Funk Jazz

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Funk jazz is a sub-genre of jazz fusion and is basically the blending of funk rhythms with jazz improvisation. Some classic funk jazz artists include The JBs, The Meters, The Brecker Brothers and Soulive. At JMA, additional funk jazz music can be found in the Fusion, Funk, Soul Jazz and Acid Jazz genres.

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BOBBI HUMPHREY Blacks and Blues Album Cover Blacks and Blues
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4.37 | 6 ratings
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funk jazz Music Reviews

TIHOMIR POP ASANOVIC Majko Zemljo

Album · 1974 · Funk Jazz
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FunkFreak75
Yugosloavian keyboardist formerly of the band, TIME. The album title means "Mother Earth."

Line-up / Musicians: - Tihomir Pop Asanović ‎/ Hammond, Fender Rhodes & Hohner e-pianos, Moog, arrangements, conducting With: - Mario Mavrin / bass - Dusan Veble / tenor saxophone - Ozren Depolo / saxophones, alto & soprano (5) - Petar "Pero" Ugrin / trumpet (1-5) - Stanko Arnold / trumpet (1,3-5) - Boris Sinigoj / trombone (1,3-5) - Dado Topić / vocals (1,2,5,7), bass (2,8) - Janez Bončina / vocals (1,5), guitar (7) - Ladislav Fidry / trumpet (2,4), flugelhorn (4) - Dragi Jelić / guitar solo (2) - Nada Zgur / vocals (4,7) - Bozidar Lotrić / trombone (4) - Marjan Stropnik / bass trombone (4) - Joze Balazić / trumpet (4) - Ratko Divjak / drums, percussion (4,5,7) - Braco Doblekar / congas, percussion (4,5,7) - Josipa Lisac / vocals (6) - Doca Marolt / vocals (7) - Peco Petej / drums (8)

1. "Majko Zemljo" (3:32) opening with some spacey synth noises, this one quickly falls into a brass rock sound similar to bands like Blood Sweat & Tears. I like the contrasting use of two alternating male vocalists. (8.875/10)

2. "Balada o liscu" (6:06) slow pop-jazz ballad with percussion and hi-pitched droning saw synth pervading the first three minutes beneath the vocalist. Then the horns enter and the tempo picks up, creating a more dynamic base, but then it all falls back into the slow pop motif for the fifth minute. Interesting and not bad--the singer is good (the sound engineering not as much). (8.875/10)

3. "Berlin I" (5:30) opens with some funky organ notes joined immediately by some smooth funk rhythm play from bass, drums, and percussion before being taken up a notch by banks of horn section accents and melody lines. The real player here, however, is Tihomir with his Brian Auger/Eumir Deodato-like funky organ play constantly exploring beneath the horns and horn soloists. This is such a great groove though laid-back in an "2001/Also Sprach Zarathustra" kind of way--at least until 3:40 when a very bluesy bridge signals Tihomir "Pop"'s turn for a solo. Very bluesy. Great two-handed work! Great cohesion from the rhythm section. (And no guitar!!) (9.25/10)

4. "Tema za pop LP" (3:39) Hohner clavinet with the rhythm section establish a very 70s funky base over which horns and female vocalists establish some hip-1960s surf- and bassa-nova-infused sounds and melodies. More great organ work beneath the horns which continues to remind me of the greats of the late 1960s like Auger, Rod Argent, Steve Winwood, and Jerry Corbetta (SUGARLOAF). Hip and cool but very dated. (9/10)

5. "Rokenrol dizajner" (2:56) more "early" R&B-modelled BS&T- and Chicago-inspired jazz-rock. Vocals enter in the second minute sounding not unlike Bill Withers. Some excellent bongo and trumpet play in the third minute before Pop plays his organ off of his clavinet in a very cool way. Banked horns and drums loosen up a little in that final 30 seconds and then poof! It's over! (9/10)

