Jimmy McGriff - Electric Funk (1969)

"The title of Electric Funk may lead you to believe that it's a set of unrepentant, rampaging hard funk, but that's not quite the case. The record is laid-back but undeniably funky, with Jimmy McGriff and electric pianist Horace Ott leading an unnamed group through a set of soul workouts. It's not jazz, it's jazzy soul, and it's among the funkiest of any soul-jazz records from the late '60s, filled with stuttering drum breaks, lite fuzz guitars, elastic bass, smoldering organ, and punchy, slightly incongruous horn charts."

allmusic.com

Tracklisting

1. Jimmy Mcgriff - Back On The Track (3:17)
 2. Jimmy Mcgriff - Chris Cross (3:45)
 3. Jimmy Mcgriff - Miss Poopie (3:17)
 4. Jimmy Mcgriff - The Bird Wave (4:01)
 5. Jimmy Mcgriff - Spear For Moondog, Part 1 (3:28)
 6. Jimmy Mcgriff - Spear For Moondog, Part 2 (3:03)
 7. Jimmy Mcgriff - Tight Times (3:57)
 8. Jimmy Mcgriff - Spinning Wheel (3:34)
 9. Jimmy Mcgriff - Funky Junk (3:44)

Jimmy Mcgriff - Funky Junk

O'Donel Levy - Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (1973)

"Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky, O'Donel Levy's follow-up to his excellent Simba, is something of a letdown in comparison. Simba featured a bunch of solid tunes, written and dynamically arranged by Manny Albam. Although both albums were produced by label head Sonny Lester, without Albam's input these sessions seem somewhat lost. The title cut is not a direct ripoff of the Allen Toussaint tune, but it is fairly derivative. The second tune is a direct ripoff. "Marbles," credited to Levy, is actually a John McLaughlin tune, from his album Devotion, and it's downhill from there. Billy Preston's "Will It Go Round in Circles" is taken at breakneck speed, and let's just say Levy is better off sticking with instrumentals. "Livin' for the City" gets a heavy wah-wah makeover, but is one of the better tracks on the album. The rest is just unremarkable. "Sideshow" shows the ballad side of Levy's playing, and the standard "Willow Weep for Me" is treated as a pretty straight blues. None of this is awful; it just lacks the great tunes and arrangements of its predecessor. Unless you simply can't get enough O'Donel Levy, skip Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky and stick with Simba."

allmusic.com

Tracklisting

1. O'Donel Levy - Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (3:23)
2. O'Donel Levy - Marbles (6:29)
3. O'Donel Levy - Will It Got Round In Circles (3:23)
4. O'Donel Levy - Living For The City (5:03)
5. O'Donel Levy - Side Show (4:47)
6. O'Donel Levy - Willow Weep For Me (6:18)
7. O'Donel Levy - Hey, Love! (3:19)
8. O'Donel Levy - Are You Foolin' Me (3:10)

O'Donel Levy - Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky

Bubbha Thomas & The Lightmen - Country Fried Chicken (1975)

"Drummer Bubbha Thomas is working here in a mode that's kind of an electrified 70s take on the Texas showband style of earlier years – a mode that has the core funky combo augmented by electric keys and moog in just the right places! The tunes on the set are all instrumentals – jamming along in a sweet little style that mixes funky jazz with some of the rougher touches of the indie 45 scene – letting the band stretch out on extended solos on most cuts, but still keeping the rhythms very tight and in the pocket! In a way, the approach almost feels like some of the funkier work on Tribe Records from Detroit, especially on tracks that have more ambitious solo work. Players include Doug Harris on flute and tenor, Ronnie Laws on tenor, John Henderson on electric piano, and a young Hugh Ragin on trombone – and titles include "Herbs Of Life", "Sweet Ray", "Famous Last Words", "Country Fried Chicken", and "Survival Song"."

http://www.dustygroove.com

Tracklisting

1. Bubbha Thomas & The Lightmen - Country Fried Chicken (6:09)
2. Bubbha Thomas & The Lightmen - All In Love Is Fair (5:06)
3. Bubbha Thomas & The Lightmen - Survival Song (6:48)
4. Bubbha Thomas & The Lightmen - Herbs (Of Life) (4:54)
5. Bubbha Thomas & The Lightmen - Famous Last Words (5:41)
6. Bubbha Thomas & The Lightmen - Sweet Ray (10:33)

Bubbha Thomas & The Lightmen - Sweet Ray

Keb Darge Presents: The New Mastersounds (2001)

"One of the cornerstone acts of the U.K. retro-soul scene, the New Mastersounds play taut old-school instrumental funk with a contemporary energy and enthusiasm that has earned them rave reviews and led them to collaborate with a number of major acts in Britain and the United States. The New Mastersounds were formed in 1999 by guitarist Eddie Roberts, who was DJ'ing at a weekly club night in Leeds devoted to classic soul and funk. When the event moved to a new venue that covered two floors, Roberts saw the opportunity to add a live band to the mix, and he recruited drummer Simon Allen, who had previously played with Roberts in a band called the Mastersounds. With the addition of Pete Shand on bass and Bob Birch on piano and organ, the new act was complete and in tribute to their old group, Roberts and Allen dubbed the combo the New Mastersounds."

