Straight Up (Bob James album)

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
ReleasedMay 18, 1996 (1996-05-18)
RecordedDecember 20 & 21, 1995
StudioThe Power Station (New York, NY)[1]
GenreJazz
Length54:27
LabelWarner Records
ProducerMatt Pierson
Bob James chronology
Restless
(1994)
Straight Up
(1996)
Playin' Hooky
(1997)

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
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

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All tracks are written by Bob James, unless otherwise noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Nightcrawler" 4:42
2."Ambrosia" 6:29
3."James"4:53
4."The Jody Grind"Horace Silver7:09
5."Lost April"5:38
6."Three Mice Blind" 7:19
7."Hockney" 6:10
8."Shooting Stars" 6:21
9."Quiet Now"Denny Zeitlin5:46
Total length:54:27

Musicians

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Production

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  • 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

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Chart (1996) Peak
position
Traditional Jazz Albums (Billboard)[4] 6
Jazz Albums (Billboard)[5] 20

References

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  1. ^ a b Yanow, Scott. Bob James - Straight Up at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b Heckman, Don (5 July 1996). "Bob James Trio "Straight Up" Warner Bros". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  3. ^ 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)
  4. ^ "Bob James Chart History – Traditional Jazz Albums)". Billboard. 16 August 1996. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Bob James Chart History – Jazz Albums)". Billboard. 21 June 1996. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
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