Africa Airways Four (Disco Funk Touchdown - 1976 - 1983)

Africa Airways Four (Disco Funk Touchdown - 1976 - 1983)

Africa 7

The ever-impressive Africa 7 are regulars to this blog for good reason. The very finest sounds from Africa reissued, licensed and collected in exciting, relevant compilations is always likely to score big points over here.

The fourth installment of their Africa Airways series amps up the Disco-Funk at the expense of the Psych nuggest in episode 3, and hosts luminous figures like Tala AM, Manu Dibango and Charly Kingson alongside names less internationally known but no less exceptional if this comp is anything to go by!

Available at all good stockists - Juno here or Bandcamp here

Boca 45 / Mohawkestra - Bear Pit

Boca 45/Mohawkestra - Bear Pit
Bomb Strikes

Bristolian beat King Boca 45 is a man who knows a thing or two about dusty breaks and 7" records. The 45 Live lynchpin has been integral to the recent revival of 45 culture, and here teams up with fellow Bristolians Mohawkestra to deliver another killer record. The A-Side, Bear Pit, references one of Bristol's infamous institutions, the Bear Pit - a place where artists, anarchists, tramps, pissheads, punks, crusties, rastas and drug dealers intersect with shoppers and office workers in the centre of Broadmead. 

Fittingly, Bear Pit oozes punch-drunk swagger, gritty funk and psychedelic swirls. Utilising the exceptional musicianship of enormously popular local live act Mohawkestra, Bear Pit delivers on many levels.

Featuring Kelvin Swaby, B-Side Round & Round feels like a blend of The Meters, The Rolling Stones and The White Stripes. Rousing, idiosyncratic and just brilliant.

Straight in at No.1 on the Funk chart, get it below

NYC Records - Hiding in the Shadows

VA - Hiding in The Shadows

NYC Records

A deadly EP from NYC Records here... all Electro vibes, classic drum machines, vintage synths and an overall aesthetic of a top-notch Miami Vice library submission. Bafflingly, the label themselves describe the music within as 'Modern Funk' which is absolutely not true. Neither modern, nor Funk, it's a curious description. There are some funky touches, but the old addage that one swallow does not a summer make rings true. Still, all that really matters is the music, which Hiding in Tthe Shadows delivers with conviction and quality.

The dedication to retro synthesis is clear, but unlike many of the current crop of revisionists, this EP eschews straight imitation and instead maintains the prerogative to craft proper songs rather than merely rehash classic tropes. 

A nice mix of styles across these 4 tracks, too. From the Prince style Electro-pop of Synthman's Nord Lead, to the suspenseful Acid vibes of Windy City's, er, Windy City. Kozmik Funk delivers a slow groover while Synthman's first effort steals the show, the slow-but-dancefloor-friendly fun of Synths in the Jungle, which sounds like a theme tune for a short-lived 1986 cop show called Palm Springs Police Squad. Or something.

These songs could all be by the same artist and one wouldn't be able to tell, which leads me to wonder if they have a time-share scheme on the same expensive synth collection. Speculation aside, this is a cracking little EP from a label I'll be paying close attention to from now on. Go get it on 12" or digi here

‘The Library Archive’ Compiled by Mr Thing & Chris Read

The Library Archive - Compiled by Mr Thing & Chris Read

BBE

“Join two of BBE’s most prolific artists and compilers, Mr Thing & Chris Read on a voyage into the mysterious, strange and wonderful world of Library Music, courtesy of Cavendish Music. Founded in 1937 and originally known as Boosey & Hawkes Recorded Music Library, Cavendish Music is the largest independent Library Music publisher in the UK and also represents a host of music catalogues across the globe.

During the Library Music heyday of the 60s and 70s, thousands of original instrumental tracks were produced across a broad range of genres for companies like Cavendish, who then created vinyl and tape collections, often arranged by theme or mood, for their customers in radio, television and film. Cult British TV shows such as The Sweeney and The Professionals as well as documentaries and feature films relied heavily on these catalogues, and companies like KPM, De Wolfe and Boosey & Hawkes went a long way toward defining the sound of British popular culture at the time.

Never commercially available, music created for these libraries that never made it to the promised land of TV or Radio was destined to languish in Cavendish Music’s vast London vault; only recently unearthed by a new generation of DJs and producers searching for rare gems or a perfect sample.

