Funk Piano

The first 30 seconds of Voodoo Funk Project's debut album will send listeners scurrying to the liner notes looking for the recording date: "Black Magic" is Blackbyrds-style funky soul-jazz, right down to the vintage synth whooshes that lazily ripple across the sound field and the introduction of an extremely 1970s-vintage clavinet part about two minutes in. The rest of the album maintains this retro vibe, unsurprising since the brain behind this U.K. foursome is producer and programmer Geoff Wilkinson, formerly half of acid jazz pioneers Us3.

From Boogie to Funk finds the somewhat undercelebrated swing trumpeter Bill Coleman at a late period in his career, nailing down this set of blues in Paris with a fine group in 1960. The set begins wonderfully with an extended journey through a 16-minute two-part piece entitled "From Boogie to Funk," with the first part subtitled "The Blues" and the second titled "The Boogie." The subtitles prove fitting as Coleman indeed picks up the pace a bit for the second part, and from there the album never really slows down much. It's this swinging feel that propels the later pieces - "Bill, Budd and Butter," "Afromotive in Blue," "Colemanonlogy," and "Have Blues, Will Play 'Em" - which were all composed by Coleman, as were the two parts of "From Boogie to Funk"…

The supporting cast may have changed, but The BOSTON HORNS continue to turn out some of the area's most inventive and infectious music. Boston Horns is anchored by tenor saxophonist Henley Douglas Jr., trumpeter Garret Savluk and guitarist Jeff Buckridge. Stop by and bring your dancing shoes because when you hear their irresistible blend of funk, rock and jazz, you will have to move.

An obscure album of jazzy funk, produced by Harvey Mason, with a similar feel to some of his own work on Arista during the late 70s. The album has vocals on a numbers of cuts, in kind of a part ensemble funk mode that doesn’t always work best for the group. Fortunately, there’s some great moments that change the groove a bit — like the mellow stepper “It’s You”, which features lead vocals by Stephanie Spruill — and the sublime instrumentals “Blackjack” and “Cinnamon”, both of which have a totally sweet jazzy groove that’s got a great warm polish to it!.

Although Funk Fantastique is a somewhat thrown-together affair, the music presented on the album represents solid work by organist/keyboardist Charles Earland and company. The material at the center of the album (tracks four through seven) was originally released as Charles III in 1972, and the surrounding tracks are previously unreleased. Since the unreleased material comes from two different sessions, three different ensembles grace Funk Fantastique.

The Brecker Brothers join forces for a set of mostly high-powered originals at a concert in 2003. Their post-bop music is generally funky (although "Freefall" is an uptempo cooker) and sometimes a bit bombastic yet is never predictable. Trumpeter Randy Brecker and tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker take many fiery solos while also sounding warm on ballads. They are supported by a particularly strong rhythm section. In addition, the WDR Big Band contributes 14 horns and a guitar to accompany the core group. The individual songs may not be overly memorable (although "Some Skunk Funk" has been getting covered by other musicians) but the Breckers' solos are full of exciting moments.