Earth Wind And Fire

Aged rock critic Richard Meltzer once said that writing about music is much harder today than it was in the 60s. He said that back then, there probably weren't 20 great bands in the world, so it was much easier to cover the scene comprehensively. I'd say he was reducing the issue a tad (especially in light of sets like Nuggets), but there is a kernel of wisdom in his observation. In 1967, Jimi Hendrix almost single-handedly rallied troupes from rock, pop, blues, jazz and soul on both sides of the Atlantic with his psychedelic call to arms, Are You Experienced?. In one fell swoop, he united the sounds of acts ranging from James Brown to The Beatles, and proved that young black men had as much a claim to rock's budding authenticity as any English mop tops. This could never happen again, as ironically, people like Hendrix contributed to a splintering of scenes and sounds that made common threads almost impossible to find (or wind) thereafter.

"VA - Funk Drops 3: Breaks, Nuggets and Rarities" (2004) is a compilation album in the Funk Drops series, offering a collection of rare, obscure, and often underappreciated tracks from the funk and soul music genres. This specific volume, released in 2004, continues the series' mission of showcasing funky breaks, grooves, and nuggets that are important for DJs, collectors, and fans of funk music.

It delivers by the powerful lyrics, amazing harmonies & excellent meoldies. Consistent,beautiful & chillingly gorgeous - worthy of any self-respecting record collection

Jazz Master Ramsey Lewis is a living legend; it is impossible to imagine today’s landscape of Jazz, funk, and R&B without his contribution. From gold records in the sixties to Grammy awards, Ramsey Lewis has always been a collaborator, working with many including Grover Washington Jr, Maurice White & Earth, Wind, and Fire, Dr. Billy Taylor, Dr. John, and The London Philharmonic. His classic band Urban Knights includes guitarist Henry Johnson, drummer Charles Heath, bassist Joshua Ramos and keyboardist Tim Gant, and they have released six albums that kept the sound and spirit of funk and R&B alive. And now we are thrilled to announce the next - VII by Ramsey Lewis and Urban Knights - will be set for release in the fall of 2019. Original compositions are interspersed with carefully selected classics from John Coltrane, Jimmy Reed, Chick Corea, and The Beatles.

In augustus 1970 tekende Maurice White het contract voor Earth Wind & Fire, snel gevolgd door de eerste single en het eerste, gelijknamige album in 1971. De rest is geschiedenis, de band werd een van de succesvolste en invloedrijkste ooit die met hun mix van R&B, soul, funk, jazz, disco, pop, rock, dance, Latin, Afro pop en hun spectaculaire liveoptredens de zwarte muziek blijvend heeft veranderd.Om dit 50 jarig jubileum te vieren en ter nagedachtenis van “maestro” Maurice White heeft meestermixer Ben Liebrand een speciale Grandmix gemaakt met alle EWF hoogtepunten zoals “Fantasy”, “September”, “Boogie Wonderland” en “Let’s Groove” aangevuld met materiaal van de meest recente albums en artiesten waar de band op enigerlei wijze nauw bij betrokken was en waarin de sound van EW&F duidelijk hoorbaar is zoals bij The Emotions, Deniece Williams, Deodato en Ramsey Lewis (waarvoor Maurice White ooit drummer was geweest) en de solo hits van Philip Bailey en Maurice White.

Earth, Wind & Fire were one of the most musically accomplished, critically acclaimed, and commercially popular funk bands of the '70s. Conceived by drummer, bandleader, songwriter, kalimba player, and occasional vocalist Maurice White, EWF's all-encompassing musical vision used funk as its foundation, but also incorporated jazz, smooth soul, gospel, pop, rock & roll, psychedelia, blues, folk, African music, and, later on, disco. Lead singer Philip Bailey gave EWF an extra dimension with his talent for crooning sentimental ballads in addition to funk workouts; behind him, the band could harmonize like a smooth Motown group, work a simmering groove like the J.B.'s, and improvise like a jazz fusion outfit. Their stage shows were often as elaborate and dynamic as George Clinton's P-Funk empire. More than just versatility for its own sake, EWF's eclecticism was part of a broader concept informed by a cosmic, mystical spirituality and an uplifting positivity the likes of which hadn't been seen since the early days of Sly & the Family Stone.

Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards…