John Paul Jones - The Bass Player

John Baldwin (born 3 January 1946), known by the stage name John Paul Jones, is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, keyboardist, and co-songwriter for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career. A versatile musician, Jones also plays guitar, koto, lap steel guitars, mandolin, autoharp, violin, ukulele, sitar, cello, continuum and the three over-dubbed recorder parts heard on Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven".

According to Allmusic, Jones "has left his mark on rock & roll music history as an innovative musician, arranger, and director." Many notable rock bassists have been influenced by John Paul Jones, including John Deacon, Geddy Lee, Steve Harris, Flea, Gene Simmons, and Krist Novoselic. Jones is currently part of the band Them Crooked Vultures with Josh Homme and Dave Grohl, in which he plays bass guitar, keyboards, and other instruments.

At Led Zeppelin, he was responsible for the classic bass lines of the group, notably those in "Ramble On" and "The Lemon Song" (Led Zeppelin II), and power crunch and shifting time signatures, such as those in "Black Dog" (Led Zeppelin IV). As Led Zeppelin's rhythm section-mate with drummer John Bonham, Jones shared an appreciation for funk and soul rhythmic grooves which strengthened and enhanced their musical affinity. In an interview he gave to Global Bass magazine, Jones remarked on this common musical interest:

"Yeah, we were both huge Motown and Stax fans and general soul music fans, James Brown fan. Which is one of the reasons why I've always said that Zeppelin was one of the few bands to "swing". We actually had a groove in those days. People used to come to our shows and dance, which was great. To see all the women dancing, it was really brilliant. You didn't necessarily see that at a Black Sabbath show or whatever: So we were different in that way. We were a groovy band. We used all our black pop music influences as a key to the rock that went over the top.

Three great albums to illustrate his career:

 A Memory Frozen Forever (07.07.1980, Berlin) 






Remasters (1990)

John Bonham – drums, percussion

John Paul Jones – bass guitar, keyboards, Mellotron

Robert Plant – vocals

Jimmy Page – electric guitars, backing vocals, Theremin, production

Masters - No Introduction Necessary  (Jimmy Page & John Paul Jones)

A rare record, with Jimmy Page and Mr. Jones...

John Paul Jones - 1994 - The Sporting Life (Diamanda Galas )

And a very exotic album of Mr. Jones and an opera singer. The Sporting Life is an album by singer Diamanda Galás and multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones, recorded in London and released in 1994.

The Band:

Diamanda Galás – vocals, Hammond organ, piano

John Paul Jones – bass guitar, lap steel guitar

Pete Thomas – drums, percussion

Alphonse Mouzon - Just a Fusion Jazz Drummer

Alphonse Mouzon (born November 21, 1948) is a well-known jazz-fusion drummer and percussionist, and the owner of Tenacious Records, a label that primarily releases Mouzon's recordings. He also composes, arranges and produces, as well as acts. Alphonse Mouzon's popularity as a performing artist first became realized in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Mouzon, of African-American, French and Blackfoot descent, was born on November 21, 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina. He received his first musical training at Bonds-Wilson High School and moved to New York City upon graduation. He studied drama and music at the City College of New York as well as medicine at Manhattan Medical School. He continued receiving drum lessons from Bobby Thomas, the drummer for jazz pianist Billy Taylor. He played percussion in the Broadway show "Promises, Promises", he then worked with pianist McCoy Tyner. He spent a year as a member of the jazz fusion band, Weather Report. After that Mouzon signed as a solo artist to the Blue Note label in 1972.

Weather Report (1971)

Alternative Link

Originally released in May 1971, Weather Report was the debut album by the group of the same name. The style of music on this album can be described as avant-garde jazz with electric instruments. It continues the style of Miles Davis album Bitches Brew (on which Zawinul and Shorter played) but in a more ambient setting.

The Band:

Joe Zawinul – Electric and acoustic piano

Wayne Shorter – Soprano saxophone

Miroslav Vitouš – Electric and acoustic bass

Alphonse Mouzon – Drums, voice

Airto Moreira – Percussion

Barbara Burton – Percussion (uncredited)

Don Alias – Percussion (uncredited)

Awards:

"Jazz Album of the Year", Down Beat Readers Poll.

Swing Journal magazine Grand Prix Award (a gold record given for winning the Journal's Readers' and Critics' polls).

