Four80East is a Canadian electro jazz ensemble from Toronto, Ontario, with Rob DeBoer (keyboards, bass and guitar) and Tony Grace (percussion); accompanied by various session musicians. Although Four80East began as a studio concept, they have evolved into a live act. Their music is known for its percussive, melodic flow and bass grooves.

History

Four80East began as a studio project when DeBoer and Grace, who had been writing, arranging and producing for other artists on their Boomtang Records label (cf. The Boomtang Boys), put together material of their own and released it as The Album, in 1997. The Album was well received by critics and the public alike. The group's name comes from the address of Boomtang's recording studio, The Speed of Sound, at 480 Richmond Street East in Toronto. In 1998 they had released music video titled Four80East: Eastside and styled black & white, based on music track from The Album under same name Eastside. Video had been filmed on locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Director was Jeremy Hood, filmed by Domenico A. Galloro. Budget was estimated as CA$20,000 Filming studio was Raje Films. The pair's second album Nocturnal, was released in 2001; DeBoer and Grace wrote all of the songs for the album, and enlisted tenor saxophonist Jon Stewart, flutist Andrew McPherson, and trumpeter Ivana Santilli to contribute instrumentals. The album Round 3 came out in 2002, and included contributions from harmonica player Carlos Del Junco. Their fourth album, En Route, containing instrumental dance music, was released in 2007. Four80East's fifth CD, Roll On, came out in 2009, followed by a sixth, Off Duty, in 2012. Four80East LIVE, a collection of 15 select songs recorded from three different shows, was released in early 2014. The group is also featured on the 2007 compilation album, The Weather Channel Presents: The Best of Smooth Jazz.

Band members

Discography