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