Music » Funk R&B Music

Release Date: 2004-04-06, Audio CD, Tabu

This was Weckl's debut as a leader after years as a session musician and member of Chick Corea's Elektric and Akoustic Bands, and it's an arresting display of his drum chops and rhythmic know-how, whether he's playing or matching parts with a drum program. The rhythms range from Latin-techno on "Festival de Ritmo" to the light swing of acoustic jazz on "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise." Weckl is joined by a number of eminent associates, including Michael Brecker and Eric Marienthal on saxophones. Chick Corea himself plays on his tune "Master Plan," and fellow drummer Steve Gadd joins Weckl for some particularly complex polyrhythms. The music sometimes takes a backseat to Weckl's pyrotechnics, but that's in keeping with a musician initially inspired by Buddy Rich. Weckl has effectively extended that aggressive approach to embrace technology, and Master Plan is full of the same kind of inspiration for younger drummers. --Stuart Broomer

This comprehensive collection spans the career of the legendary house band of New Orleans, the Meters. Disc one focuses on the instrumentals recorded for the Josie label. Disc two spans the Reprise/Warner Bros. years. The epitome of soul funk hip.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: METERS
Title: ANTHOLOGY-FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE
Street Release Date: 02/28/1995
Domestic
Genre: SOUL/R & B

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: MAZE & FRANKIE BEVERLY
Title: VOL. 1-LIFELINES
Street Release Date: 11/14/1989
Domestic
Genre: SOUL/R & B

Junking '70s-funk cliches for a stripped-down sound (keyboards and synthesizers replaced the horns) built around a hard-rockin' guitar and a tougher-than-tough rhythm section--all topped off with a heapin' helping of humor--this Minneapolis-based sextet was once the best funk band in the land. This second LP is the best single album from the act, which soon imploded, owing to an over-abundance of talent. Bug-eyed vocalist Morris Day and guitarist Jesse Johnson went on to semi-successful solo careers; keyboardist Jimmy Jam and bassist Terry Lewis became a mega-platinum writing/production team (Janet Jackson, most notably); drummer extraordinaire Jellybean Johnson and keyboardist Monte Moir were the other members. Co-produced by Day and Jamie Starr (a.k.a. Prince), this six-song 1982 effort sports three wall-rattling party-starters: the self-explantory "Wild and Loose," the tongue-in-cheek dance tune "The Walk," and the still-percolating, knotty-but-nice rhythms of "777-9311." Toss in a "New Wave"-style rocker, a droll take on the obligatory love-man ballad, and the band's straight-faced answer to the titular question ("Time to fix your clock!") is O-B-V-I-O-U-S. --Don Waller

Release Date: 1996-10-29, Audio CD, Capitol

Of the many wonderful blaxpoitation soundtracks to emerge during the early '70s, Shaft certainly deserves mention as not only one of the most lasting but also one of the most successful. Isaac Hayes was undoubtedly one of the era's most accomplished soul artists. With the Theme From Shaft, Hayes delivered an anthem just as ambitious and revered as the film itself, a song that has only grown more treasured over the years, after having been an enormously popular hit at the time of its release. Soulsville operates effectively as the sort of down-tempo ballad Hayes was most known for, just as the almost 20-minute Do Your Thing showcased just how impressive the Bar-Keys had become, stretching the song to unseen limits with their inventive, funky jamming. This CD features cinematic moments of instrumentation, composed and produced by Hayes while being performed by the Bar-Kays - some down-tempo, others quite jazzy. A Stax records

The mid-'70s song "Play that Funky Music White Boy" was by Wild Cherry, but if you really want a bunch of pigmentally challenged males to play some funky music, then call on the Average White Band. This band of Scots was anything but average. This 1975 debut featured the smoking instrumental "Pick up the Pieces," which merged hard-bop precision with funk's wanton playfulness. Their vocal numbers, such as "Schoolboy Crush," were also very good. Much of the music from this record has been covered by smooth jazz artists yearning for an edge (like Candy Dulfer) and sampled by savvy DJs. The Average White Band ran short on ideas after a few recordings, but the ones presented here deserve your rapt attention. --Martin Johnson

Array

It's not difficult to see why Trey Anastasio (of Phish) and Les Claypool (of Primus) have a musical attraction to each other: they both revel in a balance of technical proficiency and head-spinning absurdity. Of course, Frank Zappa was a pioneer in this realm and you can hear his influence throughout. With former Police drummer Stewart Copeland on board as the third accomplice, Oysterhead pretty much wear out the lines between creativity and self-indulgence, between the clever and the goofy--a fact that is not at all surprising given the histories of Anastasio and Claypool, neither of whom are known for their self-editing abilities. Still, Oysterhead earns considerable points for the level of musicianship, originality, and sheer abandon of the project. And Copeland seems liberated by the setting, showing ingenuity and dexterity in driving these ultra-quirky tunes. In the end, this mix of clunky funk and decadent weirdness is maddening almost as much as it is rewarding, but The Grand Pecking Order has a sinister futuristic quality that is simply too peculiar to ignore. --Marc Greilsamer