Mr Thing & Chris Read were first invited to examine the contents of the Cavendish Music archive in 2014 as part of WhoSampled’s ‘Samplethon’ event in which producers created new tracks against the clock using sample material mined from the catalogue. Whilst digging through box upon box of records and tapes looking for interesting sounds, the pair also discovered a host of 70s library music which has not only stood the test of time, but deserves to be heard in its original form.

From dramatic big band numbers reminiscent of Lalo Schifrin’s film scores to atmospheric proto-hip hop instrumentals produced before the genre’s existence, right through to fairly straightforward jazz and funk cuts; this amazing collection of music is sure to inspire and delight DJs and beat-makers the world over.”

 Buy it here

Ewan Hoozami - Safari Strut feat Audible One (Video)

Ewan Hoozami - Safari Strut feat Audible One 

Particle Zoo

We'll be making a bit of noise about this over the next few weeks, which definitely breaks the Bloggers Code (Section 13B: Don't blog your own music if you're a music blog)

In an effort to maintain a charade of journalistic impartiality we'll just not say anything about it and let you decide if this utterly brilliant slice of party-starting Funk/Rap is for you or not.

Totally impartial, see?

Taken from the forthcoming Remedy the Blues EP on Particle Zoo. More on that soon.

The Allergies dig Jalapeno

The Allergies - Blast Off (Remix) / You Got Power
Jalapeno Records

It's semi-coherent concept time at Jalapeno Towers, wherein the funky beats and slick grooves behemoth invite their highly respected roster to 'dig' through their vast vaults of virtual vinyl. Over a decade of Jalapeno means a monstrous melange of music to muddle through, and we are served some supreme selections from the likes of Boca 45, Soopasoul, Parker, Dr Rubberfunk and Skeewiff among others. To kick things off it's Bristol beatsmiths The Allergies. Still basking in the glory of their rapturously received Push On LP, of feverish acclaim from tastemakers BBC 6 Music among others, the boys dig out a hitherto unheard remix of Rock Rock B-side Blast Off feat Andy Cooper, and the piece de resistance, a booty-shaking Northern Soul banger You Got the Power.

The concept may be a tad muddled but the music's lovely. Out October 20th on Jalapeno

KH (Fourtet) - Question

KH - Questions

Text Records

Kieran Hebden AKA Fourtet reprises his KH alter-ego (where did he come up with that?) for a floor-filling edit of rare funk. As it gradually speeds up and layers crunchy, sticky percussion over the insistent groove and sweet soul vocal we can be assured that this jam will ignite dancefloors everywhere.

Limited run on Text Records, this one will fly off the shelves and is already fetching silly money on Discogs.

Less is very much more.

Jackson - Keep Swimming (Video)

Jackson - Keep Swimming

(Video)

In an age of rapidly shrinking revenues and dying platforms for unsigned and new artists, there's an understandable shift of focus for those attempting to fulfill their musical dreams. After all, everyone needs to put food on the table.

Artists find the lure of the crowd-pleaser difficult to resist. Bands across the world find that cover song they used to close with is the only song anyone seems to want to hear nowadays... so they do another. And another. And soon enough their set is predominantly covers, with the odd original apologetically thrown in.

It's hard to blame them - Money is king, yet doesn't grow on trees. Plus, if money is King, in the musical landscape Nostalgia would have a fairly strong claim to the throne were Money to suffer an impromptu death. Edits, Remixes, Covers, and Reissues all easily outstrip sales of new music.

So we could forgive Jackson for toning down their idiosyncracy, smoothing out their edges and delivering their 3rd record as a smooth jazz/funk record with pop stylings. And of course a few covers.

That would, however, be predictable, dull and disappointing to these pages, as you'll know from my full EP review here. We love music that sticks to its guns and Jackson shows absolutely no sign of compromising.

Kicking off with 5 x DMC Champion scratch-master-cum-vocalist Asian Hawk, Keep Swimming immediately melds some incredibly disaparate sounds. The vocals have been likened to Jamiroquai but could just as easily be from an early 90s Mudhoney record. Cuts like an experimental DJ Shadow joint. Beats in 3/4 and mesmeric, loping instrumentatin a la Art Ensemble of Chicago or Pharoah Sanders, plus distorted guitars that could come from an early Tool record... it shouldn't really work, but it's glorious.