 After that Mouzon signed as a solo artist to the Blue Note label in 1972. He played with notorious musicians, recording great albuns. Three pearls of his discography are posted below:

Alphonse Mouzon – Mind Transplant 1975

Mind Transplant is the third album by American jazz drummer Alphonse Mouzon recorded in 1974 and released on the Blue Note label. The Allmusic review by Robert Taylor awarded the album 4½ stars stating "Raw and powerful, the music herein is what made fusion such a viable musical style... Easily one of the best fusion recordings of all time".

THE BAND:

Alphonse Mouzon: drums, vocals, keys

Tommy Bolin: guitar

Jay Graydon: guitar

Lee Ritenour: guitar

Jerry Peters: keyboards

Henry Davis: bass

Rocke Grace: keyboards

Stanley Sheldon: bass

Alphonse Mouzon - 1976 The Man Incognito

Alphonse Mouzon recorded this Jazz funk masterpiece in 1976 backed by an almost encyclopaedic cast of musicians. The Man incognito may refer to the appearance of George Duke under a pseudo name, whose funky keyboards is a highlight throughout.

Alphonse Mouzon - drums, percussion, vocals, synthesizer

Gary Grant - trumpet

George Bohanon - trombone

Ray Pizzi - tenor saxophone, alto saxophone

Tom Scott - tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, lyricon

David Benoit - piano, electric piano

Dave Grusin - piano, electric piano, clavinet

George Duke, Ian Underwood - synthesizer

David T. Walker - guitar (track 6)

Lee Ritenour - guitar, electric guitar

Tim DeHuff - electric guitar

Charles Meeks - electric bass

Emil Richards - cymbals, percussion

Victor Feldman - conga, bongo, percussion

Marty McCall, Jackie Ward, Caroline Willis - vocals

Alphonse Mouzon - Virtue (1976)

Megadrummer and percussionist Alphonse Mouzon recorded Virtue, his lone date for Germany's MPS, in 1976, and the label issued it in 1977. As far as fusion records go, these were not particularly good years, but Virtue is an example of the very best of what electric jazz had to offer at the time. Mouzon was half of a pair of drummers who defined the fusion era -- the other was Billy Cobham. 

The Band:

Alphonse Mouzon (drums, percussion, keyboards)

Gary Bartz (sax)

Stu Goldberg (acoustic & electric pianos, Mini Moog synthesizer )

Welton Gite (electric bass)

Mouzon has also played with Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Patrick Moraz, Betty Davis and Chubby Checker. Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin, during his acceptance speech for induction into the 1995 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, listed Alphonse Mouzon as one of the band's influences from American music. He currently resides in Northridge, California.

VA - Blue Funk (1992)

This is a great collection sampler by Blue Note, issued in the early '90s on CD highlighting their deep and funky soul-jazz titles for the beat heads and emergent hip-hop nation that was sampling in earnest at the time.  In any case, this attractively priced sampler of BN acts from the '60s and '70s is all killer, no filler; it's heavy on funk and soul. Sure it's got the big B sharp players from the era, like Groove Holmes ("Down Home Funk"), Jack McDuff (the amazing "Hunk O Funk"), Big John Patton (with a killer cover of the Meters' "Cissy Strut"), Reuben Wilson ("Bambu") and Ronnie Foster ("Don't Know My Love"), but there's way more. Lou Donaldson and Grant Green make up the royalty for this period (the producers still hadn't realized just how happening Donald Byrd was to the emerging hip-hop generation so he's not here) and they are well represented by a few cuts each -- Donaldson's read on James Brown's "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)," is a monster; and Green's take on "Cantaloupe Woman" is simply bad ass. But there is some added class to this mix with Candido's smoking drum funk in "Tic Tac Toe," and Blue Mitchell's set-opening "Who Dun It." But the big surprise comes at the very end when Bobby Hutcherson clocks it all out with his uber funky soulful read of Sly Stone's "Family Affair," setting the vibe just right as a cap. A couple of these Blue Note soul-jazz comps would fuel any bash, and would provide an awesome Friday night jump to Sunday afternoon cruise control and leave the listener without a care in the world. ~ Thom Jurek Includes liner notes by Dean Rudland. Personnel: Fred Jackson, Jr. , Harold Vick, Jay Arnold (tenor); Eugene Wright, Morris Dow, Grant Green, Charlie Freeman (guitar); Blue Mitchell (trumpet); Freddie Roach, Earl Van Dyke, Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy Smith , Big John Patton, Baby Face Willette (organ); Clarence Johnston, Donald Bailey , Idris Muhammad, Jackie Mills, Wilbert G.T. Hogan, Ben Dixon, Sammy Creason (drums). Liner Note Author: Dean Rudland. Illustrator: Graham Marsh .

01. Blue Mitchell - Who Dun It?
02. Lou Donaldson - Say It Loud (I'm Black And I'm Proud)
03. Big John Patton - Cissy Strut
04. Grant Green - Ease Back
05. Jack McDuff - Hunk O' Funk
06. Candido - Tic Tac Toe
07. Richard "Groove" Holmes - Down Home Funk
08. Grant Green - Cantaloupe Woman
09. Grant Green - I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing
10. Ronnie Foster - Don't Knock My Love
11. Lou Donaldson - If There's A Hell Below
12. Reuben Wilson - Bambu
13. Bobby Hutcherson - Family Affair

SONZEIRA NA CACHOLA... PARA OUVIR E DANÇAR!

MORE FUNK & SOUL AT VALVULADO:

Club Africa - Hard African Funk, Afro-Jazz & Original Afro-Beat


Dramatic Funk Themes



The Girls on the Rocks - Rare Grooves and Funk Beats from Brilliant Music Library


The First Days of Funk (VOL 1 and 2)


The Best of Funk 'n Soul


PULP FUSION Funky Jazz Classics & Original Breaks Collection: Vols 1-10


Soulshaker Collection - Deep Funk, Soul & Jazz


Let's Boogaloo! - Record Kicks

George Duke - A Keyboard Wizard

George Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He had worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music. He first made a name for himself with the album The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio. He was known primarily for thirty-odd solo albums as well as for his collaborations with other musicians, particularly Frank Zappa.

The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with The George Duke Trio album was recorded live in Hollywood, California in mid-September, 1969. A number of Jazz musicians were experimenting with the jazz-rock fusion that would become so popular in the 1970s, but Jean-Luc Ponty is one of the earliest to get it down on vinyl. Ponty was inspired by Miles Davis to explore this new fusion form, and is considered the first significant Jazz musician to record on the electric violin. Later, in the 1970s, he pioneered the use of 5 & 6-string violins and was the first to combine the violin with MIDI, distortion boxes, phase shifters, and wah-wah pedals.

Let 's start with some albuns of this initial phase of GD...

Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio (1969)

The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with The George Duke Trio is a Jazz album released in 1969 by Jean-Luc Ponty on World Pacific Jazz in the US, and is considered to be one of the earliest fusion jazz albums.

King Kong - Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (1973)

Beginning in 1967 Duke experimented further with jazz fusion, playing and recording with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, as well as performing with the Don Ellis Orchestra, and Cannonball Adderley's band, while he acquainted himself with Frank Zappa. Duke appeared on a number of Frank Zappa's albums through the 1970s.

One of the best albuns of this phase is:

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 (1988)

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 is a live album by Frank Zappa. Despite the subtitle "The Helsinki Concert", the album is not one complete concert, but was, in fact, assembled from two (and possibly three) different concerts performed in Helsinki in 1974. The working title for this album was The Helsinki Tapes, a title more accurately reflecting the fact that the album was composed of performances from more than one show. The track listing is similar to that of Roxy & Elsewhere (1974), as are the core band personnel. The performance includes a double-speed version of "Village of the Sun", sandwiched between a later version of "RDNZL", the first being recorded in 1972, and "Echidna's Arf (Of You)", and "Montana (Whipping Floss)" — a spontaneously rewritten version of "Montana", following an audience member's request for The Allman Brothers Band's "Whipping Post". The guitar solo in the One Size Fits All version of "Inca Roads" is an edited extract of the solo presented here. Zappa has considered these performances as some of the best in his career. This particular line-up was one of his favorites.

The Band:
Frank Zappa – lead guitar, vocals
Napoleon Murphy Brock – saxophone, flute, vocals
George Duke – keyboards, vocals
Ruth Underwood – percussion
Tom Fowler – bass guitar
Chester Thompson – drums

The 70’s were filled with musical experimentation with great musicians as Billy Cobhan and Stanley Clarke.  In 1973, George rejoined Zappa and brought Jean-Luc Ponty with him. That band stayed together for the next three years, until Duke left to join forces with drummer Billy Cobham. Together, they formed a powerhouse jazz fusion unit even more popular and influential than the earlier Duke/Ponty group.