6. "Ostavi trag" (4:55) bass, sustained organ chords, and hand percussion support female vocalist Josipa Lisac's very passionate Lulu/Yvonne Ellemann-like vocal (presumably in Croatian). Electric piano and percussionists play off of each other in the instrumental passage occupying the third minute. Nice, smooth/chill soprano sax solo in the final minute. (8.875/10)

7. "Telepatija" (2:56) the choral vocal dominated attempt to recreate the Latin/Caribbean sounds of Sergio Mendes' Brazil '66 and Santana. Nicely coopted and performed--especially in the alternating group conversations between the women and men. (8.875/10)

8. "Berlin II" (4:41) Another song that feels a little mired in the surf- and burgeoning hippie culture of the mid- to late-1960s--yet, again, I can only compliment Pop for his excellent integration and acculturation of said sounds and styles: heard on an American radio station I have no doubt that nearly all listeners would be tricked into thinking/believing that this music had to be coming from an American or perhaps even English band. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 34:15

The musicianship, compositional quality, and vocal performances are all deserving of superlatives--even in spite of the fact that Pop Asanovic is trying so hard (and accomplishing so well) the emulation of so many jazz-rock and jazz-pop musical styles that became popular in America during the 1960s.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of very solid and enjoyable jazz-rock and Latin-rock infused music. Definitely recommended to all my fellow jazz-rock/fusion lovers.

GEORGE DUKE Feel

Album · 1974 · Funk Jazz
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FunkFreak75
George's second solo studio album release of 1974, this one containing a few guests who were not present on Faces in Reflection.

Line-up / Musicians: - George Duke / keyboards, synth bass (1,5,9), vocals (2,4,10) With: - Flora Purim / vocals (8) - Frank Zappa / guitar (2,6) - John Heard / bass, double bass - Leon "Ndugu" Chancler / drums & percussion (3) - Airto Moreira / percussion

1. "Funny Funk" (5:18) George experimenting with more new sounds. (8.75/10)

2. "Love" (6:06) a partly vocal song featuring Frank Zappa using Ernie Isley's guitar tone. (8.75/10)

3. "The Once Over" (4:39) a spacey, moody HERBIE HANCOCK-like start before a mood change occurs in the second minute prompting a reset into rhythm-oriented foundation. The return to reverberating Fender Rhodes chords at 2:20 is interesting, but it remains a percussionist's song until its RTF-like final second flourish. (8.875/10)

4. "Feel" (5:40) more vocals--this time with electric piano and synths backing them. At the end of the first minute the rhythm section joins in as George flies through a short but effective synth solo. Then we settle into a gentle, syrupy pop song that predicts the smooth R&B jazz pop music of GEORGE BENSON, NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN, and MICHAEL FRANKS. More extraordinary synth soloing over the Fender Rhodes-led rhythm track. Definitely a top three song despite its lack of jazz orientation. (9/10)

5. "Cora Joberge" (3:50) dynamic electric piano with delay effect eventually gets support from flourishes from synth and drums before funkified bass and steady cymbal play join in. Poor recording of "dirty" effected electric piano. There are parts of this that remind me of Terry Riley or somebody else in the pioneering phase of electronic keyboards. (8.75/10)

6. "Old Slipper" (5:41) funky jam with multiple keys filling the sonic field as well as serving as lead instruments. The multiple personalities of George Duke! Perfect syncopated support from Ndugu and John. Interesting but not very noteworthy. An unstable" synth note introduced around the three-minute mark signals the upcoming transition into a proggy and then Parliamentarian passage--the latter of which find Frank Zappa's very-distorted guitar jumping in and shredding away. (8.75/10)

7. "Tzina "(2:01) dreamy/spacey keyboard play from multiple keyboard instruments/tracks (including some strings emulator) results in a kind of cinematic interlude. (4.375/5)

8. "Yana Aminah" (4:33) Airto's wife, Flora Purim, graces this Latin song with her vocal tracks, singing in English. Too bad the lyrics weren't more poetic nor the layered vocal tracks more polished and better synchronized. Overall this sounds very much like a song Stevie Wonder would have written for his wife, Syreeta Wright. Still, it's a pretty decent song; George could very easily have had a career in writing/producing pop songs. (8.75/10)

9. "Rashid" (3:36) starts out as a KOOL & THE GANG or CAMEO kind of funk song, then turns a sharp left at 1:49 onto a speedway for a hyperspeed synth solo that plays out for the rest of the song. (8.66667/10)

10. "Statement" (1:15) another pretty little cinematic interlude sounding like something from Patrick Moraz's solo album, I. (4.5/5)

Total time 42:39

More of the same sound issues I had with Goerge's previous album (from the same year). I have to say that there has been a slight improvement in performance contribution from both Ndugu and John Heard.