allmusic.com

Tracklisting


1. New Mastersounds - Nervous (5:14)
2. New Mastersounds - Drop It Down (2:47)
3. New Mastersounds - GT (3:02)
4. New Mastersounds - Turn This Thing Around (4:07)
5. New Mastersounds - Miracles (2:37)
6. New Mastersounds - Python (3:24)
7. New Mastersounds - Hot Dog (2:47)
8. New Mastersounds - It's All Right Now (2:51)
9. New Mastersounds - Stay on the Groove (3:00)
10. New Mastersounds - So Many Pies (4:32)
11. New Mastersounds - Coffee Providers (3:17)
12. New Mastersounds - The Rooster (2:46)
13. New Mastersounds - Bondo Sama (2:49)
14. New Mastersounds - One Note Brown (2:48)

New Mastersounds - Bondo Sama

Jimmy Smith - Root Down, Live (1972)

       "Jimmy Smith ruled the Hammond organ in the '50s and '60s. He revolutionized the instrument, showing it could be creatively used in a jazz context and popularized in the process. His Blue Note sessions from 1956 to 1963 were extremely influential and many, like 1960's Back at the Chicken Shack and 1958 's The Sermon, are classics. Smith turned the organ into almost an ensemble itself. He provided walking bass lines with his feet, left hand chordal accompaniment, solo lines in the right, and a booming, funky presence that punctuated every song, particularly the up-tempo cuts. Smith turned the fusion of R&B, blues, and gospel influences with bebop references and devices into a jubilant, attractive sound that many others immediately absorbed before following in his footsteps."

allmusic.com

Tracklisting:

1. Jimmy Smith - Sagg Shootin' His Arrow (11:44)
2. Jimmy Smith - For Everyone Under the Sun (5:55)
3. Jimmy Smith - After Hours (7:50)
4. Jimmy Smith - Root Down (And Get It) (12:39)
5. Jimmy Smith - Let's Stay Together (6:26)
6. Jimmy Smith - Slow Down Sagg (10:22)
7. Jimmy Smith - Root Down (And Get It) (alternative version) (12:12)

Jimmy Smith - Root Down (And Get It)

The Pharoahs - Awakening (1971)

          "The Pharaohs were one of the forgotten treasures of '70s R&B, a freewheeling jazz-funk congregation heavily influenced by Chicago's jazz avant-garde as well as on-the-one funk and African motifs. Unfortunately, they recorded only one album before Earth, Wind & Fire frontman Maurice White (who played in an early version of the Pharaohs) hired several of its members to form the Phenix Horns, the justly celebrated horn section for Earth, Wind & Fire during the '70s.

The group was formed from several jazz bands active around Chicago's Affro Arts Theater, a community educational collective. One of the bands, the Jazzmen, was formed in the early '60s around trumpeter Charles Handy, trombone player Louis Satterfield, and alto Don Myrick (along with three who didn't survive later conglomerations: pianist Fred Humphrey, bassist Ernest McCarthy, and drummer Maurice White). The other main component of the Pharaohs was the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, who had already recorded one late-'60s LP with cornetist Philip Cohran, a veteran of Sun Ra's Arkestra and AACM. By the time of the Pharaohs' 1971 recording debut, Awakening, the group included Handy, Myrick, and Satterfield plus Big Willie Woods on trombone, Oye Bisi and Shango Njoko Adefumi on African drums, Yehudah Ben Israel on guitar and vocals, Alious Watkins on trap drums, Derf Reklaw-Raheem on percussion and flute, and Aaron Dodd on tuba. Though the album's astonishing fusion of funk, jazz, and Afro-beat earned them an assortment of die-hard fans and critics, the group's abstract inclinations hardly geared them for commercial success.

Back in the '60s, before the Pharaohs were formed, Handy, Satterfield, and Maurice White had often contributed to sessions at Chicago's Chess studios, so when White recorded a demo for a new band he wanted to form, both Handy and Satterfield appeared on it. After he signed to Warner Bros., they also began recording Earth, Wind & Fire material and eventually were officially hired by White as the Phenix Horns, with the addition of Pharaohs Yehudah Ben Israel and Rahm Lee, plus Michael Harris. The Pharaohs soldiered on until 1973, but called it quits without recording another studio album. Derf Reklaw became a respected world-jazz leader, while Woods and Dodd both appeared on many soul sessions around Chicago during the '70s. In 1996, the acid jazz label Luv 'N' Haight reissued Awakening and also released the 1972 live outing In the Basement.".

allmusic.com.

