My last post will be what is, in my opinion, a truly sublime album, as Janet Lawson may well be one of my favorite jazz singers. She's got a free scatting style that's reminiscent of 70s work by singers like Flora Purim, Jackie Cain, or Monika Linges: very breezy, in a mode that works perfectly with her loosely swinging combo —which has a definite fusion bent! The record's really great all the way through – with piano modally grooving along with Janet's vocals – sax and flute twisting into the mix, inflecting the lyrics with just the right hint of jazzy riffing. Titles include the airy "Sunday Afternoon", "So High", "Nothing Like You", "You Promised", and a great reading of Chick Corea's "Shazam". Don't miss this one guys!
Hey, crisis or not, I guess we would be happy to pay if LA's always this funky! Burton Inc step out here with a wealth of great underground club tracks and deep modern soul – one that's equal part dancefloor groove, uptempo funk, and soulful singing – electric keys dancing underneath righteous female vocals – and a sound that's slightly more righteous than most grooves from the time! Tracks include the eponymous track, the moving 'Groovin' At The Nightclub', the snapping number 'Who You Gonna Get' and the mighty 'See What You Made Me Do'.
Quoted from AMG: Trumpeter Eddie Gale's second Blue Note outing as a leader is one of the most adventurous recordings to come out of the 1960s. 'Black Rhythm Happening' picks up where 'Ghetto Music'left off, in that it takes the soul and free jazz elements of his debut and adds to them the sound of the church in all its guises -- from joyous call and response celebration on the title track (and album opener), to the mournful funeral sounds of "Song of Will," — all thanks to the Eddie Gale Singers. Elsewhere, wild smatterings of hard and post-bop ("Ghetto Love Night") and angular modal music ("Ghetto Summertime"), turn the jazz paradigm of the era inside out, simultaneously admitting everything in a coherent, wonderfully ambitious whole. The album closes with "Look at Teyonda," a sprawling exercise in the deep melding of African and Latin folk musics with the folk-blues, flamenco, and jazz rhythms. 'Black Rhythm Happening' is a timeless, breathtaking recording, one that sounds as forward-thinking and militant in the 21st century as it did in 1969.
A fantastic bit of funky fusion from Brazil — Keyboardist Cesar Mariano leads the group through a set of tight choppy electric tunes that easily rank with the best work on American 70s labels, like CTI or Kudu, but with some excellent additional touches that take the work to a whole new level! Electric keyboards mix with acoustic bass and piano – for a groove that's both funky, but also touched with strong elements of Brazilian jazz. Includes the cool funky track "Metropole", the break cut "Fabrica", and the mellow groover "Imigrantes" – as well as the tunes "Metro", "Litoral", and the uniquely growing number "Futebol De Bar".
Amazing! This lost Roy Ayers-produced gem from the early 80s has not only been one of the biggest sample records of all time, but it's also become one of the holy grails of the groovy record collecting scene! It's a stellar bit of jazzy soul tracks with the same production vibe that's characterized Roy's best work, but it's made all the more sublime thanks to Sylvia Striplin's beautifully fragile and soulful vocals, which sound a bit like Minnie Riperton's. The record's got arrangements by Sylvia, Roy, and James Bedford (who also recorded for Uno Melodic), and it includes classics like "Give Me Your Love", "You Can't Turn Me Away", "Look Towards The Sky", "All Alone", and a great cover of Roy Ayers' "Searchin".
A supremely fantastic album, and one that's always woefully overlooked in discussions of James Brown's incredible People label! Sweet Charles, Charles Sherell, was a great lost soul vocalist who had a voice that was warm and mellow, with a sweetness that was often missing from James' singing – but which sounded great with his arrangements and production. Fred Wesley and Dave Matthews arranged this one and only album, and the record's a great blend of sweet soul tracks, funky numbers, and other stellar grooves. There's a killer version of "Soul Man", that begins with a very tasty break; the monster "Yes, It's You", which has a sweetly sliding intro that's ripe for sampling; the righteous political "Why Can't I Be Treated Like A Man"'; and lots of other nice ones too!
An essential record from Gary Bartz – one of two albums he cut with Andy Bey, and the killer group he was calling his NTU Troop! Andy's vocals are incredible – light years ahead of anything he did with his sisters, and similar to those he laid down on his own solo album for Atlantic, and on Blue Note sides with Horace Silver – a righteous mix of jazz and soul, with a burning intensity that makes the political themes of the tracks come out strongly. The album includes one of Andy's all time classics – the original 7 minute version of "Celestial Blues", plus the fantastically grooving "Uhuru Sasa" – as well as the cuts "The Planets", and "Blue (A Folk Tale)". And Gary Bartz is of course pretty great too – dropping in these angular reed lines that really give the record an edge, and which sound totally great next to Bey's vocals!
