Mandrill

Apparently learning from the mistakes of its debut, Mandrill crafted a follow-up with fewer stylistic detours than the first record, but much more energy and greater maturity. The two singles, "Ape Is High" and "Git It All," are unhinged performances from all involved that have the sense of musical invigoration so key to a funk band – and so sorely lacking on this band's debut…

Wilson Bros. Records is proud to present the new MANDRILL LIVE AT MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL 2002 – an amazing, one-time only performance recorded at the prestigious Stravinsky Hall in Switzerland…

One of funk's most progressive outfits, Mandrill paid the price for their ambitions in commercial returns not that they never earned a reputation or an audience, but their expansive, eclectic vision often worked better when given an album's worth of room to roam, rather than being condensed into hit singles. Mandrill's jam-heavy brand of funk was liberally infused with Latin, Caribbean, and jazz influences, plus blues, psychedelia, African music, and straight-up rock. Their freewheeling approach was a definite influence on the Parliament-Funkadelic collective (an early incarnation of which actually served as their opening act), and their grooves have been sampled by numerous hip-hop acts in modern days.

Solid is the sixth album by the band Mandrill, based in Brooklyn, New York. Released in 1975, this was the band's first release with United Artists Records.

There aren't a whole lot of bands like Mandrill! Even in the days of War and Santana where the psychedelic stew and different latin styles were all merging together……this particular band was a standout. Mainly due to the heavy rootedness of their music. Throughout this 1975 album the band serve up a set of tunes that blend rather forboding,dark funk with surreal strings,harmonies and wah-wahs such as on the compelling "Wind On Horseback","Yucca Jump" and the title song. They really rock hard in a funky place (best term I could use-thanks Prince) on "Tee Vee",a song whose message and almost proto hip-hop groove predates the Disposable Heroes Of Hisprocrisy's "Television" by about fifteen years. There are also some hardcore grooves such as "Peck Ya Neck" and "Stop & Go".

Brooklyn, NYC is home to one of the classic bands from the late ’60s. The band known as Mandrill was/is a Funk/Salsa/Blues/Rock band that gave Rock over ten albums to their name. These days, Carlos and Ric Wilson remain in the musically explosive lineup (brother Lou Wilson passed in 2013). With energy remaining, the Wilson Brothers return with a new Mandrill album.