GRP® Records is a jazz record label founded by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen in 1978. Distributed by Verve Records, GRP® was originally known for its digital recordings that focuses on its jazz genre.
Nathan Harrell East is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass player and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of California, San Diego (1978). He is a founding member of contemporary jazz quartet Fourplay and has recorded, performed, and co-written songs with performers such as Bobby Womack, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Joe Satriani, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder, Toto, Kenny Loggins, Daft Punk, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock.
Larry Eugene Carlton is an American guitarist who built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s for acts such as Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. He has participated in thousands of recording sessions, recorded on hundreds of albums in many genres, for television and movies, and on more than 100 gold records. He has been a member of the jazz fusion group the Crusaders, the smooth jazz band Fourplay, and has maintained a long solo career.
Maurice White was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.
Robert McElhiney James is an American jazz keyboardist, arranger, and record producer. He founded the band Fourplay and wrote "Angela", the theme song for the TV show Taxi. Music from his first seven albums has often been sampled and has contributed to the formation of hip hop. Among his most well known recordings are "Nautilus", "Westchester Lady", "Tappan Zee", and his version of "Take Me to The Mardi Gras".
"Isn't She Lovely" is a song by Stevie Wonder from his 1976 album, Songs in the Key of Life. The lyrics celebrate the birth of his daughter, Aisha Morris. Wonder collaborated on the song with Harlem songwriter and studio owner Burnetta "Bunny" Jones.
Lee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s.
Charles Samuel "Chuck" Loeb was an American jazz guitarist and a member of the groups Steps Ahead, Metro and Fourplay.
"Deacon Blues" is a song written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen in 1976 and recorded by their group Steely Dan on their 1977 album Aja. It peaked at number 19 on the Billboard charts and number 17 on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100 in June 1978. It also reached #40 on the Easy Listening chart. In Canada, it peaked at #14, a position it occupied for two weeks, and #20 Adult Contemporary. In 2021, it was listed at No. 214 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
"Breathe Again" is a song by American R&B singer Toni Braxton. It was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and produced by Edmonds, L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons for Braxton's self-titled debut album (1993). Its lyrics evokes a sense of nostalgia from a relationship that has run its course. The ballad was released as the album's second single on August 6, 1993 by LaFace and Arista Records.
First Course is the debut album by jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour. The album was released on LP by Epic Records in 1976 and on CD by Columbia Records in 1990.
Fourplay is the debut album by the American smooth jazz group Fourplay which was released in 1991. The group was originally composed by Bob James (keyboards), Lee Ritenour (guitars), Nathan East (bass) and Harvey Mason (drums). The album went to number 1 on the Contemporary Jazz charts, number 16 on the R&B charts and number 97 on the US Billboard 200. Since then the album went Gold according to the RIAA and has sold over 1 million copies worldwide.
Heads Up International is a jazz record label that was formed in Cleveland, Ohio. It was bought by the Concord Music Group in 2005.
Energy is the 10th studio album by jazz group Fourplay, released on September 23, 2008. The cover shows the four members: keyboardist Bob James, guitarist Larry Carlton, bassist Nathan East, and drummer Harvey Mason.
Between the Sheets is the second studio album of the jazz group Fourplay which was released in August 1993 on Warner Bros. Records. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and No. 15 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. Between the Sheets has sold over 500,000 copies in the United States and has thus been certified gold by the RIAA.
Let's Touch the Sky is the 11th studio album of the jazz group Fourplay, released in 2010. It is the first Fourplay album with Chuck Loeb, who replaced Larry Carlton on the guitar.
Out of the Shadows is an album by American pianist Dave Grusin. The album consists mostly of original, pop-influenced jazz compositions. Released by Arista and Grusin's own GRP Records in 1982, it experienced favorable critical reception and became a commercial success, spawning the single "She Could Be Mine" and becoming one of his highest-charting albums when it peaked at number four on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and number 88 on the all-genre Billboard 200. It continues to be retrospectively well regarded by critics.
Festival is an album by American jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour that was released in 1988 by GRP Records. The album is a collaboration between musicians from New York City, Los Angeles, and Brazil. Festival reached No. 3 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart.
Portrait is the sixteenth studio album by American jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour, released in 1987 through GRP Records. The album reached No. 7 on the Billboard magazine Contemporary Jazz chart.
The Music in My Head is a smooth jazz album released by Michael Franks in 2018. It’s his eighteenth studio album, and the second with the independent Shanachie Records.