Three great records of these experimentations could be represented by:

The Cannonball Adderley Quintet & Orchestra (1970)

Cannonball Adderley (Alto & Soprano saxophone)

Nat Adderley (Cornet)

Roy Mac Curdy (Drums)

Walter Booker (bass)

George Duke (Piano, electric piano)

Airto Moreira (percussion)

Alphonse Mouzon & George Duke - 1975 The Man Incognito

Billy Cobham & George Duke Live on Tour Europe 1976

ALrernative

Stanley Clarke & George Duke - The Clarke Duke Project (1981)

George Duke became a solo artist in 1976, and enjoyed success with a series of fusion-oriented LP's such as his debut CBS LP, From Me To You. In 1978, the funk-flavored sound of the gold album Reach For It propelled George Duke into the upper reaches of the charts, and from small clubs to large arenas.

My favorites solo albums are:

George Duke - 1973 Faces in reflection

George Duke - Feel (1974)

Line-up/Musicians

Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – John Heard

Drums – Ndugu

Guitar – Obdewl'l X

Keyboards – George Duke

Percussion – Airto, Ndugu 

Synthesizer [Bass] – George Duke

Vocals – George Duke

Vocals [Featuring] – Flora Purim

George Duke - Reach for it (1977)

George Duke - The Dream (1978)

George Duke - Master of the Game (1979)

Alternative Link

Duke was nominated for a Grammy as Best Contemporary Jazz Performance for After Hours in 1999. By popular vote, Duke was inducted into The SoulMusic Hall Of Fame at SoulMusic.com in December 2012.

Duke died August 5, 2013 in Los Angeles from chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He was 67 and is survived by his sons, Rashid and John.

THANKS DUKE!!!!

More George Duke:

The Capricorn in Reflection


A Brazilian Love Affair


George Duke Biography ( http://www.georgeduke.com/biography.html )

A Collection of Progressive Metal

Progressive Metal definition:

This category represents the core movement of what is called "Progressive Metal" in the literal sense. It is a subgenre of progressive rock as much as it is a subgenre of heavy metal, and this is how its sound is defined: a blend of heavy, guitar-oriented metal music enriched with compositional innovation and complex arrangements, usually expressed through diverse instrumentation and often (but not always) with odd-time signatures. Common, but not essential to define the movement, are the frequent use of keyboards, high-pitched vocals, concept lyrical themes and tracks of longer duration. Similar to progressive rock, progressive metal draws influences from other genres, such as jazz/fusion, ethnic, classical and symphonic music.

The heavy sound of some of the progressive rock bands of the 70's has been one of the building blocks on which progressive metal was raised. Progressive rock pioneers such as KING CRIMSON and RUSH have often been acclaimed as the main influences of progressive metal bands. The other major influence has been the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) movement, and especially the twin-guitar arrangements of IRON MAIDEN, which have left their stamp on the early stages of the genre's development.

We also prepared a collection of many bands (some unknow) to know better this variation of Prog Rock and Heavy Metal. ( Tankard, Mayadome, Anathema, Opeth, Pshycotic Waltz, Listen, Madsword, Infinity, Contagion, Blackwater Park, Therion and more).
Please, also read ( http://www.progarchives.com/subgenre.asp?style=19 ).

Progressive Metal Collection (ProgArchives 2000 - 2006)

ProgMetal Vol 1

ProgMetal Vol 2 

ProgMetal Vol 3

ProgMetal Vol 4

ProgMetal Vol 5

The Alan Parsons Project - Progressive Rock (UK)

The Alan Parsons Project were an English rock band active between 1975 and 1990, whose core membership consisted of Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson. They were accompanied by a varying number of session musicians and some relatively consistent band members such as guitarist Ian Bairnson, arranger Andrew Powell, bassist and vocalist David Paton, drummer Stuart Elliott, and vocalists Lenny Zakatek and Chris Rainbow. Parsons was an audio engineer and producer by profession, but also a musician and a composer. A songwriter by profession, Woolfson was also a composer, a pianist, and a singer. Almost all the songs on the Project's albums are credited to "Woolfson/Parsons".

Alan Parsons (born 20 December 1948) is an English audio engineer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including the Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, and the art rock band Ambrosia's debut album Ambrosia as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor. Parsons' own group, the Alan Parsons Project, as well as his subsequent solo recordings, have also been successful commercially.

Tales Of Mystery And Imagination Edgar Allan Poe 1976

 I Robot 1977

Pyramid 1978

Eve 1979 

Eye In The Sky 1982

Ammonia Avenue 1984

Gaudi 1987

 The Sicilian Defence 2014