SOUL, JAZZ, LATIN, FUNK, LIBRARY OR PROGRESSIVE MUSIC, AND OTHER SMOOTH SOUNDS TO PAY TRIBUTE TO SOME WIZARD MUSICIANS.
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Brian Auger's Oblivion Express Band released this jazz funk lp in 1973 for RCA label. It contains a very groovy and solid percussions / bass / drums section with nice keyboards. The excellent "Light On The Path" is the only fully instrumental piece of the album.
Musicians: Brian Auger: organ, piano, electric piano, moog, mellotron, vocals - Barry Dean: bass guitar - Jack Mills: lead guitar - Lennox Laington: congas - Godfrey MacLean: drums, cowbell
Voices Of Other Times
1. Whenever You're Ready 2. Happiness Is Just Around The Bend 3. Light On The Path 4. Compared To What 5. Inner City Blues 6. Voices Of Other Times
Solid classic soul funk soundtrack released by one the great figures of blaxploitation scene, actor and musician Rudy Ray Moore (March 17, 1927 – Oct. 19, 2008). This O.S.T. was released for Generation International label in 1975.
Musicians: Soul Rebellion Orchestra conducted by Rudy Ray Moore / arranged by Arthur Wright - vocals: Ben Taylor, Mary Love, Revelation Funk
The Rumble
Willie Green
1. Dolemite 2. The Queen 3. Do You Still Care 4. The Rumble 5. Mayor's Get Away 6. Power of Your Love 7. Willie Green 8. When We Start Making Love 9. The Hitmen 10. Ghetto Expressions 11. Time Is On Our Side 12. Creeper 13. The Jive Jungle 14. Flatland
A "must have" and nearly classical french funk album originally released in 1979 by Christian Gaubert for RCA label. It was reissued on 2006 on Japanese Production Dessinée label. No need to present this gem for knowers, really every track is a killer.
"Sweet And Fool Like A Child" was a also compiled on the Funk De Luxe compilation released in 2001 for Hutch Production.
You can buy it here or here in reissued CD or Lp format or original Lp format.
Sweet And Fool Like A Child
Sweet Marilyne
1. It 2. Man On a Wire 3. Sweet And Fool Like A Child 4. Going Ups And Coming Downs 5. Sweet Marilyne 6. Keep On! Keep On! 7. We're Together 8. Running Wave
Rare library Lp released by arranger/composer Dennis Farnon in 1973 for SBH label in the GREAT legendary "Boosey & Hawkes background Music series". This one is oriented to slow drama pieces with beautiful arrangements + some jazzy tunes at the end of the second side.
Paddle Wheeler
1. By Candlelight 2. The Veil 3. Protoplasm 4. Cataclysm 5. Intrigue 6. Time Lapse 7. The Alchemist 8. Subversive Element 9. Journey Into Fear 10. Requiem 11. Portrait Of A Girl 12. Suddenly 13. Paddle Wheeler 14. Ad-libs No. 4a 15. Trip - Scene 16. Wild
Dutch progressive jazz/rock band Spin formed in 1974 and disbanded in 1977. They only recorded 2 albums, both for Ariola label : An eponymous one in 1976, and "Whirlwind" in 1977.
Musicians: Rein van den Broek: trumpet, flugelhorn - Jan Vennik: reeds, flute - Hans Jansen: keyboards - Hans Hollestelle: guitar, synthesizer - Jan Hollestelle: bass, synthetizers, piano, violoncello - Cees Kranenburg: drums, percussion Covert Art: Chris Duinmeijer.
Beautiful Queenie
1. Grasshopper 2. Spinning 3. Excenter 4. Sea And Seasons 5. Little Bitch 6. Sunday Afternoon's Dream 7. Flat Tyre 8. Beautiful Queenie
Really nice and rare jazzy library album by German arranger Frank Pleyer. It was released on Golden Rings records in the beginning of the 70s. Other original copies were released a bit later on Morning records. This album brings together some beautiful orchestration stuffs from various arrangers and composers, including himself. This is the first of two volumes.
Here We Go Again
Flowers And Girls
1. Remember Yesterday 2. Her Name Is Amy 3. Lady Like 4. Wide Range 5. To Be In Love 6. Flower And Girls 7. Blossom Dreams 8. Romantic Moon 9. Here We Go Again 10. Cheerless Afternoon 11. Smooth Touch 12. Taiga Melody
you can grab an original copy here for example. And also here ! see comments
"Martin Circus" was a quite popular band in France during the 70s-80s for those who are today at least more than 35 or 40 years-old (not my case yet but not so far !). They were firstly known for their live performance album "En Direct Du Rock'n Roll Circus", released in the end of the 60s. After that they recorded some hits in the 70s and 80s as for example 'Je m'éclate Au Sénégal", "Marylène", "Tremblant De Fièvre", etc. that were largely broadcasted on radio stations.
