Category Archives: Funk

IF YOU’RE NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION-SOUL, POLITICS AND SPIRITUALITY IN JAZZ 1967-1975.  

If You’re Not Part Of The Solution-Soul, Politics and Spirituality In Jazz 1967-1975. Label: BGP. By the late sixties, jazz like the blues was at a crossroads and both genres risked becoming irrelevant to a new breed of record buyers. The problem was, that jazz was no longer as popular as it had once been, …

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TIM MAIA- THE FIRST TEN ALBUMS: 1970-1978.

Tim Maia-The First Ten Albums: 1970-1978: .  By 1978, charismatic Brazilian singer-songwriter Tim Maia’s career was at a crossroads and he was worried about what the future held for him. Tim Maia found himself financially embarrassed, after  a couple of musically barren years.  He had spent much of the money he earned on cars, musical instruments …

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ARTHUR BLYTHE-THE COLUMBIA YEARS.

Arthur Blythe-The Columbia Years. Nowadays, prodigy is one of the most overused words in the English language, and all too often it’s used to describe young children who show a modicum of talent in sport and music. Sadly, and all too often, those that were described as a prodigy never fulfil their supposed potential. The …

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DR JOHN-THE ATCO YEARS 1968-1974.

Dr John-The Atco  Years 1968-1974. Gris Gris. When a copy of Dr John’s debut album Gris Gris was sent to Atlantic Records’ founder Ahmet Ertegun he disliked the album so much, that he was reluctant to even release the album and said: “how can we market this boogaloo crap?” This wasn’t the response that Dr …

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THE JUNIE STORY: FROM OHIO PLAYER TO SOLO ARTIST, FUNKADELIC AND BEYOND.

The Junie Story: From Ohio Player To Solo Artist, Funkadelic and Beyond. In 1970, most sixteen years in Drayton, Ohio, were still at high school and were making plans for college or the world of work. Some were worrying about being drafted, and heading for Vietnam to fight in a war that America was struggling to win. …

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DOLORES VARGAS-“LA TERREMOTO”-THE EARTHQUAKE.

Dolores Vargas-“La Terremoto” The Earthquake. Ask anyone who saw Dolores Vargas at the peak of the powers in the early seventies and they almost go misty eyed as they describe a flamboyant performer who combined a unique and inimitable mixture of flamenco funk, gypsy funk and rumba pop with a wild, energetic and frenzied dancing style. …

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THE ENIGMATIC WILLIAM ONYEAEBOR

The Enigmatic William Onyeabor. Enigmatic. That was the perfect word to describe synth funk pioneer, William Onyeabor who died on January 16th 2017 aged just seventy. Nigerian music lost a musical pioneer. However, William Onyeabor was, without doubt, one of the most mysterious and elusive musicians in musical history. There’s a good reason for this, Much of William Onyeabor’s …

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THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF SEA LEVEL.

The Life and Music Of Sea Level. By August 1975, all wasn’t well within The Allman Brothers. It hadn’t been for the last couple of years. That was despite The Allman Brothers being at the peak of their popularity. Their last three albums had sold over a million copies and were certified platinum. Meanwhile, The Allman …

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THE RISE AND FALL OF SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE.

The Rise and Fall Of Sly and the Family Stone. Between 1966 and 1976, psychedelic soul pioneers Sly and The Family Stone released eight studio albums and their first Greatest Hits album. These albums showcased Sly and the Family Stone’s genre-melting music, which took as a starting point psychedelic soul and added funk and rock to this heady musical brew. …

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ERIC GALE-9 IN 10, THE SOLO YEARS 1973-1983.

Eric Gale-9 In 10, The Solo Years 1973-1983 Jazz guitarist Eric Gale was born in Brooklyn, New York on September the ‘20th’ 1938, and by the time he was eleven, had already discovered music. Fittingly, it was guitarist Les Paul that piqued Eric Gale’s interest in music. When he heard Les Paul and his wife Mary Ford …

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SPAIN’S FIRST LADY OF MUSIC-SUSANA ESTRADA.

Spain’s First Lady Of Music-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 of …

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MELVIN SPARKS-FIVE FRUITFUL YEARS 1970-1975.

Melvin Sparks-Five Fruitful Years 1970-1975. 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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ALAN HAWKSHAW AND BRIAN BENNETT-SYNTHESIS.

Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett-Synthesis. Label: Be With Records.   During the last few years, many record labels have issued compilations of library music, which has been growing in popularity. The rise and rise in popularity of library music continued during 2018, and hardly a week seemed to go by without a new  library music …

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WAKE UP! MUSIC USA-UK-NU-HOUSE: THE START OF SOMETHING SPECIAL.

Wake Up! Music USA-UK-Nu-House: The Start Of Something Special. Label: Wake Up! Music Group. In early 2018, I was asked by Maddy Gomez, who runs Wake Up! Music Group to write the liner notes to Music Is My Life, the comeback album from Chicago-based DJ and producer Matt Warren. Mostly, when writing liner notes, it’s …

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SOUL OF A NATION: JAZZ IS THE TEACHER, FUNK IS THE PREACHER-VINYL

Soul Of A Nation: Jazz Is The Teacher, Funk Is The Preacher-Vinyl. Label: Soul Jazz Records. Just fifteen months after the release of their critically acclaimed compilation Soul Of A Nation, Soul Jazz  Records release the much-anticipated followup Soul Of A Nation: Jazz Is The Teacher, Funk Is The Preacher as a three LP set. …

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JON SAVAGE’S 1968-THE YEAR THE WORLD BURNED.

Jon Savage’s 1968-The Year The World Burned. Label: Ace Records. When the Rolling Stones released Street Fighting Man as a single in America in August 1968, it was called their most political song to date. The song started life as Did Everyone Pay Their Dues, but it’s alleged became Street Fighting Man after Mick Jagger …

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VENEZUELA 70 VOLUME 2: COSMIC VISONS OF A LATIN AMERICAN EARTH: VENEZUELAN EXPERIMENTAL ROCK IN THE 1970S AND BEYOND-VINYL.

Venezuela 70 Volume 2: Cosmic Visions Of A Latin American Earth: Venezuelan Experimental Rock In The 1970s and Beyond-Vinyl. Label: Soul Jazz Records. During the seventies, Venezuela was one of the most prosperous countries in South America after oil was discovered in the North West of the country in 1914. Soon, there was the equivalent …

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ALAN HAKWSHAW/BRIAN BENNETT-FULL CIRCLE.

Alan Hawkshaw/Brian Bennett-Full Circle. Label: Be With Records. Ever since the dawn of hip hop, library music has proved a source of inspiration for sample-hungry hip hop producers and crate-digging DJs alike. Library music has also proven popular with a coterie of music lovers with discerning musical tastes over the last few years. This was …

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