Tracklisting

1. The Pharaohs - Damballa (8:03)
2. The Pharaohs - Ibo (3:50)
3. The Pharaohs - S Of My Tears (4:07)
4. The Pharaohs - Black Enuff (2:57)
5. The Pharaohs - Somebody's Been Sleeping (4:14)
6. The Pharaohs - Freedom Road (5:56)
7. The Pharaohs - Great House (13:31)

The Pharaohs - Black Enuff

Gansta Funk Compilation

                   Hi everybody) Here is my compilation of the most favorite gansta funk themes and instrumentals. Basically it consists of the various soundtracks from the pulp movies of 70's but also of the raw funk and jazz covers and themes from the different composers. Hope you like it. Peace.

Tracklisting

1. Stefano Torossi - Running Fast (4:24)
2. Isaac Hayes - Pursuit of The Pimpmobile (Instrumental) (9:03)
3. Barry White - You Gotta Case (1:27)
4. J.J. Johnson - Willie Chase (3:05)
5. Henri Mancini - Here's Looking (2:50)
6. Lalo Schifrin - Shifting Gears (3:17)
7. Bobby Womack - Across 110th Street (3:47)
8. Lalo Schifrin - Dirty Harry (2:42)
9.Mike Longo - Like a Thief in the Night (5:40)
10. Steve Gray - Nevada Junction (2:40)
11. J.B.'s/James Brown - Transmorgrapfication (2:00)
12. J.J. Johnson - Go Chase Go (3:26)
13. Salinas - Straussmania (4:51)
14. Lalo Schifrin - Most Wanted Theme (2:44)
15. Pace Setters - Push On Jesse Jackson (2:40)
16. The Gaturs feat. Willie Tee - Gator Bait (2:44)
17. Kashmere Stage Band - Shaft (5:04)
18. Jimmy Smith - Mission Impossible (3:34)
19. Quincy Jones - They Call Me Mister Tibbs (4:29)
20. Quincy Jones - Money Runner (3:02)
21. Henry Mancini - Streets of San Francisco (2:44)
22. David Snell - International Flight (1:55)
23. Janne Schatter - Atlanta Inn (2:31)
24. Marvin Gaye - Mandota (instrumental) (3:26)

David Snell - International Flight

Defunkt - Thermonuclear Sweat (1982)

"Led by trumpet player Joseph Bowie -- the son of a St. Louis-based music teacher, the brother of big band arranger Byron Bowie, and late trumpet player of the Art Ensemble of Chicago's Lester Bowie -- Defunkt created some of the most adventurous sounds of the last quarter of the 20th century. Formed in 1978, Defunkt initially took a danceable approach to jazz. Although their first three albums -- Defunkt, Razor's Edge, and Thermonuclear Sweat -- made them leaders of New York's radical underground music scene, their inability to achieve commercial expectations led them to disband in 1983, with Bowie retreating to the island of St. Croix. Reorganized after Bowie's return to New York in 1986, Defunkt recorded an additional six albums, including A Blues Tribute: Jimi Hendrix & Muddy Waters and In America, between 1988-1993. Beginning in 1996, Bowie sought a way to combine the big band jazz of the 1930s and '40s and the dance rhythms and grooves of the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Expanding Defunkt with the addition of more horn players and background vocalists, Bowie introduced the Defunkt Big Band with a six-week stint at the Knitting Factory in New York. "

allmusic.com

Tracklisting

1. Defunkt - Illusion (5:37)
2. Defunkt - I Tried To Live Alone (5:10)
3. Defunkt - Cocktail Hour (Blue Bossa) (3:29)
4. Defunkt - Ooh Baby (6:07)
5. Defunkt - Avoid The Funk (4:28)
6. Defunkt - Big Bird (Au Private) (2:09)
7. Defunkt - For The Love Of Money (5:57)
8. Defunkt - Believing In Love (7:25)
9. Defunkt - Big Bird (Au Private) (live 1983) (2:10)

Defunkt - Illusion

Ramon Morris - Sweet Sister Funk (1973)

The one and only album of Ramon Morris, but the greatest one!

"Ramon Morris' lone Groove Merchant date remains one of the most potent fusion records of its time. An uncommonly soulful and nimble tenorman, Morris proves ideally matched to the jazz-funk idiom, and Sweet Sister Funk achieves a near-perfect balance between its mainstream and experimental leanings, forging a series of fierce grooves as imaginative as they are accessible. Recorded with a crack supporting unit including trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater and percussionist Tony Waters, the album radiates with positive energy -- it's a genuine shame Morris never again recorded as a leader, because the mind reels at the possibilities his muse might have pursued".  Jason Ankeny

Tracklisting

1. Ramon Morris - Don't Ask Me (5:21)
2. Ramon Morris - Lord Sideways (6:15)
3. Ramon Morris - People Make The World Go Around (3:16)
4. Ramon Morris - First Come,First Serve (4:48)
5. Ramon Morris - Wijinia (5:32)
6. Ramon Morris - Sweet Sister Funk (6:19)
7. Ramon Morris - Sweat (6:27)

Pure Jazz-Funk, great stuff!!!

Ramon Morris - Sweet Sister Funk