Category Archives: Funk

DISCO DEMANDS PART SIX-BY AL KENT.

Disco Demands Part Six-By Al Kent. Label: BBE Music. Release Date: ‘7th’ February 2020. After a ten year wait, Scotland’s disco King Al Kent makes a welcome return on the ‘7th’ of February 2020 with Disco Demands Part Six, which will be released by BBE Music as a 2CD or 3LP set. For fans of …

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ROY AYERS-VIRGIN UBIQUITY: UNRELEASED RECORDINGS 1976-1981 AND VIRGIN UBIQUITY II: UNRELEASED RECORDINGS 1976-1981.

Roy Ayers-Virgin Ubiquity: Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981 and Virgin Ubiquity II: Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981 Label: BBE Music. For Roy Ayers, the late-seventies through to the early eighties was one of the most productive periods of his long and illustrious careers. He was signed to Polydor Records, and between 1976 and 1981, the legendary vibes man was on …

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CULT CLASSIC: NON BAND-NON BAND.

Cult Classic: Non Band-Non Band . In the summer of 1978, a musical revolution took place in Japan, which changed music forevermore,..punk. The Japanese punk rockers were christened Tokyo Rockers, and initially were disregarded by the mainstream music industry. Record company executives made the mistake of thinking that the Japanese punk movement was just a …

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CULT CLASSIC: RIM KWAKU OBENG-RIM ARRIVES.

Cult Classic: Rim Kwaku Obeng-Rim Arrives. For collectors of Afro-funk and disco, many albums remain tantalisingly out of reach. This includes Ghanian drummer Rim Kwaku Obeng’s legionary lost debut album Rim Arrives. It was released in 1977, four years after a perilous time for Rim Kwaku Obeng.  He found himself stranded in London, without money, …

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CULT CLASSIC: TIM MAIA-TIM MAIA (1977).

Cult Classic: Tim Maia-Tim Maia (1977. As 1977 dawned, Tim Maia had already released seven albums since his 1970 eponymous debut, and although some of these album had been released to critical acclaim and were a commercial success, the charismatic Brazilian singer found himself financially embarrassed. Things had been going from bad to worse over the …

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CULT CLASSIC:SWAMP DOGG-I’M NOT SELLING OUT/I’M BUYING IN.

Cult Classic: Swamp Dogg-I’m Not Selling Out/I’m Buying In. During the sixties, Jerry Williams was for most part, a regular guy. He was a successful singer, songwriter and producer and for most of the time, he was content to help other people become stars. He was a songwriter, played on their albums and produced their …

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CULT CLASSIC: MARY AFI USUA-AFRICAN WOMAN.

Cult Classic: Mary Afi Usuah-African Woman. When Mary Afi Usuah released her sophomore album African Woman on Clover Music in 1978, very few people outside of Nigeria heard the album. That was despite Mary Afi Usuah having performed in front of hundreds of thousands of music fans.  Mary Afi Usuah had spent thirteen years touring …

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CULT CLASSIC: NEU!-NEU!

Cult Classic: Neu!-Neu! There aren’t many artists who after leaving one of the most pioneering groups in musical history, end up founding another groundbreaking group. That’s what happened to Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother who had both been members of Kraftwerk, but left in 1971. After leaving Kraftwerk, the pair  founded Neu! another Kratrock band.  …

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CULT CLASSIC: MELVIN SPARKS-TEXAS TWISTER.

Cult Classic: Melvin Sparks-Texas Twister. Although American jazz and blues guitarist Melvin Sparks enjoyed a career that spanned five decades, the most fruitful period of his career was the seventies, when he released five albums between 1970 and 1975. Melvin Sparks’ career began at Prestige Records, where he released a triumvirate of albums between 1970 …

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EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE ALRIGHT: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF WESTBOUND SOUL AND FUNK.