B/four stars; another excellent album to add to any Jazz-Rock Fusion lover's music collection. Not quite as good as his other 1974 release, Face in Reflection, but still worthy of listening to (and enjoying).

RONNIE LAWS Pressure Sensitive

Album · 1975 · Funk Jazz
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FunkFreak75
The album that opened with the song that would launch and sustain a career.

Lineup / Musicians: - Ronnie Laws / Soprano & Tenor Saxophones, Flute - Clint Mosely / Bass - Steve Guttierrez / Drums With: - Joe Clayton / Percussion [Flexitone] (A1), Congas (A1), Tambourine - Roland Bautista / Guitar, Composer (A2, A3) - Joe Sample (THE CRUSADERS / Electric Piano (A3), Clavinet (A4, B1), Piano (B1, B3) - Jerry Peters / Synthesizer [String Ensemble] (A3, B2, B3), Arp (A4), Piano (B2) - Mike Cavanaugh / Clavinet (A4), Electric Piano (A4), Composer (A3) - John W. Rowin, Jr. / Guitar (B1, B2) - Michael Willars / Drums (B2) - Wilton Felder (THE CRUSADERS) / Electric Bass (B2)

A1 "Always There" (4:52) the iconic song that pretty much started a new genre of sax-led pop-radio instrumental music. Great rhythm guitar. (9.75/10)

A2 "Momma" (4:20) a composition by Ronnie's guitarist, Roland Bautista, has lyrics and very funky guitar, clavinet, and bass lines making it sound more like a early EARTH WIND & FIRE, WAR, or even Brothers Johnson song. I love Ronnie's free-flowing sax over/within throughout no matter if there's singing. Great instrumental performances throughout. Very cool smoothed out finale. (9.25/10) A3 "Never Be the Same" (4:23) a gorgeous song with three keyboard players creating a sound that sounds like Minnie Ripperton and all that would become "Yacht Rock" and "Smooth Jazz." (9.25/10)

A4 "Tell Me Something Good" (4:50) instead of just imitating the RUFUS with Chaka Khan sound of this Stevie Wonder song, why not just cover the real thing! Genius! A song that always fascinated me (enough to provoke me to purchase the album) while I never truly liked it. The squeezy synth is a bit over the top for me. (8.75/10)

B1 "Nothing to Lose" (4:54) funky clavinet and Fender Rhodes from Joe Sample while guitarist John W. Rowin, Jr. fires away with his lead. Great solo work from Ronnie on the soprano sax. (8.875/10)

B2 "Tidal Wave" (4:08) a William Jeffery composition with great Fender Rhodes and synth strings play from Jerry Peters. Ronnie is so smooth over the top with his speedy deliveries! Also nice is the mature presence of Wilton Felder on the electric bass. (8.875/10)

B3 "Why Do You Laugh at Me" (3:55) a composition provided by producer Wayne Henderson (otherwise known as The [Jazz] Crusaders' trombonist). It's mellow and very straightforward--like a rock ballad from THE LITTLE RIVER BAND. (8.75/10)

B4 "Mis' Mary's Place" (3:32) one of Ronnie's originals opens with bass line and tambourine before twangy guitar, bouncing clavinet, bass and drums join in to create a very simple vamp over which Ronnie solos with an electronically-processed tenor sax. Too monotonous with its whole-song repetitiveness. (8.5/10)

I love the keyboard work of Jerry Peters and Mike Cavanaugh, the bass and keyboard contributions of The (JAZZ) CRUSADERS' Wilton Felder and Joe Sample, respectively, as well as the rhythm guitar work of Roland Bautista.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of early "Third Wave" Jazz-Rock Fusion from one of Smooth Jazz's pre-eminent masters.

