Straight Up is Bob James' 24th album. It was recorded on December 20 and 21, 1995, and released on May 28, 1996.
| Straight Up | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 18, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | December 20 & 21, 1995 | |||
| Studio | The Power Station (New York, NY)[1] | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 54:27 | |||
| Label | Warner Records | |||
| Producer | Matt Pierson | |||
| Bob James chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [2] |
Scott Yanow of AllMusic concludes, "With (Christian) McBride and (Brian) Blade contributing consistently stimulating interplay, Bob James has recorded what is certainly the finest jazz album of his career."
Don Heckman of the Los Angeles Times gives this album 2 out of a possible 4 stars and concludes his review with, "this is still not the jazz outing that, somewhere, somehow, he is capable of making."[2]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Bob James, unless otherwise noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nightcrawler" | 4:42 | |
| 2. | "Ambrosia" | 6:29 | |
| 3. | "James" | 4:53 | |
| 4. | "The Jody Grind" | Horace Silver | 7:09 |
| 5. | "Lost April" |
| 5:38 |
| 6. | "Three Mice Blind" | 7:19 | |
| 7. | "Hockney" | 6:10 | |
| 8. | "Shooting Stars" | 6:21 | |
| 9. | "Quiet Now" | Denny Zeitlin | 5:46 |
| Total length: | 54:27 | ||
Musicians
edit- Bob James – piano
- Christian McBride – bass
- Brian Blade – drums
Production
edit- Producer – Matt Pierson
- Engineer, Mixing – James Farber
- Engineer – Ken Freeman
- Assistant Engineer – Glen Marchese
- Assistant Engineer – Rory Romano
- Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
- Production Coordination – Dana Watson
- Photography – Herman Leonard
- Photography – Jeffrey Scales
Track information and credits adapted the album's liner notes.[3]
Charts
edit| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Traditional Jazz Albums (Billboard)[4] | 6 |
| Jazz Albums (Billboard)[5] | 20 |
References
edit- ^ a b Yanow, Scott. Bob James - Straight Up at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ a b Heckman, Don (5 July 1996). "Bob James Trio "Straight Up" Warner Bros". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ Straight Up (liner notes). Bob James. Warner Records. 1996. 9 45956-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Bob James Chart History – Traditional Jazz Albums)". Billboard. 16 August 1996. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ "Bob James Chart History – Jazz Albums)". Billboard. 21 June 1996. Retrieved 14 February 2020.