Bob James
Sampled by Rakim, N.W.A., Will Smith, and so many others he is the second-most sampled musician in the history of hip-hop. Beamed into countless households around the world through the chiming start of “Angela,” the theme song of Taxi. Drafted by Quincy Jones for his avant-garde inclinations before he became a benevolent kingpin of smooth jazz. The composer and keyboardist Bob James, who will turn 87 just months before Big Ears 2027, has lived a fascinating career, his journey from small-town Missouri to multiple Grammy awards and a discography that dances between genres a truly remarkable one. In 1965, for instance, he made a cutting-edge improvisational record with Robert Ashley and Gordon Mumma for ESP-Disk, linking jazz and electronics when few others had; only 13 years later, James released Touchdown, his electric piano and Oberheim synthesizers becoming synonymous with the sound of smooth jazz. He has made records with Herbie Hancock and Paul Simon, Earl Klugh and Brian Blade, Sarah Vaughan and John Zorn. An incredibly lyrical and versatile pianist, James has quietly become profoundly influential in modern music.
His dizzying story is finally being told. In October 2022, Wilco pianist Mikael Jorgensen saw James play in Los Angeles. Jorgensen’s father, Joe, had been James’ engineer for 15 years, with James serving as a kind of mentor for the kid. When they saw one another again for the first time in three decades, Jorgensen decided to make a documentary called Avant Smooth, exploring the two unexpected sides of James’ career. He recruited hip-hop stars to talk about why James’ music was such perfect fodder for their beats and delved into the compositional process with James himself. As they continued working on the film, James joined Wilco onstage at their 2026 Solid Sound festival in Massachusetts, playing “Angela” as walk-on music and improvising with Jorgensen and guitarist Nels Cline. Big Ears will honor James’ unlikely tale with a performance from his jazz quartet and a conversation about his life and career.