Everything Is Gonna Be Alright: Celebrating 50 Years Of Westbound Soul and Funk. Label: Westbound. By 1969, Armen Boladian was a familiar face within the Detroit music scene, and the musical impresario was about to launch a new label Westbound Records. This came as no surprise to those that knew Armen Boladian who previously, had …

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CULT CLASSIC ROY HAYNES-HIP ENSEMBLE.

Cult Classic: Roy Haynes-Hip Ensemble. In the history of jazz music, Roy Haynes’ name looms large. He is one of the most recorded drummers in jazz history, and during a career that spanned sixty years, Roy Haynes worked with the great and good of jazz music. This included Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Wardell Grey, Stan …

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CULT CLASSIC: PRETTY PURDIE-SOUL IS…PRETTY PURDIE.

Cult Classic: Pretty Purdie-Soul Is…Pretty Purdie. During a career that’s lasted over sixty years, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie has played alongside the great and good of music. This includes Steely Dan, the Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck, Cat Stevens, Aretha Franklin, King Curtis, Hall and Oates, James Brown, Isaac Hayes and Gil Scott Heron. These artists brought …

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CULT CLASSIC: LEON THOMAS-FULL CIRCLE.

Cult Classic-Leon Thomas-Full Circle. For Leon Thomas, Full Circle represented the end of an era. It was the last album Leon Thomas released on Flying Dutchman Productions, and marked the end of his “classic period.” It had started four years earlier in 1969, when Leon Thomas released his debut album Spirits Known and Unknown. Since …

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CULT CLASSIC: LONNIE LISTON SMITH AND THE COSMIC ECHOES-REFLECTIONS OF A GOLDEN DREAM.

Cult Classic: Lonnie Liston Smith and The Cosmic Echoes-Reflections Of A Golden Dream. Of all the artists Bob Thiele signed to Flying Dutchman Productions, Lonnie Liston Smith and The Cosmic Echoes proved to be one the most successful. However, success didn’t come overnight for Lonnie Liston Smith and The Cosmic Echoes. Neither Lonnie Liston Smith …

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CULT CLASSIC: JOHNNY HAMMOND-GEARS.

Cult Classic: Johnny Hammond-Gears. Johnny “Hammond” Smith’s recording career began in 1958 and a year later he released his debut album Have You Heard. This was the first of two albums Johnny “Hammond” Smith released during 1959. Over the next sixteen years, Johnny “Hammond” Smith released another thirty album. His thirty-second album was Gears, which …

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CULT CLASSIC: CRAIG PEYTON GROUP-PYRAMID LOVE.

Cult Classic: Craig Peyton Group-Pyramid Love. For Craig Peyton, the founder member of Band X, 1976 was the most important year of his nascent musical career. It was the year they released their debut album The Best Of Band X. However, The Best Of Band X a private pressing, wasn’t a commercial success and instead, this innovative, …

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CULT CLASSIC: AIRTO FOGO-AIRTO FOGO.

Cult Classic: Airto Fogo-Airto Fogo. During the seventies, Paris born drummer and percussionist Sylvain Krief was one of France’s top musicians. He was also a talented composer, arranger and producer who founded and lead two bands. The first of these bands was Rupture, who released the spiritual jazz classic Israel Suite/Dominante En Blue in 1973.  Three …

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CULT CLASSIC: MOUVEMENTS-MOUVEMENTS.

Cult Classic: Mouvements-Mouvements. In the late-sixties, self-taught guitarist and jazz aficionado Christian Oestreicher, who was later described as: “a savage in the era of twist and free jazz,” met artist and painter Richard Reimann who was famous for his optical art, at the renowned Aurora art gallery in Geneva, Switzerland. This was the start of …

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MOVE ON UP: THE SONGS OF CURTIS MAYFIELD.

Move On Up: The Songs Of Curtis Mayfield. Label: Playback. Release Date ‘8th’ November 2019. After the demise of The Impressions in 1970 following the release of Check Out Your Mind, Curtis Mayfield embarked upon a solo career. It spanned three decades and commercial success and critical acclaim were constant companions for the Chicago-born soul …

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