A key piece of latin funk, though not such a famous piece of Mr Bataan's discography, 'Afrofilipino' pays tribute to his origins while pushing ahead the boogaloo/soul formula that made his breakthrough with Fania in the 1960s. Bataan's first album on the newly-formed Salsoul label (a phrase he was instrumental in coining), this record contains a healthy dose of organ/keyboard- filled latin funk, with a rather unique sound. The hit single back in the days was his great pre-disco cover of Gil Scott-Heron 'The Bottle' (re-titled 'La Botella'), while the title track, 'Women Don't Want To Love Me' and the epic 2-part song 'What Good Is A Castle' are all high points of the genre.
For those still unaware, this is one of the classic independent underground funk LPs of the 1970s! The Whole Darn Family were a seven-piece band (augmented by a six-piece horn section) from Richmond, Virginia, featuring the production and writing skills of August Moon and lead vocalist Tyrone Thomas. The tunes here range from driving soul sounds as in "You Know That You Lied" to more complex numbers like "Fly Away Love Bird," which exhibits Joel Smither's lovely flute. The oft-sampled, seven-minute instrumental "Seven Minutes of Funk" is funk-fused with jazz elements, accented by Steve Carey's synthesizer, Woody Hughes' emphatic bass playing, Tommy Bryant and Kenny Mimms' sweet guitar licks, and Thomas' steady drumming. A funky "Ain't Nothing to Do," unleashes a rock guitar punctuated by O. T. Young's conga beats and keyboardist Clinton Smith's solid playing, while the teary "I'm Hurt" has a strong Al Green/Otis Redding vibe.
Funky keyboard work from Frank Strazzeri– a player who's really stretching out here in the 70s, with a massively cosmic vibe you'd never have guessed from his earlier work! Strazzeri had recorded and played heavily around the LA scene by the time of this mid 70s release – but none of his other work was as wonderfully soulful as this! Frank's working here on moog and electric piano – in a group that includes Sam Most on tenor, Bobby Shew on trumpet, and Don Alias on percussion – grooving with Frank in a gently funky way that's got a heck of a lot of soul, and which makes for some nice extended tunes with an amazing sonic architecture. Titles include "After The Rain", "Rush Hour", "Philadelphia Flyer", the splendid "Cloudburst", and "The Third Eye".
Kellee Patterson's amazing first album for the Shadybrook label – a total killer all the way through, and much harder and heavier than any of her later sides for the label! The record's got a nice jazzy vibe that's a good bridge between her earlier work on Black Jazz, and her later, straighter soul material – a dose of funk in all the right places, and a touch of spiritual leanings too – really put together with a wonderful feel that sets the album apart from much other work of the time. Includes a sublime breakbeat version of "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" – with killer drums, and an excellent monologue at the beginning – plus a great cover of Grover Washington's "Mister Magic", with some interesting vocals. Other titles include "Time To Space", "What You Don't Know", and "I Love Music". Gene Russell handled production and arrangements, too!
A killer album of breezy bossa-fied jazz from the West Coast! Viva Brasil worked for many years as part of the underground Brazilian scene in San Francisco - home to smaller combos similar to themseves, and bigger names who often recorded on Fantasy Records. There's a full album's worth of great cuts here, all with the cool breezy west coast Brazilian feel that was the group's trademark style, including the massive club track "Skindo-Le-Le". Whilst partly electric, the core sound is like a floating acoustic one with jazzy influences, often with Ruben Moura's vocals to the fore. Joe Henderson guest stars on the track "Iemanja", and the LP includes the tracks "O Bode", Jocafi's evergreen "Voce Abusou", Bosco and Blanc's brilliant "Ronco Da Cuica" and "Menina Danada".
A key piece of latin funk, though not such a famous piece of Mr Bataan's discography, 'Afrofilipino' pays tribute to his origins while pushing ahead the boogaloo/soul formula that made his breakthrough with Fania in the 1960s.
