Rhodes Scholar: Jazz-Funk Classics 1974 - 1982

2013 two CD collection. Legendary keyboardist and composer Bob James is one of the major architects of the '70s jazz-funk sound, and is also notorious among a younger generation raised on hip hop. His early albums have been plundered for samples countless times, and his tunes "Nautilus" and "(Take Me To The) Mardi Gras" are two of the most revered b-boy classics, acknowledged as musical foundations of the hip hop movement. Amazingly, until now there has been no collection that focused on the funkiest side of the keyboardist's vast catalog, the years when his instrument of choice was the classic Fender Rhodes electric piano. The 22 songs here are the gold that beat-diggers sift through stacks of albums to find, with all of James' heaviest (and most heavily sampled) tracks included.