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By Larry, January 13, 2011 4:37 pm

Funky16Corners @ Spindletop – Early Set 1/10/11

Playlist

Listen/Download 80MB/256kb Mixed MP3

The end of another week is upon us, and as promised I have recreated part of my three-hours worth of soul jazz from this past Monday’s Spindletop night at Botanica in NYC.

When I was pulling 45s to bring with me last week I started to build my set and decided that I’d get things started with a slower, moodier set than I normally do, kind of easing my way onto the burning Hammond groovers.

What I ended up with was a very interesting mix of soul jazz, soul instros and even laid back funk, all of which seemed to stick together when all was said and done.

I mentioned on Wednesday that we were unable to get a signal out of the mixer to my digital recorder, so I had to re-record this selection on my decks at home. I was originally thinking of re-recording the whole night, but then I realized that I’d played no less than 60 45s and I just didn’t have the time to do it.

I enjoy presenting the live mixes here at the blog, so hopefully next time I hit Botanica we’ll have figured the problem out.

At the request of a number of people who were at the gig, I have included the entire set list below.

The mix features some old faves and some stuff that hasn’t been heard in this space before. As I mentioned above, it’s a mellow affair, so pour yourself a snifter of brandy (or a mug of cocoa, whichever), dim the lights, sit back and let the sounds flow gently into your ears.

If you’re close to the interwebs this Friday at 9PM, make sure to tune in to the Funky16Corners Radio Show on Viva Radio. This week we have an hour of funky 45s from New Orleans to get the party started. The show will of course be archived and ready to download at the blog over the weekend.

I’ll be back next week with more of the funk and soul you love.

Have a great weekend.

Peace

Larry

The rest of the evening’s music:
Harry J All Stars – Liquidator (Harry J)
Winston Wright – Heads or Tails (Green Door)
Gary McFarland – Fried Bananas (Verve)
Cal Tjader – Moneypenny (Skye)
Dave Davani Four – The Jupe (Capitol)
Sonny Knight Quartette – Let’s Get It On Pt1 (Aura)
Odell Brown and the Organizers – No More Water In the Well (Cadet)
Freddie Roach – One Track Mind (Prestige)
Merl Saunders – Soul Groving (Galaxy)
Alan Price Set – Iechyd Da (Decca)
Hank Marr – White House Party (Wingate)
Georgie Fame – El Bandido (Imperial)
Brown Brothers of Soul – Cholo (Specialty)
Mel Brown – Chicken Fat (Impulse)
Federalmen – Soul Serenade (Steady)
Freddy McCoy – Funk Drops (Prestige)
Afro Blues Quintet Plus One – La La La La La (Mira)
Benny Poole – Pearl Baby Pearl (Solid Hit)
Cha Cha Hogan – Grit Gitter (Soulville)
Perry and the Harmonics – Do the Monkey With James (Mercury)
Gentelman June Gardner – It’s Gonna Rain (Emarcy)

Lionel Hampton – Greasy Greens (Glad Hamp)
Fabulous Counts – Jan Jan (Moira)
Boogaloo Joe Jones – Right On (Prestige)
Fred Ramirez – Hold On I’m Coming (WB)
Dee Felice Trio – There Was a Time (Bethlehem)
Louis Chachere – The Hen Pt1 (Paula)
Toussaint McCall – Shimmy (Ronn)
Lou Garno Trio – Chicken In The Basket (Giovanni)
Albert Collins – Cookin’ Catfish (20th Century Fox)
Andre Brasseur – The Duck (Palette)
Memphis Black – Why Don’t You Play the Organ Man (Ascot)
Cal Tjader – Soul Sauce (Verve)
Soulful Strings – Burning Spear (Cadet)
Keith Mansfield – Boogaloo (Epic)
Mohawks – The Champ (Philips)
Wynder K Frog – I’m a Man (UA)
Goldie & the Gingerbreads – The Skip (Decca)
Tony Newman – Soul Thing (Parrot)
John Philip Soul and His Stone Marching Band – That Memphis Thing (Pepper)
La Bert Ellis – Batman Theme (A&M)
James Brown – Shhhhhhhh For a Little While (King)
The Impacts – Thunder Chicken (Marmaduke)
Dave Baby Cortez – Getting’ To the Point (Chess)
RD Stokes – My Sandra’s Jump (II Bros)

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By Larry, January 11, 2011 3:56 pm

Quincy Jones

Listen/Download – Quincy Jones – Money Runner

Greetings all.

