Funk Guitar

Con Funk Shun were one of the most popular R&B & funk bands of the 1970s and 1980s, with numerous hit records including "Ffun", a Billboard magazine "#1 With A Bullet" Top Soul Single. The act recorded a total of 11 albums with Mercury Records and still enjoys success with the release of numerous compilations and original albums being released as compact discs.

U-Nam (aka Emmanuel Abitebol) may be taking this "u" thing a bit far, but his jazz-funk guitar stylings are so pleasing to the ears, that his little eccentricities can be forgiven. Upon first listen, the disc sounds as though George Benson decided to make a funk record. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but U-Nam is an innovator, not an imitator. Unanimity sounds, perhaps, how Benson might have had—after virtually creating the smooth jazz genre singlehandedly—he decided to go to Paris, immerse himself in some old school '60s Motown, Stax and Atlantic soul music, and then record an album with the results. U-Nam isn't just a particularly attentive student of the Benson approach to guitar stylings; he also brings his own ideas to the party. Backed by both horn and string sections, U-Nam likes to get down and get funky, as he demonstrates both an appreciation for a good groove and not taking himself too seriously. "(Hang On) U-Is Comin'" isn't exactly Sam & Dave's "Hold I'm Coming" but it's certainly inspired by it. U-Nam's a pretty good bassist too, as he shows on his cover of George Duke's "Shine On"...

Fingerstyle Funk will completely overhaul your thinking of what can be played with ten fingers and six strings. With your faithful fingerstyle guru at your side, Jamsire Ernoir (aka Ernie Jackson), will teach you how to create insane grooves, layer chords over the groove, and play a melody over the top — and then play it all at the same time.