Restoration, Bob James, CD

Bob James' first "best-of" gets the job done right: 2 CDs with 27 tracks from 17 albums spanning more than 25 years! Disc one includes his 1974 hit Feel Like Making Love; his famous Taxi theme, Angela; funky, much-sampled tracks like Westchester Lady and Night Crawler, and more. Disc two features his collaborations with David Sanborn, Earl Klugh, Grover Washington, Jr. And many others. Pianist-composer Bob James has been a mainstay on the contemporary jazz scene from the early '70s to today. His bell-like electric piano sound made him a radio favorite and a Grammy Award winner. This two-CD set contains James's greatest hits. There are the hip-hop sampled, snappy CTI label smashes like "Nautilus" and "Westchester Lady," as well as the plaintive "Touchdown" and the popular "Angela (The Theme from Taxi)" from his Columbia Records days. But there's also "Hockney" and the classical work, "Farandole," which showcase his beautiful acoustic jazz piano sound and his overlooked arranging skills. This compendium includes a multitude of sideman and collaborators, including Hubert Laws, Jon Faddis, Earl Klugh, Ron Carter, and David Sanborn. "Brighton by the Sea" with Grover Washington Jr. (originally appearing on James's H album), is rhythmically revamped with a zesty 21st-century drum & bass remix, showing that the music of Bob James is melodic, moving, and modern.