The middle of the week is here, and while I should be exhausted, I am oddly energized. I suspect a serious crash is on the way, but I’m gonna keep plowing ahead until it arrives.

You see, I was out last night spinning 45s at Spindletop @ Botanica in NYC and did not arrive home until well past my normal hour for commencement of slumber. However, since I got to spin 45s for nearly three straight hours to a very groovy and appreciative crowd (special thanks to the Funky16Corners readers who came by!) and I had a blast.

Botanica is very cool spot (home base for no less than the mighty Mr Finewine!), and my man Perry Lane has a very cool thing going with Spindletop.

I’ve rattled on in this space a few times about how I like stepping outside of my DJ comfort zone to stretch a little, and last night was the perfect opportunity. Spindletop is all about Hammond grooves and soul/Mod jazz with just a touch of international flavour, and I spent a lot of time and care pulling records and formulating my sets.

The only downer of the night was that we were unable to negotiate a line out of the mixer to my digital recorder, so I was unable to do a live recording. However, as I type this I am spinning the identical stuff and mixing it live here in the Funky16Corners Record Vault and Podcasting Nerve Center so that you can check it out.

Right now I plan on doing only the early set, which was a mellow affair, which I’ll drop on Friday, along with a full set list of the night (60 45s!).

I’ll be back in NYC on February 4th at After the Laughter Soul Club at Lulus, 113 Franklin St in Greenpoint (Brooklyn) and I’ll be returning to Spindletop February 21st, so if you like what you hear, head on over.

When we last discussed the mighty Quincy Jones, it was almost a year ago and his groovy theme to the Ironside TV show.

The tune I bring you today is another theme, but sees Le Q jumping from the small screen to the silver one.

The tune in question, ‘Money Runner’ appeared in the 1971 film ‘$’ (often listed, for obvious reasons as ‘DOLLAR$’).

‘Money Runner’ was released as a 45 in 1972 and actually hit the charts, working its way into the R&B Top 50 and hovering just outside of the same listing on the Pop side of things.

The only other tune I’ve heard from the soundtrack is Little Richard’s ‘Money Is’*, which is cool, on account of it’s Mr. Penniman, but if you want something funky, ‘Money Runner’ is the way to go.

The soundtrack album features a grip of West Coast jazz/studio cats, but the group also included Billy Preston, Paul Humphrey and David T Walker, so it probably wouldn’t be much of a stretch to attribute some of the funk quotient herein to them.

‘Money Runner’ starts out fast, with what sounds like clavinet and guitar, then electric piano and more guitar (of the wah wah persuasion) before the clavinet moves out in front for most of the song. It sounds like a more aggressive cousin to Isaac Hayes ‘Theme From Shaft’ (especially the guitar interludes), but goes off in an odd and especially interesting direction in the last minute of the record, with a shift in tempo, the addition of an ominous chorus, and eventually a bizarre shattering sound.

The tune was covered later the same year by the John Schroeder Orchestra.

I hope you dig the record, and I’ll see you all on Friday.

Peace

Larry

*There’s another version of this 45 with the Little Richard tune on the A-side

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By Larry, January 9, 2011 1:11 pm

Syl Johnson

Listen/Download – Syl Johnson – Different Strokes

Greetings all.

How’s by you?

I had a groovy weekend hanging with the extended family (some of whom had to truck up from South Crackalack for late Christmas) and doing my level best to chill (as opposed to freeze, which is what I’ve been doing lately).

If anyone hasn’t already been hipped to the fact by my constant mentions, I will be spinning many groovy rackords this Monday with the one Perry Lane at Spindletop at Botanica in NYC. If you are in the neighborhood, you really ought to fall by and soak up some of the groove grease. I will be bringing much Hammond goodness, some groovy vibes and some au go go swingers and the vinyl will start to cook at 10PM. I hope to see some of you there.

That said, who feels like getting a good swift kick in the ass?

I have paid tribute to the mighty Syl Johnson in this space a number of times over the years.