The never-before released full album from keyboardist Manzel Bush – the legendary 70s funk figure well-remembered for his classic break tracks! As a whole, the album's a masterpiece of spacey keyboards and funky drums – funkier than just about any other record one can think of from the late 70s! The set was recently put together by Manzel in collaboration with Kenny Dope, and many of the tracks feature new mixes by Kenny & The Undercover Brother – done in such a way that really respects the original grooves of the tunes, and which only sweetens them a bit in the right places, or brings out the funky drums even more. Every cut is a stone monster – and the quality of the set is amazing – with obscure cuts that sound every bit as wonderful as the more famous sample tracks like "Space Funk" or "Midnight Theme". Titles include "Jump Street", "Sugar Dreams", "Long Way Home", "Just For You", "It's Over Now", "The Party", "Vera Cruz", "Space Funk", "Midnight Theme", and "Evil Wicked Mean & Nasty".
The Wayne Henderson-produced self-titled LP by this little-kown LA band is like a lost soul album from the height of Fantasy Records —think Side Effect, Pleasure, or Sweet Talks. It features a tight keyboard and brass-driven streak of songs, at the crossroads between jazzy late 70s soul and the early iterations of 80s Funk. It is most remembered by groovers worlwide for the rare groove anthem 'You Can Get It' and the mellower 'Hollywood Dreaming', but it also includes other tasty nuggets such as 'Dance To It' or 'Shine On'.
Hailed by Mister Gilles Peterson as one of the best latin fusion albums of all-time, this 1975 release by Raices is indeed a killer batch of spiritual and funky latin-jazz that deserves a high praise. Mixing strong jazzy playing, a great New York-produced sound, and a gift for energetic shifts within the compositions, it stands as one of the better lost gems of the era —with that disrespect for fixed categories which makes adventurous music so fantastic. Includes the self-explicit 'Bluegarian Funk Dance', the great 'Lenguas', 'Bamboo' and the soulful 'Parallax'.
An under-recognised output of the legendary Hi Studios in Memphis, produced by Willie Mitchell, this album is a real gem of firing southern soul. Johnny Robinson, an Alabama native, made the switch to secular singing a few years prior to this recording, and echoes of the very best soul singers of this era can be heard in his extremely heartfelt, passionate singing. The production has this typical southern raw and soulful quality, and be it swinging ballads such as 'We Are Going To Make It' or 'Slip Away', or groovy numbers such as 'Kansas City' or 'Funky Feet', you're in for a treat. What a cover, too!
A killer bit of modern soul – one of the standout classics from the best years of Arista! Richard Evans produced and arranged this excellent set of smooth soul grooves for Linda Williams. Linda plays keyboards and sings, and the album was recorded in 2 different sessions – one in LA, and one in Chicago. The album's got a nice jazzy sound, with a similar feel to the Breakwater LPs on Arista at the time. Linda's voice is as wonderful on this set as on anything we've heard from her, and with her depth of talents on the piano & keys, and on the songwriting tip, she's a real creative force at the top of her game here! Tracks include "No Love, No Where, Without You", "Oh Honey", "Loving You Forever", and the great groover "Elevate Our Minds", which is worth the price of the record alone!
One of the more open-ended sessions that Brother Jack cut for Atlantic – with less of the tight larger soul arrangements that the label usually saddled him with, and that makes for a great, groovy LP! David Newman plays a variety of saxes, and the group also includes a young Melvin Sparks on guitar. Tracks are longish, and the album includes the magnificent originals "Duffin 'Round", "Esperanto", and "More Head" – as well as stunning versions of "Sunny" and "But It's Alright"!
Don Thompson's only known LP on Brunswick is a rather unique funky ode to love and booty-shaking, with a sense of the beat that's totally compelling. Don's sound is rich and full, with fuzzy keyboards and clean drums, horn breaks so funky that they have to be heard. His raw masculine voice does the rest on this essential LP of late 1970s funky soul. Most noteworthy are the joyful floorfillers 'Hang Loose' and the title track, as well as the great 'Please Don't Make Yourself At Home'.
My last post will be what is, in my opinion, a truly sublime album, as Janet Lawson may well be one of my favorite jazz singers. She's got a free scatting style that's reminiscent of 70s work by singers like Flora Purim, Jackie Cain, or Monika Linges: very breezy, in a mode that works perfectly with her loosely swinging combo —which has a definite fusion bent!
