There are 2 groups known as Fourplay, 1) An American smooth jazz group, 2) An Australian string quartet: 1. Fourplay is a jazz group, founded around 1990, in the USA. Current members are: Bob James (keyboards & programming), Nathan East (bass & vocal), Chuck Loeb (guitar) & Harvey Mason (drums & percussion). Loeb replaced Larry Carlton who himself had replaced the founding guitarist, Lee Ritenour in '98.
James "Blood" Ulmer (born February 2, 1942 in St. Matthews, South Carolina) is an American avant-garde jazz and blues guitarist and singer. Ulmer's distinctive guitar sound has been described as "jagged" and "stinging." His singing has been called "raggedly soulful." Ulmer began his career playing with various soul jazz ensembles, and first recorded with organist John Patton in 1969. After moving to New York in 1971, Ulmer played with Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Joe Henderson, Paul Bley, Rashied Ali and Larry Young.
Manu Dibango (Emmanuel N'Djok
(For the Japanese jazz-punk fusion band formed in Osaka, see ミドリ.) There is more than one artist under this name: 1. Midori Goto (五嶋みどり, Gotou Midori, born on October 25, 1971 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese violinist.
She is known in music circles as one of the most brilliant and exciting violinists of our time.
Usually referred to simply as Midori (she dropped the surname in response to the dissolution of her parents' marriage), she was first taught the violin by her mother, Setsu Goto, who discovered her daughter's innate musicality at the age of two...
Tanghetto is a Buenos Aires-based band that focuses its material in the combination of Argentine tango with electronic music, jazz and other musical genres. The “Tanghetto sound” is rather unique; it's a fusion of diverse sources of inspiration, both contemporary and traditional, that converge in Buenos Aires with the bandoneon (the nostalgic and characteristic instrument of the tango). Bandoneon takes the singer's role and is surrounded by diverse acoustic instruments and a sonic wall of synths and samplers.
Hijaz is sextet that combines elements from worldmusic and jazz. Moufadhel Adhoum, Tunesian oudplayer brings in the Nord-African melodic themes while, Niko Deman from Greek origine adds his traditional influences to the music. Together with the Moroccan percussionist Azzedine Jazzouli, basplayer Vincent Noiret and percussionist Chryster Aerts both jazz musicians from Belgium, Hijaz creates a European-Meditaranian jazzy sound. http://www.myspace.com/hijazgroup
Hiromi Uehara (上原ひろみ, born March 26, 1979) is a Japanese jazz composer and pianist. She is known for her virtuosic technique, energetic live performances and blend of musical genres such as jazz, progressive rock, classical and fusion in her compositions. She performs as a trio alongside bassist Tony Grey and drummer Martin Valihora. On October 19, 2006, the trio added guitarist David Fiuczynski (from the Screaming Headless Torsos), to form Hiromi's Sonicbloom.
Eliane Elias (b. 1960) is a Brazilian jazz composer, pianist, and singer. Born on the 19th March 1960 in São Paulo, Brazil, Elias started learning to play the piano at the age of seven, and was transcribing solo portions of her parents’ jazz records by the age of twelve. After studying for six years (and teaching by the age of fifteen) at Brazil’s prestigious Free Centre of Music Apprenticeship, she continued her classical education with Amilton Godoy and Amaral Vieria.
The Pat Metheny Group is a jazz group founded in 1977 known for their consistently recognizable yet eclectic sound, fusing elements of new jazz, fusion, heartland folk, Latin and other international styles. The music ranges from highly refined melodic and rhythmic excursions to lyrical tone poems, to avant-garde textures, and much more. Core members of the group are guitarist and leader Pat Metheny, keyboard player and pianist Lyle Mays, and bassist Steve Rodby, who joined in 1980. The group has had many additional personnel come and go over the years.
A versatile drummer, Lenny White is still best-known for being part of Chick Corea's Return To Forever in the 1970's. White was self-taught on drums and he largely started his career on top, playing regularly with Jackie McLean (1968) and recording "Bitches Brew" with Miles Davis in 1969. White was soon working with some of the who's who of jazz including Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, Gato Barbieri, Gil Evans, Stanley Clarke and Stan Getz among others.