He is perhaps the greatest of the cats who started out working the blues and made the passage into soul and funk, and thanks to a swanky – and comprehensive – set by the Numero Group, Mr. Johnson is as they used to say, the man of the hour.

It should go without saying – though you already know I’m gonna go ahead and say it anyway – that Syl was badass, never bringing just 100 percent when 200 would do, and that was never more obvious than with today’s selection.

Syl Johnson is very close to the top of the list of soul singers that, whenever I see one of his 45s in the field, if I don’t have it, I grab it, and if I’m not sure (and with someone of my advanced vintage and declining mental capacity, this happens more than I like) I grab it anyway, because there’s just no such thing as too much Syl.

However, as long as I’ve been prowling the crates, I never happened upon a copy of ‘Different Strokes’, and there’s a good reason for that.

Thanks to the age hip hop and turntablism, even if a record is a killer all by its own bad self, should it contain a drum break, loop, ill horn stab or other sample bait, it ends up on the want lists not only of regular old record collectors, but also of beatheads and producers, who hope to emulate those that have found success slicing and dicing before them, or maybe just to say that they pack all the tastiest breaks and beats in their record box (or on their laptop, or whatever).

‘Different Strokes’ is one such record. It is unquestionably what Slim Gaillard would anoint a ‘killer diller’ on it’s own, but since it has been sampled a few dozen times (see the list below*) it is sweated by many, and as a result, it is harder to nail than many other Syl Johnson 45s.

Fortunately for me (and now you all) I was eventually able to scoop up a nice, clean copy, which I will whip on you presently.

‘Different Strokes’ isn’t quite what I’d call pure funk. It is undeniably funky, but it’s really a hard charging bit of high octane sock soul with enough groove to put a dip in your hip. It’s like an angry bear showing up on funk’s front stoop, clawing at the door, but never really busting into the house.

This is not to say that I would for a minute hesitate to drop it during a funk set, on account of if you can’t get your dance on to this record you need a soul transplant (or at least a few more drinks).

That all said, if you were not hip to Syl, you are now, and you should either run out onto the intertubes and score that Numero set, or hunker down into the crates and find you some 45s.

See you all on Wednesday.

Peace

Larry

*Songs sampling ‘Different Strokes (from the Breaks.com)
Boogie Down Productions’s “Criminal Minded”
Boss’s “Recipe of a Hoe”
Brand Nubian’s “Try to Do Me”
Compton’s Most Wanted’s “Give it Up”
De la Soul’s “The Magic Number”
DOC’s “Beautiful But Deadly”
Dr. Octagon’s “Bear Witness (Extended Mix)”
EPMD’s “It’s My Thing”
Fear of a Black Hat’s “Fuck the Security Guard”
Ice Cube’s “Robbin’ Hood (Cause It ain’t All Good)”
King T’s “At Your Own Risk”
Kool G Rap’s “F U Man”
Kool G Rap’s “Talk Like Sex”
Kwame’s “Ownlee Eue (Reprise)”
Louise’s “Beautiful Inside”
Michael Jackson’s “Blood on the Dancefloor”
Mr. X & Mr. Z’s “Respect”
NWA’s “Real Niggaz Don’t Die”
Poison Clan’s “Jeri Curl”
Public Enemy’s “Fear of a Black Planet”
Rodney O & Joe Cooley’s “Wake up New York”
Scarface’s “Mr. Scarface”
Style’s “The Assassinator”
TLC’s “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg”
Tupac’s “Nuthin’ But Love”
West Coast Rap All Stars’s “We’re All in the Same Gang”
Whodini’s “Funky Beat”
Wu-Tang Clan’s “Shame on a Nigga”
Yomo & Maulkie’s “Mockingbird”
Young Black Teenagers’s “Sweatin’ Me”
Zhigge’s “Toss it Up”

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By Larry, January 6, 2011 3:18 pm

Miss Lorna Bennett

Listen/Download – Lorna Bennett – Breakfast In Bed

Greetings all.

I hope that you’re all weathering the weather (there’s got to be a better way to phrase that) better than I am. This cold is kicking my ass. The first few hours of the day should be spent wrapped securely in a warm blanket, easing into a mellow state of awake-ness, instead of rolling out of the sack and into 20 degree temperatures in the space of 45 minutes, which is what I did this morning.

