Bob James & Earl Klugh Feature Story Page 2

When asked how they came to work together, Earl Klugh recalls “ meeting in 1978 when I opened for Bob as part of a West Coast tour. A few nights into the tour, we were talking over dinner and thought it would be fun to play one or two songs together. “ This combination worked so well that the idea of an album came up and that was “One on One”.  This album contained only six songs, (Kira, Afterglow, Love Lips, Mallorca, I’ll Never See You Smile, and Winding River) with three written by Earl Klugh, and three written by Bob James. It went on to sell a million copies and garnered a Grammy win for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.  It’s interesting to note that they didn’t win for Jazz, but rather in the Pop category. When asked about the impact of the album on Jazz, David Wilkes  (A & R Consultant for Koch Records) said, “ they were pioneers of Smooth Jazz”.

Bob and Earl reunited in this July at the Blue Note in NYC celebrating the 30^th Anniversary of One on One. Jazz Monthly.Com was there for the opening show, which also included Al Turner on bass and Roy Otis on drums. The set was filled with songs from each of their catalogs including Fugitive Life from their later Cool album, Heartstring, NY Samba and a gutsy version of the Theme from Taxi featuring a sizzling solo by Al Turner on bass.

After the set, these two musical giants spent time autographing CD’s, especially the 30th anniversary edition of One on One which features additional material and interviews. Marion Orr for Bob James and Diane Waichunas for Earl Klugh arranged for fans to have an opportunity to get an autograph or chat with Bob and Earl.  When asked why they thought One on One had such staying power, Bob James said that it captured how smooth they were when they played together…”we were cool, and smooth before there was a Smooth Jazz!”

JazzMonthly.Com congratulates these two exceptional Jazz Artists on the 30th anniversary of their collaboration on One on One and hopes that they will continue to shape and re-shape Jazz as we know it on their own solo work as well as on future collaborative projects!

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