Giving a deserved platform to the exceptional performance calibre Jackson have at their disposal, the video, in contrast to its soundtrack, is unfussy and played with a straight bat - simple portraiture of a band at the top of their game.

Buy Jackson - Push Through Here: Bandcamp / iTunes

Antonio Adolfo - Viralata (Reissue)

Antonio Adolfo                                                       

Viralata [1979] (Mr Bongo)                         

A seriously tasty Brazilian classic lovingly repressed by Mr Bongo. Fans of Deodato, Roy Ayers and decent Bossa Nova will love it.

Far Out reissue of this all-time classic from Antonio Adolfo. An essential Brazilian LP touching on jazz, soul, fusion and Samba. The opening track 'Cascavel', is a song that we have hammered over the years – a 'London Jazz Classic' and a favourite from Saturday night sessions at Plastic People.

SIDE A – 1.Cascavel / 2. Paraiba Do Sul / 3. Brincadeira Em Ré / 4. Brincadeira Em Mi Bemol / 5. Caminhada / 6. Vermelhinho // SIDE B – 1. Nordeste / 2. Alegria De Carnaval / 3. Diana E Paulo / 4. Vira-lata / 5. Assanhada / 6. A Marcha 

Out September 9th from Mr Bongo https://www.mrbongo.com/products/antonio-adolfo-viralata-1979-vinyl-lp

Jackson - Push Through EP

Jackson                                             

Push Through EP (Self-Released)          

If Stevie Wonder, Pharrel and Public Enemy were taken hostage by Sun-Ra, Mogwai and Mike Patten, forced to spend a decade devoid of outside contact in a Fritzl-esque cellar, and then forced to record an album, it would sound exactly like this. Exactly. Like. This. I fucking guarantee it.

Following on from assured sophomore release Time, Jackson deliver on their unquestionable promise with new record Push Through. 

Building on what is becoming a signature sound, the band, helmed by Jack Baldus, combine world-class musicianship with the kind of relentless creativity that can be as demanding as it is invigorating. Songs swerve violently, lurch and crash through their arrangements; yet every step is deliberate and meticulously performed. Influences and styles coalesce like battery hens, each one fracturing into a mix that defies categorisation; an amnesiac captivated by an unplaced reminiscence; something sinister; something sweet. Golden eggs indeed.

The band are led by songwriter, keyboard-wizard and lyricist Jack Baldus, whose increasingly impressive list of credits include work with Sure Thing. DJ Die, J. Morrison and Laid Blak. Joining him is regular vocalist O.Love, AKA 5 times DMC UK scratch champion DJ Asian Hawk, who combines sharp cuts, choice samples and impassioned vocal performances. This combo are the brains trust, behind which come the exceptional talents of a band of semi-regulars on session duty across drum, guitar, and brass instruments... including Gary Alesbrook on trumpet, he of Kasabian fame.

I could list the influences I hear in the record, but that would do a disservice to the composer, Jack Baldus. His uncompromising dedication to creating his own sound is clearly the driving force here. If you had to classify, you'd call this a jazz-funk-prog fusion record, akin to those the likes of Stanley Clarke gave to the 70s. Yet there's something Punk about the refusal to water down arrangements for modern audiences. 
I'll explain. Punk itself was a violent backlash against the proggy, jazzy sounds of the 70s that irked a generation of upstarts who wanted their music to stand for something, and saw the beardy prog bands as the preserve of a snobby upper-class. These days, music is most often delivered in soundbites; easily digestible simplicity set to a checklist of tired tropes. A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a song without the word 'tonight' in the chorus!

The received wisdom is this: Audiences are over-saturated, over-stimulated and under-educated. The steady dumbing-down of modern radio since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has had its desired* effect, and the audience clamours for More Of The Same.

Of course, that's not the whole story, and the internet has enabled the proliferation of new styles and sounds, but the audience has dwindled. Represses outsell new records on wax and Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift outsell everyone by a ratio of approximately 10000:1

There is simply no common-sense in a self-funded, self-employed professional musician with only a modest fanbase putting themselves through the agonies and ecstasies of creating a band, recording and gigging when it's one as wildly inventive and academic as Jackson. 

By railing against this received wisdom, Jackson's Push Through delivers a record that might just remind you why you fell in love with music in the first place. You deserve music with passion. You deserve music that aspires to be the best. You deserve songs that mean something to the writer. You deserve Push Through.