Fortunately, after getting the little Corners on the bus, and running various and sundry errands I have returned to my desk, deep inside the well-heated, secure Funky16Corners command center.

Before we get started, I should remind you that this Friday night at 9PM – as is always the case – the Funky16Corners Radio Show will be taking to the airwaves, this week with an upbeat, hard-charging Northern Soul special guaranteed to get you out on the floor. Make sure to fall by Viva Radio, or if plans preclude timely listening, hit the blog on Saturday to pick up an MP3 of the show, which you may listen to at your leisure.

I will remind you once again that I’ll be taking part in the Spindletop night with DJ Perry Lane next Monday night (1/10) , beginning at 10PM at Botanica, 47 East Houston Street (between Mulberry and Mott) in New York City. There will be many shades of organ grooviness, as well as vibes, snappy drums and what not.

Now that I’ve wasted space complaining about the cold,  what better time for a little bit of island soul?

I have to admit, although I featured the Baby Washington version of ‘Breakfast In Bed’ in this space back in 2006, the first time I ever heard the song was via the 1988 cover version by UB40 and Chrissie Hynde.

At the time it was getting some airplay on the local alternative station, as well as on MTV. I dug the tune a lot, and eventually picked up a radio station promo CD single (no doubt liberated from the aforementioned local station and resold), which I still have banging around somewhere.

I was unaware that the song was a cover until I saw the writing credit for Eddie Hinton and Donnie Fritts, and even then I had no idea who did the original version.
What I wouldn’t discover until many years later, was that the UB40/Hynde version was in its way a cover of a cover (cover once removed??).

The song was written by Hinton and Fritts for Dusty Springfield’s 1969 ‘Dusty in Memphis’ album. Shortly after that, Baby Washington recorded her own – in my opinion, superior – version of the song (eventually released on Cotillion)*.

Oddly enough, for such a finely crafted piece of Southern soul neither Springfield nor Washington’s version of the song met with any chart success.

Flash forward to 1972, when a young Jamaican singer named Lorna Bennett recorded her own version for the Harry J label.

Produced by Geoffrey Chung, Bennett’s version of the tune was a #1 hit in Jamaica, also garnering a substantial amount of airplay in the UK (which is likely where the boys in UB40 heard it first).

Though Bennett’s version of ‘Breakfast In Bed’ lacks the dynamic shifts and drama of the Springfield and Washington recordings, it does have a certain pleasant, laid back vibe (repeated in the UB40/Hynde version) that locks in with the reggae beat.

Bennett went on to have a few more Jamaican hits (including a cover of the Dixie Cups’ ‘Chapel of Love’) before retiring to practice law in 1974. She returned to performing in 2001.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll be back on Monday.

Peace

Larry

*There were also early covers by Carmen McRae (1970) and Shirley Bassey (1971)

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By Larry, January 4, 2011 4:10 pm

Vernon Garrett

Listen/Download – Vernon Garrett & Marie Franklin – Second To None

Greetings all.

I hope all is groovy on your segment of the sphere.

I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things, following a long and snow-infested Christmas break, during which the fam and I were literally trapped in the house for a few days. It’s not that we don’t enjoys each other’s company, but when the food and beverage choices start moving into crisis mode (what can you make from a can of tomato soup and a pack of instant rice) folk’s nerves start to get on edge.

Fortunately we were eventually plowed out and took a drive up to visit my in-laws, located much further north, and (oddly enough) under a whole lot less snow.

I did manage to get in a digging session, in what used to be one of my favorite ‘road’ spots. Unfortunately it looks like the place has changed ownership and I walked out of the store with every good record in the place, all eight of them.

It was mostly unusual rock stuff, but there were a couple of nice soulful selections as well, so all is well.

I should mention again that I’ll be taking part in the Spindletop night with DJ Perry Lane next Monday night, beginning at 10PM at Botanica, 47 East Houston Street (between Mulberry and Mott) in New York City. Expect all manner of Hammond grooves, Mod soul, International au go go goodies etc.

The tune I bring you today is yet another gem from the stash that keeps on giving.

