The celebrated and prolific Grammy Award-winning jazz keyboardist Bob James was discovered and signed to his first record contract by Quincy Jones in 1962. James would go on to record over 60 solo albums and guest on as many more while working in New York City recording studios and hiring some of the greatest musicians of all time to play his unique blend of jazz-funk-fusion
Bob wrote “Angela,” the theme to the hit TV sitcom “Taxi” in 1976, which put his music in the ears of millions of viewers every week for the six-year, 118-episode run and the subsequent decades of re-runs cemented his place in mainstream American culture.
A decade later, Hip Hop producers began sampling Bob’s early recordings without permission or compensation, so suddenly his music was being discovered by a brand-new audience. Now Bob holds the distinction of being the second most sampled artist in Hip Hop (James Brown is in first place). Bob, the son of an attorney, took his copyright and IP very seriously and, in the early days of Hip Hop, found himself in an uncomfortable position, having to protect his music from unauthorized and unpaid use.
Bob’s recording engineer from 1975-1990 was Phil Ramone's protege Joe Jorgensen, father of Mikael Jorgensen from the Grammy Award-winning band Wilco. Mikael would attend recording sessions and concerts in the late 1970s in Manhattan with Joe and became hooked on music and music production. Bob James provided Mikael with hand-me-down instruments, computers and gear to help Mikael’s musical exploration. Joe passed away in 2003 after battling cancer.
In October 2022 Mikael saw Bob perform at The Catalina Jazz Club in Los Angeles after not seeing him for over 30 years. Their brief post-show interaction felt like there was more to say, so Jorgensen decided to direct a film that told Bob’s story.
In February of 2023, Jorgensen went to The Blue Note in New York to film Bob performing with Talib Kweli’s band celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. Mikael spoke with Talib Kweli, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels from RUN DMC, and captured a roundtable featuring Hip Hop producers DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, and Statik Selektah about their love for Bob’s music and its significance as one of the cornerstones of the musical vocabulary of Hip Hop.
“There’s no Hip Hop if it ain’t you!”
- Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of RUN DMC on Bob James
At Bob’s home in Traverse City, MI, Mikael conducted four days of interviews and conversations with Bob about his life and music in June of 2023. Notable moments include the conversations, stories, and memories that came up between the two of them while sitting on the couch listening to a playlist of Bob’s songs as well as Bob sitting at his piano articulating his appreciation for Gershwin, a deep dive into the song “Angela”, Bob talking about his struggle with perfectionism.
June 2026 provided a new chapter for this story as Bob James and his family joined Mikael Jorgensen and Wilco for Solid Sound at MASSMoCA in the Berkshires. Over the course of the three day bi-annual music, comedy and art festival Bob and his family were able to take in the loving embrace provided by Solid Sound and, for the first time saw Mikael perform with Wilco and another of his musical endeavors, Expandards. At the end of the second night Jeff Tweedy suggested that Bob James and Mikael walk out just before Wilco’s Saturday closing set and perform “Angela”, the iconic theme from the TV show “Taxi”. The audience was surprised to see the lights dim and someone other than Wilco walk out, but most recognized the song by its distinctive opening notes. Bob and Mikael hosted festival-goers in two events showcasing clips from this documentary, told more about their connection and this project and in the second session they treated the audience to an improvised performance where they were joined by Wilco guitarist Nels Cline. Much of this magical weekend was captured for inclusion in the film along with new interviews with Bob, his daughter Hilary James Disimone and Broadway producer / director Jack O’Brien who is Bob’s longtime friend and sometime collaborator.
“Bob James: Avant Smooth” will be a feature-length film about creativity and the struggles and successes of a talented, prolific, and influential musician through interviews and archival materials.
Additionally a series of educational shorts that take a deeper dive into conversations about creativity, collaboration and connections that will allow students (and others) who want to explore more how these well-respected musicians and composers find their creative path.
(Bob James & Mikael Jorgensen, February 2023
Photo: Janette Beckman
Large Professor, Pete Rock, Talib Kweli, Statik Selektah, DJ Premier & Bob James Feb 2023. Photo: Janette Beckman