Here's a short teaser video

Buy Push Through Here: Bandcamp / iTunes

Also since Jackson isn't the most Google-friendly search term going, here are some links to connect on social media

WEBSITE – FACEBOOK – TWITTER – INSTAGRAM – SOUNDCLOUD

*That's a whole other story, but if you're interested in how the Telecommunications Act affected diversity in the musical landscape, I recommend this illuminating report

The Allergies - Push On

The Allergies' debut album introduced the world to the way they effortlessly fuse funk, soul, disco, hip-hop and breaks into dancefloor-ready nuggets of ear candy. Taking classic sounds and reshaping for the modern age is the signature that won them plaudits across the globe. 

Not ones to rest on their laurels, it hasn't taken long for them to deliver more of the goods on their second full-length album, 'Push On'. As well as taking the successful formula of the first record and expanding on the sound with raw Funk, Psych, Northern Soul, and Boogie influences, The Allergies enlisted two giants of underground Hip-Hop to bless mics on the album as well. 

After a hugely successful collaboration on their debut LP, once again the dynamic lyricism and production skills of the inimitable Andy Cooper (Ugly Duckling) are present and correct in this new collection. Besides bringing the party on tracks like 'Main Event', he also settles scores with 'It Won't Be Me', before destroying all-comers on the battle Rap behemoth, 'Buzzsaw'. Also joining in on the action is UK MC veteran, Dr Syntax (The Mouse Outfit, Foreign Beggars) who prescribes some more healthy Hip-Hop advice on the track 'Remedy'.

Other highlights include the vintage Soul stomper, 'Entitled to That', Sixties uptempo groover, 'Hold You Close', and the fantastic little strutter, 'Get Down On You'. All in all it's a brand new set of future classics from your new favourite funky beatmakers, The Allergies.

Get it below

Junior Byron - Trying To Hold On (CoS Reissue)

Very excited to present another fine Cultures of Soul release, this time the killer Junior Byron track "Trying To Hold On," written and produced by Wild Fire's Oliver Chapman and originally released on the Wild Fire label back in 1985. The A-side includes the original mix as well as the Version.

On the  B-side we've got the  epic "Megamix." The track was reworked by Gerd Janson, who created the mix old-school style with two copies of the record, a mixer, and an EFX box. Adding the final touches to this track is  mixing and mastering engineer LOPAZZ, who mastered many of the best techno tracks in the Get Physical catalog and released the seminal dance-classic "I Need Ya" on Output.  Pre-order for release on October 6th!

Here's a taste of the original cut

 

Pre-order here: https://culturesofsoul.com/collections/all/products/junior-byron-trying-to-hold-on-12

The Eminent Stars - Bar Shift

Release date: 1 September 2017

Genre: Funk / Soul / R&B

Label: Tramp Records

Format(s): 7" EP / Digital

Cat #: TR1043

The Eminent Stars were founded by saxophonist Ben Mendes and drummer Toon Oomen. They both share the love for the great music emerging from cities like New Orleans in the ‘60s and ‘70s: Dr. John, Freddie King, The Meters and many more! Just mix up some soul, rhythm & blues, funk and blues and there you have it: a sound that consists of authentic elements: danceable, intriguing, vibrant and fresh!

Their debut Sittin' In With was released in February 2014, accompanied by a single. In the past three years The Eminent Stars heavily toured in their home country Netherlands and in Europe. They kept writing new songs and here we go with two new, fresh cuts. “Bar Shift” features guest vocalist Bruce James while “Brown Thang” is a smokin' blues-funk instrumental. These two sides give you an excellent foretaste of their second full-length album, scheduled for release in early 2018.

Check out this awesome live performance on video 

 

Pre-order now available from the Tramp Bandcamp store
https://tramprecords.bandcamp.com/album/pre-order-bar-shift-b-w-brown-thang

Aleem - Hooked on Your Love (Don Dayglow Edit)

DD back once again with another slice of hands-in-the-air Disco goodness... this time he's re-worked Aleem's classic featuring Calibur, Leroy Burgess and a young Luther Vandross.

Free Download from the link below

Jackson - Rain/Change

We aren't just about the vinyl at CMFCP... We also reserve the right to champion pieces of inspired, curious music for all you curious people. Whatever the medium. Particularly when it's your mate what wrote it.