HERBIE HANCOCK Head Hunters

Album · 1973 · Funk Jazz
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FunkFreak75
Herbie's first studio album since decommissioning his Mwandishi project. Herbie is stated to have said that he was tired of the spacey, high-end stuff and just wanted to bring it back down to Earth with some funk. It is important when listening to this album to remember how influential it was: both to other artists as well as on the tastes of the popular ear; this was, after all, at the time (until the 1976 phenomenon of George Benson's Brezzin'), the highest selling jazz album of all-time! 1. "Chameleon" (15:41) the opening funk bass sound and line lets us know right off the bat what's going to be different about this music compared to the famous "Mwandishi sound" of Herbie's previous three years of work: Funk is paramount here. The problem here is how long Herbie stays affixed to a particular pattern and motif: it's as if it takes him 30 measures to get the feel of a pattern enough to be able to play within much less diverge or solo above it. I don't know if the rhythm section (or engineer) realized that they were speeding up in the sixth minute, beneath Herbie's funky ARP Soloist solo, but it's awkward for a bit until they all return to the pocket. At 7:40 there is a reset to let Paul Jackson and Harvey Mason reset their rhythm pattern. Now we're in Fender Rhodes territory--the soundscape that will become BOB JAMES' standard/go-to palette. Paul and percussionist Bill Summers start playing off one another, which is highly entertaining despite Herbie supposedly being in the lead up top. Harvey's innovative use of the hi-hat here might also have served to influence all future Disco drummers. I prefer this middle section to the opening one. At the 12-minute mark there is a reset bridge with those rich ARP strings and panning Fender Rhodes play. J-R Fuse Heaven! Now this is where Smooth Jazz came from! At 13:15 there is another reset bridge that allows the band to restart the opening motif. Here Bennie Maupin finally gets some front-time on his tenor sax. Nice. A song that contains so much innovation I can't justify down-rating it despite my not really liking the majority of it. (27/30)

2. "Watermelon Man" (6:29) a very popular song that is denigrated by the fact that to me it is a very thinly-veiled revisitation on Dobie Gray's big hit from 1964 (a Billy Page compostion), "The 'In' Crowd." Then there is the presence at the opening and ending of the odd breath and voice percussion (what would probably inspire a whole generation of Bobby McFerrins. (8.875/10)

3. "Sly" (10:18) a reference to the "Sly" of the Family Stone? What starts out deceptively in some disarray becomes, quite suddenly, at the two-minute mark, a meteoric flight through high altitude with bass, drums, percussion, and clavinet all rushing wildly along in a very loose weave beneath Bennie Maupin's wild soprano saxophone play. Then Herbie gets a turn on his Fender electric piano. The man is so smooth! Paul Jackson's low end bass play paired up with Harvey Mason's hi-hat and cymbal work is pure genius! Somebody (Bennie Maupin) must be playing the clavinet beneath/alongside Herbie's two-handed Fender Rhodes exposition. I have to admit that I'd never really appreciated the drumming of Harvey Mason before this--cuz I'd never heard anything quite like this before. High marks for the extraordinary work of that dynamic middle section. (19/20)

4. "Vein Melter" (9:10) It would seem here that Harvey's semi-automatic militaristic snare and hi-hat riff would run contrary to the somber, etheric world being created by the rest of the band, but somehow it all works (except the ARP sounds: they sound so dated!) My favorite part is hearing Bennie Maupin playing with such feeling and emotion without having to blast it or even raise his "voice." Also, you can hear here the reverberating Fender Rhodes electric piano sound that everybody will be using over the next ten years: KOOL AND THE GANG "Summer Madness," Donald Fagen/STEELY DAN, BOZ SCAGGS Silk Degrees and so many more. (17.5/20)

Total Time 41:38

Thrust is my favorite Herbie album.

