Four80East

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.

Four80East
Four80East founding members, Tony Grace (left) and Rob DeBoer (right).
Background information
Origin	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Jazz, electro jazz, contemporary jazz, acid jazz
Years active	1997-present
Labels	Native Language, Boomtang Records
Members	Rob DeBoer and Tony Grace
Website	www.four80east.com

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.^[1] The group's name comes from the address of Boomtang's recording studio, The Speed of Sound, at 480 Richmond Street East in Toronto.^[2]

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 ^[3] Filming studio was Raje Films.^[4]

The pair's second album Nocturnal, was released in 2001;^[5] 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.^[6]

The album Round 3 came out in 2002,^[7] and included contributions from harmonica player Carlos Del Junco.^[8]

Their fourth album, En Route, containing instrumental dance music, was released in 2007.^[9]

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

Permanent members

• Rob DeBoer – keyboards, bass and guitar
• Tony Grace – percussion

Albums

Studio albums

Year	Album	Peak chart positions		Label
		US Jazz [10]	US Con. Jazz [11]
1998	The Album	29	18	Boomtang
2001	Nocturnal	26	15
2003	Round 3	—	—
2007	En Route	25	10
2009	Roll On	20	10
2012	Off Duty	26	11
2015	Positraction	—	—
2020	Straight Round	—	—
2021	Mixed Up (remixes)	—	—
2023	Gonna Be Alright	—	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

Live albums

Year	Album	Peak chart positions		Label
		US Jazz [12]	US Con. Jazz [13]
2014	Four80East – Live!	—	—	Boomtang
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

Extended plays

Year	Album	Peak chart positions		Label
		US Jazz [14]	US Con. Jazz [15]
2019	Four on the Floor – (EP)	—	11	Boomtang
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions	Album
		Smooth Jazz Airplay [16]
2007	"Noodle Soup"	3	En Route
2010	"Down to It" (Jack Prybylski with Four80East)	25	Jack Prybylski – Out of the Box
2012	"M-Powered" (Marcus Anderson featuring Four80East)	12	Marcus Anderson – Now
	"Sandbar"	23	Off Duty
2015	"Cookie Strut"	5	Positraction
2019	"Cinco Cinco Seis"	1	Mixed Up
2020	"Ba Ba Brazil"	6	Straight Round
2023	"This Time Around"	2	Gonna Be Alright
2024	"Gonna Be Alright"	24