As mentioned in this space many times, some years back my father-in-law came upon a deposit of several thousand 45s, which he was kind enough to procure on my behalf. Though I made several passes through the crates over the last five or six years, there are still a few stacks left that I head back to now and then, and as luck would have it, they still yield some goodies every once in a while (this being one of them).

I have to admit that before I heard Vernon Garrett and Marie Franklin’s ‘Second To None’ I didn’t know much about the Venture label, other than Calvin Arnold’s ‘Funky Way’ from 1967.

The label was founded when Mickey Stevenson (and his wife Kim Weston) left Motown and relocated to the West Coast in the mid-60s. The pair hooked up with MGM Records, which established Venture as a soul subsidiary*.

Though the label didn’t produce many hits, there were a number of solid artists on its roster, including Larry Williams, The Mighty Hannibal and the Ballads.

The raging ‘Second to None’, heard here in a duet with Vernon Garrett and Marie Franklin, was originally recorded as a solo by Garrett in 1968 as the first of his three 45s for the label.

Garrett had been recording since the early-50s, waxing gospel, R&B, duets with his wife Jewel (who died in the late 60s), and as a solo for a wide variety of labels like Kent, Venture, Watts USA, Gator and ICA.

Marie Franklin is even more of a mystery. After her duet with Garrett, she recorded at least one 45 for Tangerine, as well as the killer ‘You Ain’t Changed’ for Maverick.

‘Second To None’ is a rock solid, right on the edge of out and out funk 45, with heavy guitar and fantastic vocal interplay between Garrett and Franklin. Both singers have especially raw, soul-shouting voices and it pains me to think that they didn’t go on to record more as duet partners.

The tune was written by Darryl Carter, Dick Cooper and Ernie Shelby, with Carter (as a solo) and Shelby (as a member of the Seven Souls) both having recorded for Venture.

Interestingly, the flipside of ‘Second to None’, ‘Without You’ hit the R&B Top 40 in 1969.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll see you on Friday.

Peace

Larry

*There were also a couple of rock bands on the label, including the 49^th Parallel and Southwind

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By Larry, January 2, 2011 4:59 pm

Dean Courtney

Listen/Download – Dean Courtney – We Have a Good Thing

Greetings all, and Happy New Year

How’s about we get the Funky16Corners juggernaut rolling again with a very tasty bit of Northern Soul?

Before we get started I have to let you know that our sister blog, Iron Leg, where the sounds of 60s garage, psyche and pop are discussed returns to new posts today, so head on over there for a searing garage punk cover of a classic soul 45.

Also very important to note, I’ll be taking part in the Spindletop night with DJ Perry Lane next Monday night, beginning at 10PM at Botanica, 47 East Houston Street (between Mulberry and Mott)  in New York City. They have a very groovy thing going there so come on down to soak up the Hammond 45s, soul jazz and other swinging sounds.

I have to begin by admitting that within my Northern Soul infatuation, there was a time when somewhere, locked deep in my mind, I conflated the existence of two separate singers, Dean Parrish, and Dean Courtney into one person.

This is not to say that I ever had any evidence that this was in fact the case, but rather my dilapidated, overworked mind (I think it has poorly lit hallways like an abandoned building) took two people with the same first name, who were both soul singers, and stapled them together (though I suppose mixing him up with Lou Courtney would have made more sense).

This probably had something to do with the fact that both of these singers made records that are verily worshipped on the Northern scene.

That silliness out of the way, Dean Courtney’s ‘We Have a Good Thing’ is without question a fantastic record.

Courtney was an Alabama native who did most of his recording in New York City for RCA and MGM.
‘We Have a Good Thing’ was the top side of his first RCA 45 in 1966.

One of the things that drew me into Northern Soul is the fact that so many of the records, while ostensibly ‘soul’ sides, also have a serious pop underpinning. This is part and parcel of the Motown-worship that inspired the creation of so many of them, and yet another painful reminder of the uncertainty of the marketplace when you consider how many of the classics of the genre were utter commercial failures (thus the rarity).

According to Dave Ferguson’s comprehensive overview of the career of arranger Jimmy Wisner (in the March 2007 issue of There’s That Beat), ‘We Have a Good Thing’ was co-written by Dean Courtney, despite being credited solely to John T. Mack.

