Funk Factory - Same (ATCO 1975)

This time I will funk your day up with the 1975 effort of a combo led by the Polish jazz genius' Michal Urbaniak and Urszula Dudziak. Even though there is quite some of their excellent work around in the blogosphere, I really found this gem missing. "Rien Ne Va Plus", "Lilliput" and the monster synth riff of "Horsing Around" are my personal favorite spots on this record but see for yourself, sure some nice Rhodes work overall. While the breaks are already starting to get that Disco touch of the late 70s that I mostly dislike. Or is it just Steve Gadd's drum set sounding as awful as on many CTI records he did by the time? Ever recognized how dull and and uncrisp his snares and flat his kicks sound?

Anyway. Let me know what you think. All comments and shouts are highly appreciated with more posts!!!

So once again you're gladly invited to have a relaxed listen to some synth-flavored Fusion tunes @320k vinyl-rip.

New Music by The New Phil Woods Quartet (Testament 1973)

I know it's been a while, but I was mad busy in the first weeks of the year. Now I am back with a vengeance trying to deliver you the goodies more frequently, fellas.

This time it's the New Phil Woods Quartet. Joined by Pete Robinson on keys, Brian Moffat on drums and Black Jazz icon Henry Franklin on bass, Woods works his sax plugged to a Wah-Wah pedal. The sounds you will hear are sometimes weird and and the record's concept is pretty strange, too. But to me this is raw and heavy stuff as I'm into all that experimental stuff from the early 70s.

I could not find out too much about the label, though it seems that there are only two jazz releases on this label which was usually specialized on blues only. Too bad, because they are both far from commercial and really nice.

Big up to my man Dsazta for schoolin' me on this gem!!!

Ok, 'nuff of the talkin', enjoy this heat @320k...

Jimmy Giuffre Three - River Chant [Choice 1975]

A warm welcome in the new year of 2009 to all my visitors, may it be a healthy, successful and generous year to you and your loved ones . I have been quite busy in the past weeks so it's been a while since the last post.
Sad to see the passing of Freddie Hubbard in the late 2008, I want to dedicate this post to another great horn player who has left us in the past year, Jimmy Giuffre.
This recording, being from a time where he was teaching at the New York University, features Giuffre on tenor, clarinet, flute and bass flute joined by his fellows of this era Randy Kaye on percussion and Kiyoshi Tokunaga on bass. The mood on this piece is very gentle and smooth, all tunes written by Giuffre with some having inidan or african themes and the rhythm section actually providing the perfect atmosphere for this, Kaye using chimes, marimba and bells to emphasize the meditational feel of the music.
It almost seems like a soundtrack in parts, whereas on the back you will find a translation of Hermann Hesse's "Siddharta" to which the music could easily be a score.
Enjoy this fine piece of art as a 320k vinyl rip. Namaste!

Hal Galper - Inner Journey (MRL 398)

This trio effort by Hal Galper is something different than his other Mainstream works, yet more classical. Accompanied by Dave Holland on bass and Bill Goodwin on drums Galper plays it cool on this one. While he usually works the Fender Rhodes on his other efforts of this period, like many others, too. He went back to acoustic piano here. Two years later he will throw his Fender Rhodes into the Hudson river, feeling to have overused it forgetting his roots as an acoustic player. Guess this record must have been some kind of foreshadowing. To me he sounds nice on both instruments but I can understand the movement of the mid-70s back to the classic sound, especially when you think of the disco era and all this lardy Love Boat jazz of the late-70s which was to come. The innovative use of electronic instruments in jazz was certainly decreasing.

This session was recorded shortly before he joined Cannonball Adderley's combo for some really nice albums like Inside Straight, Love, Sex And The Zodiac and Pyramid, which you should check out as well.

But for now here is his Inner Journey...

Bobby Shad & The Bad Men (MRL 306)

While I'm at it, why not post another one as another tribute to the Shad Shack...

Early in the MRL 300 series this one was released as an experimental project, I guess. Bobby Shad had a vision: "Why not put 65 musicians on one jazz/funk/rock fusion record to record some of the current hits." And if you look closely at the scan of the rear cover, where all of them are credited. Some names shall be familiar to you. I bet this wasn't so easy to manage and organize with this monstrous bunch of musicians, but it became a solid album with some nice breaks and obviously more funk than rock, ...fortunately.

Even though some parts may seem quite popish to some of you, it's definitely worth to check out.

The Chubukos - Witch Doctor Bump / House Of The Rising Funk (MRS 5546)

Also released on the Album "Soul Makossa" (MRL394) under the alias "Afrique", what I think is the real name of this funk combo, this is THE funk bomb of all time!

I chose this one for my first real post, because this one means a lot to me, since I will never forget the day I stumbled upon it in my local record store for just 1,- € early in my diggin' career.

While the A side is more on the disco tip, the killer track "House Of The Rising Funk" is the smasher here, known from the UBB series and used by the likes of Hijack and NWA. This wah-wah guitar is so god-damn funky it will never get boring not even after excessive listening, I swear.

"Witch Doctor Bump" is kind of a hypnotic disco rhythm with a pretty annoying high-pitched Witch Doctor mcing, but see for yourself...

First Announcement

After following so many great blogs of similar interest, I felt the urge to finally get into making my own. Since this community can only grow with participation, I would like to contribute to it and make this a place for crate-diggers and music lovers to come by, connect and share their obsession for grooves of all shades.

I will start by posting some dusty plates that I know some people around will be interested in, so bear with me for some funky Mainstream releases in the next days.

I will appreciate feedback of any kind, so let me know what you think in the comments.