two's 'In The Garden' for 'C U When I Get There'), you're guaranteed to recognise something here. No hip-hop / breaks / funk DJ's record box should be without them.

Hidden Gem: The Genie (1983)

Essentially a collection of incedental music James originally composed for the very wonderful US sit-com Taxi, the reason you need this LP is 'Angela', or the Theme From Taxi. A melancholy, light funk groove sprinkled with gorgeous electric piano and wistful flute, it ranks along side The Addams Family and Cheers as one of the all-time great TV theme tunes.

One To Avoid: Pretty Much Everything Else

Look. The guy spent the last few years in a smooth jazz combo called Fourplay (seriously) and has his own wine club, the...uh...Bob James Wine Club. This cat has put out hours and hours of bad, synthy jazz. Just avoid it. All of it. Unless you like bad, synthy jazz, of course, in which case knock yourself out. (Paul Fuzz)