Bob James

Bob James is an American jazz pianist and composer whose six-decade career spans smooth jazz, television scores, and hip-hop sampling. He blends classical training with funky grooves in elegant contemporary jazz. Discovered by Quincy Jones, he co-founded Fourplay after composing "Angela," the Taxi theme on his 1978 album Touchdown. His recordings rank among jazz's most sampled, appearing in hip-hop classics by Run-DMC and Eric B. & Rakim.