Sunday, June 24, 2007

Blue Funk

Blue Funk
Blue Note Records (2001)

1 - Who Dun It? - Blue Mitchell
2 - Say It Loud (I'm Black And I'm Proud) - Lou Donaldson
3 - Cissy Strut - John Patton
4 - Ease Back - Grant Green
5 - Hunk O' Funk - Jack McDuff
6 - Tic Tac Toe - Candido
7 - Down Home Funk - Richard 'Groove' Holmes
8 - Cantaloupe Woman - Grant Green
9 - I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing - Grant Green
10 - Don't Knock My Love - Ronnie Foster
11 - If There's A Hell Below - Lou Donaldson
12 - Bambu - Reuben Wilson
13 - Family Affair - Bobby Hutcherson

The later part of the Blue Note 4000 series coincide with a period of extreme schizophrenia in the jazz world as on the one hand freedom rang out with the ‘new thing’ in full flight. However at the same time jazz's best sellers were the sound of soulful players, either doing easy listening versions of pop hits, or following the Boogaloo beat that had set Lou Donaldson on to great success with his 1967 album 'Aligator Boogaloo'. Blue Note had Stanley Turrentine doing the pop hits and a whole battalion of soul jazz heavy hitters playing a funky boogaloo groove.


Friday, April 13, 2007

Boozoo Bajou - Juke Joint II


Boozoo Bajou - Juke Joint II
!K7 (2006)

1. Rainy Night In Georgia (Boozoo Bajou's Georgia Dub)
2. Four Hills
3. Hurry On Now
4. The Thing
5. Heartache
6. Hung Up On My Baby
7. Rowing
8. Bad Luck Blues
9. Medicine
10. Back Up
11. Feeling Free
12. Emnete
13. Another Dark Alley Scenario
14. Pflug
15. Tiefenschärfe
16. Cast Anchor
17. Dizzie [Boozoo Bajou Remix]
18. Lambs Bread Collie
19. For The Love Of You
20. Comeback (Light Therapy)

Boozoo Bajou follows their 2005 "Dust My Broom" release with a compilation of slow and easy rich, velvety soul, "Juke Joint II." This aptly-titled collection takes the listener on a journey through the dusty, sultry backwoods of the deepest south, where soul music is still brimming with old school blues. Of course, Boozoo Bajou didn't get where they are doing things just like everyone else; their backwoods flavour extends far beyond Mississippi's magnolia trees. Featured on "Juke Joint II" are tunes from Finland's Nicole Willis, Jamaica's Dennis Bovell, Ethopian king of funk Mulatu Astaque, and Norwegian-born Hanne Hukkelberg. "Juke Joint II" demonstrates exactly what puts Boozoo Bajou ahead of the game-- their unique ability to make you slow down, relax, listen, and pay attention to the wonderful subtleties of their downtempo groove.