Jack Baldus is a bit of an unsung hero on the Bristol scene, but I'm pleased to see him being a bit more, er, sung, recently. Having gained acclaim as the eye-catchingly prodigious keyboardist in Laid Blak, he's been ploughing his own furrow for a while, even featuring on my last album Robot Soul (and some tracks on my next one!). The most polished and cohesive of these furrows is his new band Jackson. The debut EP was produced by none other than Full Cyclist and all round bristol leg-end DJ Die, and comprises 8 outstanding musicians, conducted by the man like Jack. Kind of like Sun-Ra's Arkestra without all the illegitimate children and cosmic flim-flamming. Musically, however, there are definite similarities to the cosmic jazz-tronaut. It's pleasingly reminiscent of Chick Corea, Sun Ra, Jaco Pistorius and Stanley Clarke... intricate, full of texture and displaying virtuoso levels of songwriting and performance.

But don't take my word for it - check out Jackson's first two videos below - recorded live at Factory Studios, Bristol

Feature - Cultures of Soul Records

I'm delighted to have grabbed a few words with Deano Sounds, head honcho at one of my favourite repress labels, Cultures of Soul. CoS seek out fantasticmusic from across the world that always manages to be both unusual and yet dancefloor-friendly. I don't think I've played a vinyl set in the last few years that hasn't included at least one CoS record!

 OK let's start with the basics... I note from your website that you started in 2008, born out of a radio show on Viva Radio, but there's obviously a lot of behind the scenes action required to turn that idea into reality. Did you have any prior experience? And what can you tell us about the first steps of the Cultures of Soul imprint? 

I was DJing and collecting records and had also wanted to start a music label at some point.   I guess the first steps would be that my friend had some contact info for Bili Sparrow who turned out to be our first release. And then it went on from there.

   

What's the line up at CoS? 

We've got two ambitious projects coming out now and coming out soon. First a box set of 7 x 7inches of Brazilian Funk and Soul and then out in January the Boston Creative Jazz Scene which is an album compilation with an 80 page book about the underground Jazz scene in Boston in the 70s..

How many releases have you out out so far?  

Too many to count! 

Do you try and do a certain number a year, or is it more a case of 'it's ready when it's ready? 

It's really a case of when releases are ready. There's really no master marketing plan other than to put out the most interesting high quality product that we can.

You've developed a reputation as a purveyor of a more international brand of funk, soul, disco and jazz... you've unearthed some astonishing music from Bollywood, Brazil and the Caribbean, to name but a few unusual sources. How do you find the music, and what criteria do you use to choose which tracks to release? 

I usually start a project by looking for interesting music or an interesting theme and then I try to fill the compilation with the best material that fits together in that particular cultural lens. 

I think our readers would be interested in the process of getting a record out on your business model... talk us through the basic process, from sourcing and selecting tracks to designing and distributing. 

That is quite a long answer and one I feel your readers might finding boring. It's like sauuges the process is not pretty and sometimes you don't want to know what you have to go through to get to the other end!

You're clearly a busy working DJ in your own right - has the label opened doors for you to perform at more illustrious or far-flung venues? 

It has to a certain extent. It's still tough to find great venues willing to host DJings playing eclectic vintage music. But I did recently play a gig at a night in Montreal called the Goods that was amazing!

There's an evident growth in the reissues vinyl market - do you see that as a positive thing? Have you worked with any other labels or collaborated with any? Do you find there's a sense of community between independent reissue labels? 

Well it's great that the younger generation is buying vinyl. The only problem is in my opinion so much wasted vinyl releases are coming out i.e. dollar bin fodder like Fleetwood Mac - Rumors type stuff. I don't believe in pressing vinyl in massive quantities or unneccesarily.I worked with Frank Gossner Voodoo Funk. I think there is definitely a community among the older more established reissues like Numero, Strut, and Soul Jazz. Those are the labels we look up to.

What are the future plans for Cultures of Soul? 

We're actually working with a lot of interesting remixers and producers at the moment including Ruf Dug, Africaine 808, Alma Negra, and Names You Can Trust on a project of unreleased material from the leader of the Kelenkye Band - Jagger Botchway. And I'm also working with Rahaan and Gerd Janson on a few companion 12"s to go with some of our upcoming compilations.

We're putting out a compilation of rare Gospel Disco compiled by Greg Belson and a compilation of South African Disco/Boogie as well as the unreleased material from Jagger Botchway with the remixes. And also some new music produced in 2015 so stay tuned!

