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).
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, who died on July 31, 2017. 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. Their next album, Between the Sheets (1993), reached number one, 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.
Members Bob James – keyboards Nathan East – bass Harvey Mason – drums
Former members Lee Ritenour – guitars Larry Carlton – guitars Chuck Loeb – guitars (died 2017)
Live members Kirk Whalum - saxophone
Discography Title Label Released Fourplay Warner Bros. 1991 Fourplay Live: The Authorized Bootleg Warner Bros. 1992 Between the Sheets Warner Bros. 1993 Elixir Warner Bros. 1995 The Best of Fourplay – (original release) Warner Bros. 1997 4 Warner Bros. 1998 Snowbound Warner Bros. 1999 Yes, Please! Warner Bros. 2000 Heartfelt Bluebird 2002 Journey Bluebird 2004 X Bluebird 2006 Energy Heads Up 2008 Let's Touch the Sky Heads Up 2010 Esprit De Four Heads Up 2012 Silver Heads Up 2015 The Best of Fourplay – (2020 Remastered)evosound2020
DVD-Video An Evening of Fourplay Volumes I and II (1994) Live in Cape Town (2005) Live at San Javier Jazz Festival (2006)
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