Category Archives: Funk

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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MUSIC FROM JARVIS COCKER’S SUNDAY SERVICE.

Music From Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service. Label: Ace Records. When it was announced in 2010, that former Pulp frontman, and songwriter-in-chief, Jarvis Cocker, was about to present a show on BBC 6 Music, his statement of intent was posted on the Corporation’s website: “It is my intention to fill these hours with as much dodgy …

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CULT CLASSIC: TIM MAIA-DISCO CLUB.

Cult Classic-Tim Maia-Disco Club. By 1978, Tim Maia had released nine 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 last few years …

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SIDIKU BUARI-DISCO SOCCER.

Sidiku Buari-Disco Soccer. Label: BBE Africa. Release Date: ‘18th’ October 2019.  There are very few people who manage to forge a career in both sport and music, but Ghanian born Sidiku Buari managed to do just this. He was a silver medallist in the 400 metres at the 1963 All-Africa Games held in Dakar, Senegal. …

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SIDIKU BUARI-FEELINGS AND SIDIKU BUARI AND HIS JAM BUSTERS.

Sidiku Buari-Feelings and Sidiku Buari and His Jam Busters. Label: BBE Africa. There aren’t many people who forge a career in sport and music, but Ghanian born Sidiku Buari managed to do just this. He was a silver medallist in the 400 metres at the 1963 All-Africa Games held in Dakar, Senegal. Two years later, …

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EBO TAYLOR-PALAVER.

Ebo Taylor-Palaver. Label: BBE Africa. In the history of Ghanian music one man looms large, Ebo Taylor. He’s a colossus of Ghanian music who is best described as an innovator who went on to influence future generations of Ghanian musicians. Nearly forty years later, Ebo Taylor’s influence is still being felt not just in Ghanian …

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THE DAISY AGE.

 The Daisy Age. Label: Ace Records. Release Date: ‘30th’ August 2019. When is a movement not a movement? When it’s the Daisy Age, which was  never really a movement. It’s been described more like an ethos or set of principles that for a short while, pervaded into hip hop, R&B and even pop. The ironic …

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TABANSI SAMPLER.

Tabansi Sampler. Label: BBE Africa. Release Date: ‘30th’ August 2019. Over the next two years, BBE Africa, an imprint of BBE Music, will release around sixty albums from the Tabansi Records vaults. This is part of their Tabansi Gold reissue series, which got underway recently, and is a reminder of what’s the most important, influential …

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LOS ANGELES SOUL VOLUME 2-KENT-MODERN’S BLACK MUSIC LEGACY 1963-197

Los Angeles Soul Volume 2-Kent-Modern’s Black Music Legacy 1963-1971. Label: Kent Soul. Release Date: ‘30th’ August 2019. Four-and-a-half years ago,  in February 2015, Kent Soul, an imprint of Ace Records, released Los Angeles Soul-Kent-Modern’s Black Music Legacy to plaudits and praise. Critics and music fans wondered if there would be a followup to this  lovingly …

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ZACH AND GEEBAH-FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY.

Zack and Geebah– For The Love Of Money. Label: BBE Africa. Tabansi Records was founded in Nigeria in 1950, and filled a void when major labels like Decca and then  Philips closed the doors on their Nigerian operations. Chief (Dr) G.A.D. Tabansi, who lent his name to what would become Nigeria’s most important label, recorded …

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BEN JAGGA-HOLD ON PRETTY WOMAN.

Ben Jagga-Hold On Pretty Woman. Label: BBE Africa. Nowadays, every third rate, regional bar band has delusions of becoming the next Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple or Black Sabbath, and spend their days dreaming of fame and fortune. Alas, these poor deluded fools shouldn’t give up their day job and should stick to pumping gas and parking cars because they usually …

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HORN ROCK AND FUNKY GUITAR GROOVES 1968-1974.

Horn Rock and Funky Guitar Grooves 1968-1974. Label: BGP. Nowadays,  music historians regard 1968 as the year that American rock returned to its soulful roots. The man responsible, was one of the true legends of music, Bob Dylan, who joined forces with The Band, and they went in search of a chimerical America, and  what …

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THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SUSANA ESTRADA.

The Life and Times of Susana Estrada. Ever since 1939, the brutal Francoist regime had ruled Spain with an iron fist. This came to an end with the death of dictator Francisco Franco on ’20th’ November 1975. After Franco’s death, control of Spain passed to King Juan Carlos. By then, Spain was in a state …

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HIROSHIMA’S FIRST FIVE ALBUMS

Hiroshima’s First Five Albums. Dan Kuramoto’s interest in music began when he became the inaugural chairman of the Asian-American studies program at California State University in Long Beach in the sixties. This was an honour for Dan Kuramoto who had just graduated from California State University with a degree in Fine Arts. The chance to return …

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THE MORENA Y CLARA STORY.

The Morena Y Clara Story. As 1973 dawned, a new Spanish flamenco-pop duo Morena y Clara, were about to make their debut at the now legendary tablao restaurant Caripen in Madrid. This was where just Los Grecas had been discovered just a few months previously by producer José Luis de Carlos and were signed to …

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THE NON BAND STORY

The Non Band Story. 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 passing fad, …

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FAREWELL DR JOHN AND A GUIDE TO HIS MUSIC:PART 1-THE ATCO YEARS 1968-1974.

Farewell Dr John and A Guide To His Music: Part 1: The Atco  Years 1968-1974. A month ago, on the ‘6th’ of July 2019, Dr John, who was born Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. on November the 20th 1941, in New Orleans, which he still called home, passed away aged seventy-seven.  That day, music lost one of the greatest musicians of his generation. The next day I …

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THE YOUNG ONES OF GUYANA-ON TOUR AND REUNION.

The Young Ones of Guyana–On Tour and Reunion Label: BBE Music. On the ’26th of May 1966, Guyana, the third smallest severing state in mainland South America gained its independence from the United Kingdom. For the people of Guyana this was something to celebrate, and celebrate they did. In 1970, The Young Ones Of Guyana, …

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OJO BALINGO-AFROTUNES-BEST OF JUJU  VOL. II-OBA MIMO OLORUN AYO.

Ojo Balingo–Afrotunes –Best of Juju Vol. II–Oba Mimo Olorun Ayo. Label: BBE Music. Release Date: ‘28th’ June 2019 Each week, record companies in America, Britain and Europe tempt and tantalise collectors with reissue of rarities that have never been released before. This includes everything from Acid House to zydeco and everything in between, including a …

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SEAFARING STRANGERS: PRIVATE ROCK LP.

Seafaring Strangers: Private Rock LP. Label: Numero. As the sixties drew to a close, the Rolling Stones were one of the most successful bands of the decade. They were preparing to release their Let It Bleed, on the ‘5th’ of December 1969. It was the Rolling Stones eighth album in Britain, but their tenth album …

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