A-/five stars; a minor-masterpiece (and landmark album) of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

GABOR SZABO Macho

Album · 1975 · Funk Jazz
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FunkFreak75
The Hungarian-born guitar virtuoso tries his hand at Bob James' style of smooth jazz-rock fusion. (While Gabor had played with Bob before, this was his first album using Bob as his producer.)

A1. "Hungarian Rhapsody #2" (6:52) music that is very much pre-Disco. The sound engineering is surprisingly weak--almost thin, with everything mixed so quietly, the background instruments (horns, drums, percussion) sounding as if they are way far in the distant background. These sound discrepancies are distracting enough (as is Louis Johnson's up-front bass play) as to leave me working very hard just give minimal attention to Gabor's guitar play--which is also detracted by coming from a plug-in acoustic guitar (the early models of which I found quite irritating for their artificial sound). (13.125/15)

A2. "Time" (5:38) dreamy Disney electric piano arpeggi open this before gorgeous blues-jazzy guitar enters bringing with it Fender Rhodes piano and bare-bones bass and drum accompaniment. At 1:20 there is a slight shift in key and motif, leading to a brief, slightly more dynamic "chorus." Gabor's melody in the verses is quite beautiful, even seductive. Bob James gets some solo time in the third minute on his electric piano while Harvey Mason and Louis Johnson support with some nice little touches and nuances. The closing vamp is the best part because it unleashes all of the musicians to add a little bit more to their performances--including Gabor. (9/10)

A3. "Transylvania Boogie" (5:31) clavinet, bass, drums, and percussion establish a funky-smooth motif over which Eric Gale adds his own unique guitar sound and style. Gabor inserts his sparsely-populated melody with his lead guitar sounding like a cross between George Benson and Earl Klugh. Not quite spooky enough to qualify as vampire music (though it does have its sexy/seductive elements), I must remember that Gabor is a native of the country that houses Transylvania. Tom Scott's solo on his electronic saxophone (the Lyricon) is nice--and then bookended by some horn section accents from he and John Faddis and George Bohanon. The song fades out before anything truly interesting can mount, but, c'est la vie! (8.875/10)

B1. "Ziggidy Zag" (5:58) strummed electric jazz guitar chord sequence is soon joined by mid-funky bass and drum lines and then blasts from the band's thin horn section. The motif that takes over in the second minute is very Bob James-like, as is Gabor's Earl Klugh-sounding solo style--at least for the first 30-seconds of his performance: after that his sound and style begin to take some distinctive characteristics. Bob James gets the second solo on his Fender Rhodes. I really like Louis Johnson's bass performance as well as the conga play of Idris Muhammad and Harvey Mason's drumming (though this latter is recorded rather poorly). "Distant" clavinet, Eric Gale guitar, and occasional "distant" horn blasts continute to pepper and fill the background through to the end. Nice tune. (8.875/10)

B2. "Macho" (9:13) after a protracted piano and percussion intro, the band establishes an okay attempt at a Latin pseudo-Chick Corea songscape--one that eventually succeeds in delivering on the promise of the tension residing in its impassioned "White Rabbit"/"Bolero"-like chord progression. Great performances all around--especially from Harvey Mason, Louis Johnson, and Bob "Chick" James as well as Ralph MacDonald and Idris . One of my favorite songs on the album--one of the true J-R Fusion tunes here. (18/20)

B3. "Poetry Man" (4:28) a highly-charged, almost-erotic rendition of Phoebe Snow's iconic radio hit. Great arrangement and recording. (9.25/10)

Total time:37:40

I will also discount my rating of this album for its lack of original compositions (two covers, one Bob James song, one Harvey Mason song, and only two songs by the title artist--which happen to be the two best Jazz-Rock Fusion songs on the album); it is my opinion that the pressure to perform listener-friendly/recognizable covers of pop hits is one of the things that took the wind out of the sails of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement--directed it onto the detour paths of Adult Contemporary, Smooth Jazz, and Yacht Rock.

An excellent collection of pre-Smooth/Adult Contemporary Jazz-Rock Fusion. Definitely recommended.

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