Grand Piano Canyon

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Grand Piano Canyon
Bob James - Grand Piano Canyon Cover.jpg
Studio album by
Bob James
ReleasedJune 28, 1990 (1990-06-28)
StudioClinton Recording Studios, Inc. (New York, NY)
Ocean Way Recording (Hollywood, CA)
Remidi Studios (Ardsley-On-Hudson, NY)
Genre Jazz
Length48:24
Label Warner Bros. Records
Producer Bob James
Bob James chronology
J. S. Bach: Concertos for 2 & 3 Keyboards
(1989)		Grand Piano Canyon
(1990)		Restless
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
AudioholicsOverall 5 [2]

Grand Piano Canyon is the 22nd solo album by Bob James. It was released on June 28, 1990. The cover art is reproduced from an original painting by David Grath entitled "Grand Piano Canyon." The title for the seventh track, "Xraxse" is the planet inhabited by Blue People in a story written by James' daughter, Hilary, at age 6. [3]

Contents

Critical reception

Scott Yanow of AllMusic writes, "This CD is more jazz-oriented than most of Bob James' recordings and even takes chances in a few spots. The tunes, mostly by James, contain several strong melodies, including a tribute piece for Sarah Vaughan; among the sidemen are guitarist Lee Ritenour, Kirk Whalum on tenor and soprano, and (in a guest spot) tenor great Michael Brecker." [1]

Stanton Zeff of Audioholics gives the album a rating of 5 overall and says, "This CD had a little bit of everything: big-band ( "Bare Bones" ), smooth jazz ( "Restoration" ), fusion ( "…stop that!" ), and ballads ( "Just Listen" )." He also writes, "It's this last collaboration that led to the creation of one of the great jazz super-groups of the last decade: Fourplay, featuring Harvey Mason on drums and Nathan East on bass, Lee Ritenour on guitars, and Bob James on keyboards." [2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bob James, unless otherwise noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bare Bones"
  • Bob James
  • Max Risenhoover
4:46
2."Restoration" 5:46
3."Wings for Sarah" 5:37
4."Svengali" 4:50
5."Worlds Apart" 4:31
6."…Stop That!"
  • Bob James
  • Max Risenhoover
4:44
7."Xraxse" 4:33
8."Just Listen" Lee Ritenour 7:09
9."Far from Turtle"
  • Bob James
  • Max Risenhoover
6:28
Total length:48:24

Personnel

All songs written by Bob James, except where noted.

1 – "Bare Bones" (Bob James, Max Risenhoover) - 4:44

2 – "Restoration" - 5:44

3 – "Wings For Sarah" - 5:34

4 – "Svengali" - 4:48

5 – "Worlds Apart" - 4:30

6 – "…Stop That!" (James, Risenhoover) - 4:43

7 – "Xraxse" - 4:29

8 – "Just Listen" (Lee Ritenour) - 7:11

9 – "Far From Turtle" (Risenhoover) - 6:28

Track information and credits adapted the album's liner notes. [3]

Production

Charts

Chart (1990)Peak
position
Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard) [4] 4

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References

  1. 1 2 Yanow, Scott. Bob James - Grand Piano Canyon at AllMusic. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 Zeff, Stanton (19 February 2006). "Bob James - Grand Piano". audioholics.com. Audioholics. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  3. 1 2 Grand Piano Canyon (liner notes). Grand Piano Canyon. Warner Records. 1990. 9 26256-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ↑ "Bob James Chart History – Contemporary Jazz Albums". Billboard. 14 September 1990. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
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