Category Archives: Jazz Funk
BACKBEATS: IN THE POCKET-70S JAZZ FUNK.
BACKBEATS: IN THE POCKET-70S JAZZ FUNK. Ever since the birth of jazz, the music has never stood still. Instead, it’s been constantly evolving. That was the case in the early seventies. By the early seventies, jazz had to evolve to survive. Jazz’s popularity had been surpassed by soul music. Even soul jazz which had proved …
WEATHER REPORT-THE COLUMBIA ALBUMS 1971-1975.
WEATHER REPORT-THE COLUMBIA ALBUMS 1971-1975. Recently Columbia Records have been delving into their archives and releasing a series of lavish box sets. So far, there’s been box sets to suit all musical tastes. Whether it’s jazz legends like Duke Ellington or Louis Armstrong or seventies rock there’s something for everyone. Fans of jazz-fusion haven’t been …
SOUL JAZZ RECORDS PRESENTS: DEUTSCHE ELECKTRONISCHE MUZIK 2.
SOUL JAZZ RECORDS PRESENTS: DEUTSCHE ELECKTRONISCHE MUZIK 2. Sometimes, when it comes to compilations, sequels don’t quite live up the first volume in a series. Often, the first volume in a series has exhausted the supply of seminal music. So, when the eagerly awaited sequel is released, there’s often a sense of disappointment. Too often, …
GEORGE DUKE-DON’T LET GO.
GEORGE DUKE-DON’T LET GO. There aren’t may artists who’ve worked with such an eclectic range of artists as George Duke. Among the artists George Duke has worked with are Frank Zappa, Anita Baker Flora Purim, right through to Jean Luc-Ponty, Cannonball Adderley, Billy Cobham and George Clinton. Whether it was jazz, rock, soul, disco, R&B …
RONNIE LAWS-MR. NICE GUY AND CLASSIC MASTERS.
RONNIE LAWS-MR. NICE GUY AND CLASSIC MASTERS. Having spent two years at university in Texas, Ronnie Laws decided the world of academia wasn’t for him. He left university to join a new band who were fusing funk and soul. Ronnie played flute and saxophone on their third album Last Days and Time, released in November …
NORMAN HARRIS-THE HARRIS MACHINE.
NORMAN HARRIS-THE HARRIS MACHINE. For Norman Harris, all his hard work building Gold Mind Records had been in vain. Gold Mind Records had been experiencing financial problems and eventually became part of Salsoul Records. Latterly, Gold Mind Records didn’t even have a distributor. Eventually the Cayre brothers decided that the only solution was that Gold …
AZTECA-PYRAMID OF THE MOON.
AZTECA-PYRAMID OF THE MOON. During the ten months between the release of Azteca’s debut album Azteca, and the release of their sophomore album, Pyramid of The Moon, the future looked bright for Coke and Pete Escovedo’s genre defying band. Released in December 1972, Azteca had reached number 151 in the US Billboard 200 and number …
THE BRECKER BROTHERS-BACK TO BACK.
THE BRECKER BROTHERS-BACK TO BACK. During the seventies, The Brecker Brothers were the go-to guys for anyone looking for a horn section. This wasn’t any horn section though. Quite the opposite. The Brecker Brothers were one of the hottest horn sections of the seventies. Their services and sound was constantly in demand. No wonder. Michael …
THE BROTHERS JOHNSON-BLAM!
THE BROTHERS JOHNSON-BLAM! Before Quincy Jones spotted The Brothers Johnson at a Stevie Wonder rehearsal, they’d been part of Billy Preston’s band. After Quincy Jones discovered guitarist George and bassist Louis, The Brothers Johnson embarked on a twelve year, seven album adventure for Herb Albert’s A&M Records. The first four albums The Brothers Johnson released …
THE ORIGINAL MASTERS-DISCO VOLUME 8.
THE ORIGINAL MASTERS-DISCO VOLUME 8. As many regular readers of this blog will realize, I’m constantly on the lookout for new music to tell you about. With the lack of new releases from both the major and independent record companies, I’m having to dig even deeper looking for new music. That’s meant I’ve been checking …
DEXTER WANSEL-VOYAGER.
DEXTER WANSEL-VOYAGER. For any label, losing many members of their house-band, plus some of their best songwriters, arrangers and producers could’ve proved fatal. This is what happened at Philadelphia International Records in 1975. Many of M.F.S.B. were locked in a dispute with Gamble and Huff over money. When the dispute couldn’t be resolved many of …
THE CRUSADERS-STREET LIFE.
THE CRUSADERS-STREET LIFE. Having started their career as The Jazz Crusaders and releasing their debut album Freedom Sound in 1961, it took a change in name and sound before their music became commercially popular. This transformation occurred in 1971, with The Jazz Crusaders becoming The Crusaders. They released their “debut” album as The Crusaders in …
RONNIE FOSTER-DELIGHT.
RONNIE FOSTER-DELIGHT. After the release of Ronnie Foster’s previous album, 1978s Love Satellite, Ronnie headed out on the road with George Duke, before accompanying George Benson on one of his tours. On his return home, Ronnie would release the most commercially successful album of his career, Delight. On Delight, which was rereleased by SoulMusic Records …
RONNIE FOSTER-LOVE SATELLITE.
RONNIE FOSTER-LOVE SATELLITE. Between 1972 and 1975, Ronnie Foster released four studio albums and one live album for the legendary Blue Note label. His debut album was 1972s critically acclaimed The Two Headed Freap, before releasing the funk drenched Sweet Revival in 1973. It saw Ronnie interpret ten tracks, including The O’Jays classic Back Stabbers …
GQ-TWO.
GQ-TWO. When Sabu and The Soul Survivors were founded in 1968 they were a quartet, but by the early seventies, the group became The Rhythm Makers primarily playing funk. The Rhythm Makers released one album had one Hole In Your Side, which contained the jazz-funk hit Zone. Then when drummer Kenny Banks left the group, …
QUINCY JONES-YOU’VE GOT IT BAD GIRL.
QUINCY JONES-YOU’VE GOT IT BAD GIRL. During his career, Quincy Jones has fulfilled every musical role possible. This has seen him working as an arranger, producer, composer, conductor and musician. Despite this, when many people talk about Quincy’s career, they automatically mention that he produced Michael Jackson’s legendary 1981 Thriller. Mind you, Thriller did sell …
HARVEY MASON-GROOVIN’ YOU.
HARVEY MASON-GROOVIN’ YOU. By the time Harvey Mason signed a five year recording contract with Clive Davis’ Arista Records in 1976, Harvey was one of the most in-demand session drummers. He was seen as the go-to guy for anyone needing a top-class drummer. This saw Harvey playing on albums by Minnie Riperton, Donald Byrd, Chick …
TOM BROWNE-MAGIC.
TOM BROWNE-MAGIC. The story of jazz trumpeter Tom Browne’s career is a quite remarkable one. Born in Queens, New York in 1954, Tom’s first choice of instrument wasn’t the trumpet. Aged eleven he’d originally started learning the piano, before being inspired to switch to the trumpet by his collection of jazz albums. By 1975, Tom …
dereksmusicblog
