"franklin Bishop"

When Los Angeles-born, Oakland-based pianist-turned-producer Gene Russell co-founded Black Jazz in 1971, the 39-year-old journeyman was just two years removed from a small-trio release on Decca that landed squarely in the lighthearted, pop-friendly, ‘Up-Up And Away’ and ‘Born Free’-covering world of cocktail-bar jazz. But with the turn-of-the-seventies emergence of revolutionary developments from electric Miles to the spiritual directions of Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane – and all sorts of funky mutations in Russell’s soul-jazz wheelhouse, to boot – the tight-knit collection of artists he assembled took full advantage of all the possibilities that lay ahead for jazz in the young decade.

20 CD Box Set. All Original Recordings from the 60s, 70s, 80s. Released by BMG in 1995.

"Uncle Jam Wants You" is the eleventh studio album by American funk band Funkadelic. It was originally released by Warner Bros. Records on September 21, 1979, and was later reissued on CD by Charly Groove Records and Priority Records. It was produced by George Clinton under the alias Dr. Funkenstein. It is the first Funkadelic album since America Eats Its Young in 1972 not to sport a cover illustrated by Funkadelic artist Pedro Bell, though Bell did contribute some interior artwork. Uncle Jam Wants You was the second Funkadelic album to be certified Gold. The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard Soul album chart.

"Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy", released on Atlantic Records in November 1979, was the 2nd album from the American female funk band, The Brides of Funkenstein. Morphing into a trio on the second album release, the vocalists consisted of Dawn Silva, Sheila Horne, and Jeanette McGruder. Horne and McGruder served as background vocalists on subsequent P-Funk concert tours. "Never Buy Texas From a Cowboy" would be granted a Cashbox Rhythm & Blues Award in 1980 for 'Best Female Group'. The song slated for the award was the 1979 single "Didn't Mean To Fall In Love", written and produced by Ron Dunbar. The album's top single release, "Never Buy Texas From a Cowboy" became a hit in the Midwest, Europe and Asia. "Never Buy Texas from A Cowboy" resurfaced in 2001 with Rolling Stone rating this album as the top 50 coolest albums of all times.

Hiromi Uehara (上原ひろみ), known as Hiromi, is a jazz composer and pianist born in Hamamatsu, Japan. She is known for her virtuosic technique, energetic live performances and blend of musical genres such as post-bop, progressive rock, classical and fusion in her compositions.