This 2002 compilation shuffles most of Wild Cherry's charting hits and combines them with a larger number of album cuts. "Play That Funky Music," along with the other singles that almost no one remembers – "Hot to Trot," "Hold On," "I Love My Music" – are included. "Baby Don't You Know," the mildly successful "Play That Funky Music" sound-alike that became the group's second hit, is not. Everything the group did was unfairly compared to "Play That Funky Music," so the remainder of the Wild Cherry catalog is deserving of more attention; still, this disc will be more than enough for most casual fans of disco and funk.
Killer selection of boogie-disco and early electro templates from a golden, foundational era of Afro Futurist space exploration.
The Godfather Of Soul, James Brown was a prolific singer, songwriter and bandleader, as well as one of the most iconic figures in funk and soul music, as evidenced on new collection Super Bad Live!
BEBO BEST aka The Alchemist Bebo Baldan, producer, musician, film composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist (bass, percussion, drums, sitar, guitar & keyboards) has worked on over 300 albums, and many soundtracks for films and TV, and has international recognition for the wise and original use of electronics and ethnic music that distinguished his works. His collaborations with such personalities as Gilberto Gil, Moni Ovadia Jon Hassel, Steven Brown, Steve Reich, Michael Nyman, Wim Mertens, Nitin Sawhney, Trilok Gurtu, Sinead O' Connor, David Torn, Ruichy Sakamoto, Frank Zappa, the American violinist Stephen James (Ravi Shankar, Bill Laswell), and guitarist David Torn (David Sylvian, Jan Garbarek, Don Cherry) has allowed him to explore ethnic and non-European types of music, an original Mediterranean formula influenced by jazz, traditional and warm electronic music.
Freddie Hubbard's Super Blue, finally available on CD, is a minor classic—overlooked, perhaps, because it lies in the long shadow of the titan trumpeter's earlier output, or because it was recorded in the middle of a lackluster phase at Columbia. But Blue is a late-summer sleeper. Reassembling some of the best talent from his CTI dates—Joe Henderson (tenor), Hubert Laws (flute), Ron Carter (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums) and George Benson (guitar), plus Kenny Barron (acoustic and electric keyboards), a jam-mate from Hubbard's groups of the later 1960s—the session proves that commercial accessibility can coexist with high artistic standards.
Super funky sax, in a lineup that's also got plenty of great electric touches too – all put together by CTI/Kudu maestro Dave Matthews – and featuring David Sanborn, Michael Brecker, and Ronnie Cuber as the sax players in the title! The group's got a nice vibe that has the three horns taking off in then lead – then splitting out into well-stated solos – while grooves feature David Spinozza on electric guitar, and Don Grolnick and Cliff Carter on keyboards – all of whom, like the reedmen, still hang onto the warmer styles of 70s fusion. Titles are all Matthews originals.
Robert Walter calls his instrumental heavy organ music "soul-jazz," but that ignores the strong funk element ever-present on all of his albums. This one is no exception, as the opening track, "Adelita," charges out with Walter's Jimmy Smith/Jack McDuff-styled keyboards, driving saxophonist Tim Green into a roaring solo. For this recording, made live in a New Orleans studio with crisp sound, Walter chose top musicians to help the vibe, such as drummers Johnny Vidacovich and Galactic's Stanton Moore, along with bassist James Singleton. The music is baked in the New Orleans groove, with doses of the Meters, Galactic, and Dr. John mixed in. Walter pushes the sonic envelope by shifting into slightly experimental waters during parts of "(Smells Like) Dad's Drunk Again," but he never strays too far afield.