Fourplay

Fourplay (stylized as fOURPLAY) is a contemporary American smooth jazz quartet. The original members of the group were Bob James (keyboards), Lee Ritenour (guitars), Nathan East (bass), and Harvey Mason (drums).^[1]

GenresSmooth jazz

Years active1991–2017 (indefinite hiatus)

LabelsWarner Bros., Arista/Bluebird, Heads Up

Members

• Bob James
• Nathan East
• Harvey Mason

Quick facts Background information, Genres ...

Fourplay
Bob James, 2004; Nathan East, 2005; and Harvey Mason, 2004
Background information
Genres	Smooth jazz
Years active	1991–2017 (indefinite hiatus)
Labels	Warner Bros., Arista/Bluebird, Heads Up
Members	Bob James Nathan East Harvey Mason
Past members	Lee Ritenour Larry Carlton Chuck Loeb (deceased)
Website	fourplayjazz.com

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In 1997, Ritenour left the group and Fourplay chose Larry Carlton as his replacement. In 2010, Carlton left Fourplay and was replaced by Chuck Loeb,^[2] who died on July 31, 2017.^[3] During Loeb's illness, saxophonist Kirk Whalum joined the group for performances.

The group has enjoyed consistent artistic and commercial success by grafting elements of R&B and pop to jazz, appealing to a broad mainstream audience. Their debut album, Fourplay (1991), sold over a million copies and remained at the number one position on the Billboard contemporary jazz chart for 33 weeks.^[4] Their next album, Between the Sheets (1993), reached number one,^[4] went gold, and received a Grammy Award nomination. In 1995, their third gold album, Elixir, also was number one and remained on the chart for more than 90 weeks. In 2015 the band celebrated its 25th anniversary with the release of the album Silver with former members Ritenour and Carlton.