The Brasileiro Treasure Box of Funk and Soul 7inch Box Set (Cultures of Soul)

I'm having a massive case of Deja vu right now. I feel like I'm in the car trying to leave that town in The Returned but every time I turn the corner I'm right back where I started. Or I'm Bill Murray's news anchor in Groundhog Day. Either way, I have fucking blogged this already! I swear it... am i going mad? Have I lost my mind and started fabricating memories of inconsequential activities?

Maybe GCHQ snooped on me and deleted it in the night for inciting booty-shaking. Maybe the CIA are planting memories in my mind as part of a wider experiment on unsuspecting proles. Someone call Mulder and Scully!

Since the only record of my blog post exists in my mind, let's try again.

I want to tell you about a wonderfully tempting box set of Brazilian funk from those good folks at Cultures of Soul. If the CIA let it past, maybe this time my post will stick.

To my shame, I've run out of enthusiasm for writing a dedicated piece (and it's nearly home time) so here's what they have to say about it:

Greg Caz and Deano Sounds have teamed up once again to bring you another fine package of vintage Brazilian music. This one stretches across the scope of funk, soul, and psychedelic music from Brazil. Some highlights include: the extremely rare and funky "Labirinto" by 2001 & Beto, the blistering psychedelic funk of Antônio Carlos & Jocafi's "Quem Vem Lá," the essential rare groove track "Bananeira" by Emilio Santiago, Osmar Milito E Quarteto Forma's rare "América Latina" sampled by Madlib, Tom Zé’s unstoppable riff on “Jimmy, Renda-Se,” and many others. Here are some words on the project from co-compiler and Brazilian music aficionado, Greg Caz:

"Without necessarily having a central theme other than funky nuggets from the first half of the 70s, we believe this compilation displays its own particular sense of logic, and that these songs ultimately all sound fantastic together. Regardless of one's familiarity, or lack thereof, with artists like Antonio Carlos & Jocafi, Os Incríveis, Toni Tornado or Celia, the material on these 45s speaks its own truth and justifies their inclusion here. Many of these were originally available as singles, while others were taken from albums, but all are guaranteed to find their way into many DJ boxes and playlists."

The 45 box set version comes in a durable glossy case with 7 x 45s, a poster containing the original artwork for the album, and a booklet printed on thick paper. 

All I will say is that it's beautifully packaged and ultra-funky...

Have a good old listen below or buy it here (UK) or here (worldwide)

Baballah Loves Turkey

An excellent mix for your ears here, from a chap known as Baballah.
Here's what he has to say about it:

"Since I started to try and collect vinyl records from a large array of cultural spaces around the globe, I've had a couple of big surprises. The music of Turkey's 70's has been one of the biggest ones. So modern, so funky, so psychedelic and yet sofaithfull to its roots!! As usual the tracks you will discover in this selection are not taken on compilations or re-edits, although I am sure that some of the tracks here have been reedits by labels doing a wonderfull job... Electric Saz, Mad darbukas, sometimes Davul or Zurna, Big Breaks, sick Hiphop samples...the list of the discoveries is long for the ones who do not know yet how it's like to listen to Turkish Psych. For the others, I hope the selection will be good enough to please the good connoisseurs. Enjoy!!"

We think the selection is very much good enough and entreat you to give it a listen. 

Babaliah Loves Turkey by Babaliah on Mixcloud

If you check out Baballah on Mixcloud you'll find many more wonderful mixes. This guy knows his records!

17.Akla karayi sectim

byErsen ve Dadaslar

September Podcast now up!

Our newest installment is now live - featuring Dan Wall from Funky Navigation!

CMFCP September 2015 Podcast by Curious Music 4 Curious People on Mixcloud

RIP: Idris Muhammad, legendary New Orleans drummer

Some sad news to start the week. Idris Muhammed, the legendary drummer whose work spanned several genres and decades, has died aged 74.

A hugely influential part of New Orleans' rich jazz scene, he recorded with Ahmad Jamal, Pharoah Sanders and Lou Donaldson, among many others, and toured with the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke and George Benson.
Personally, it was his funkier output that alerted me to his existence, when I picked up Black Rhythm Revolution purely on the strength of its cover, several years back.
That record has got a lot of play over the years so I thought I'd give him a salute on his way to wherever dead people go.