Most of their work can be classified between some real progressive music (with a clear Franck Zappa's inspiration) and more pop songs that were more or less commercially-oriented. But the fact is that this band often tended to experiment new things and brought new sounds to the french rock scene of this period, particularly in the beginning of their carreer. That is what this double Lp-album, "Acte II", released in 1971 for Vogue records, deals with. Despite of the demoded vocals (but funny too, in "Je m'éclate Au Sénégal" for example: "Je n'sais même plus où est ma copine de ch'val avec qui j'ai pris un bain de minuit, à poil sous la lune ..." well, french people will understand), this Lp is a mix of crazy vocals, nice progressive rock and pop arrangements and orchestrations ("Pourquoi Tous Ces Cris", "Poussières", "J'ai Perdu" - groovy wah wah guitar in the second part -) mixed with some bossa ("Le Tromblon Magique"), jazz and funk touch ("Hyznogod", "O' Secours Bob"). Anyway, a rich album and quite an overlooked one too. And an opportunity to pay tribute to Gérard Blanc who died this year, on January 24, 2009.
Disc 1 : 1. Boudjateelack 2. Pourquoi Tous Ces Cris 3. Chevauchée Fantastique 4. Poème 5. Ti'Bill 6. Poussières 7. J'ai Perdu 8. J'Suis Une Groupie 9. Ouvrez Vos Mémoires
Disc 2 : 10. Je M'éclate Au Sénégal 11. Le Tromblon Magique 12. Hyznogod 13. Images 14. A Dada Sur Paranoïa 15. Façon De Parler 16. O'Secours Bob 17. J'aimerai Bien Te Faire Flipper Un P'Tit Peu 18. Ma Guitare
album is available here for example to get a cleaner copy. It was also reissued in CD format but is regularly out of stock.
One among the less adventurous and by consequence more "conventional" recordings by the great "showman" and multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk (Aug. 7, 1935 - Dec. 5, 1977), this album was released in 1967 for Verve label. Roland Kirk had the particularity to be able to play together several brass instruments including tenor saxophone, flute, manzello, stritch, castanets and some others. But on the opposite of his habit, on this one he plays many instruments at the same time only sporadically. And this shows even more how outstanding his talent was and that he could be compared with many other great saxophonists. Indeed it confirms that his playing was not only a batch of demonstrations about his ability to play several instruments even though he was one of the best (maybe the best) to possess this particular artistry to push back the frontiers of music.
The album contains two ballads, the Burth Bacharach's "Alfie" and the beautifully sad eponymous title, and also two blues, "Blue Rol" and the hot "Fallout". The bossa "Why Don't They Know", and more post-bop oriented "Stompin' Ground" or "It's A Grand Night For Swinging" are also part of these nice numbers.
Somehow, it is maybe one of the more "classic" albums by Roland Kirk and also certainly one of the more overlooked ones. But of course be sure to dig out also "I Talk with The Spirits" or also "The Inflated Tear", etc. among all the quality albums this exceptional musician recorded. Note the young Lonnie Liston Smith, then aged 27 and some years before his spacey electric sets, was on piano.
Musicians : Roland Kirk: tenor saxophone, flute, stritch, manzello - Lonnie Liston Smith: piano - Ronald Boykins: bass - Grady Tate: drums
Alfie - Why Don't They Know - It's A Grand Night For Swinging
1. BLue Rol 2. Alfie 3. Why Don't They Know 4. Silverization 5. Fallout 6. Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith 7. Stompin' Ground 8. It's A Grand Night For Swinging
This album has been reissued in Lp format and also in a 2 albums CD package including the album "Rip, Rig and Panic".
This album mixes easy listening, funk and disco materials with different keyboards played by Michael Lewis (who also produced / recorded albums for "El Coco" with Laurin Rinder). Lp Released by Le Pamplemousse band in 1976 for AVI records. Includes some good break intros, cheezy covers of some standards (Manha De Carnival, Poinciana) but also more funky pieces (Gitcha Down) or disco (Soular Street, Song Of The Jet) and the famous "Gimmie What You Got".
Musicians : Michael Lewis: synthesizer, clavinet - Washington "Soulman" Jones: organ, piano - Laurin Rinder: drums, percussion - Rapito: congas, tymbales - John Hunt, Jack Weber: guitar - Harry Kim: trumpet - Doug Richardson: tenor & soprano sax - Jo Bim Avanzi: tenor sax - Joe Bellamy: bass - Stan "Fingers" Fisher: bass on "Manha De Carnival" - Vocals: Adrienne Wiliams, Marsha Thacker, Kathy Nixon, Jerri Bocchino, Chris Bocchino, Mark Bryson
Gimmie What You Got
1. Manha De Carnival 2. Gimmie What You Got 3. Beginning Of The End 4. Poinciana 5. Gitcha Down 6. Soular Street 7. El Diablo Dorado 8. Love To Michelle 9. A Man And A Woman 10. Song Of The Jet 11. After The Carafe