The arrangement by Wisner is the epitome of stylish, danceable soul. Opening with rock solid drums, and marked by a descending rhythm guitar line, Courtney delivers the verse in a velvety tenor. The melody is filled with hooks, and the addition of backing harmonies, restrained strings and vibes fleshes things out nicely.

Despite it’s 1966 release date, ‘We Have a Good Thing’ didn’t enter the Northern canon until the mid-70s.

I also have to note that this 45 also has the greatest span between physical appearance and actual playability of any record I own (and I have a grip of water damaged 45s from a certain Philadelphia basement). Fortunately there was a nice scan of the 45 in ‘There’s That Beat’ that allowed me to get the label info.

Courtney still performs today, and has traveled to the UK for appearances on the Northern scene.

I hope you dig the track, and I’ll be back later in the week with something cool.

Peace

Larry

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By Larry, December 26, 2010 1:23 pm

Funky16Corners Radio v.91 – Year End Soul!

Playlist

Listen/Download 800MB/256kb Mixed MP3

I hope that everyone is grooving on the good will and brother – and sister – hood of the holiday season.

Obviously not everyone celebrates Christmas, but we can all soak up the peace and goodwill that floats in the ether this time of year.

This has been a big year for Funky16Corners.

The first quarter saw the move off of the free WordPress platform onto our own server space, which – despite any technical limitations yours truly might be encumbered with – worked like a charm.

This May saw the ‘opening’ of the Funky16Corners Soul Club series of live DJ sets, with contributions from lots of groovy people, as well as number of my own sets from various and sundry DJ gigs.

Thanks go out to all of you who once again contributed to the yearly Pledge Drive, which kept the Funky16Corners empire solvent for another calendar year. Your continued generosity makes me glad that I started the blog six years ago. In fact, it just occurred to me as I write this that I neglected to mark the sixth anniversary of the blog this past November.

Such is the chaos of my daily life that I neglected to remember, let alone mark the occasion.

Another groovy milestone that we marked in 2010 was the rebirth/re-engineering of the Funky16Corners Radio Show on Viva Radio. The folks at Viva were nice enough to bump me into a better time slot, and I responded by changing the way I do the show, hopefully for the better. We continue to broadcast every Friday night at 9PM, followed by uploading the show every Saturday so that you fine people can pull down the ones and zeros and append each week’s broadcast to the MP3 delivery device of your choosing.

On the DJ front, I’ve been up to New York City (and will be again on January, 10 2011, watch this space for details), down to Washington, DC (thanks to the mighty DJ Birdman for facilitating the journey). Hopefully 2011 will provide more opportunities for me to pack up my record box and hit the road, and (if all goes well) maybe even the return of the Asbury Park 45 Sessions.

The New Year will also see the return of our sister blog, Iron Leg, where we’re in a 60s pop/garage/psyche bag. Real world commitments caused me to put the blog on hiatus a few months back, but I’ve decided to bring it back – albeit with an abbreviated posting schedule – in 2011. I’ll be posting a year end wrap-up mix today, and regular posts will recommence next week.

So, once again, allow me to say thanks to all of you for stopping by and engaging in our ongoing conversation about music and how it moves us.

Since the fam and I will be out and about visiting family, I’ll be dropping the mix you see before you and taking the rest of the week off.

I’ve gathered the best of the upbeat and funky tracks from the past year and whipped them into a nice little party mix that you can play during your New Years Eve festivities (or whenever you need a lift).

There are lots of faves, plenty of funky rhythms with which to set loose your caboose, and enough grooves to grease your way past Father Time and into 2011.

I hope you dig it, and that you all have a safe and healthy rest of the year.

Peace

Larry

NOTE: There’s no accompanying zip file with this mix, since all of the tracks included have appeared here individually this past year.

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By Larry, December 21, 2010 12:19 pm

Merry Christmas, Godfather!

Listen/Download – James Brown – It’s Christmas Time Pt1

Greetings all.

I hope everyone that is in the Christmas groove, is ready for the holiday.

It behooves me to mention that if you find yourself snuggled up in front of a roaring internet this Friday night at 9PM, you might tune in to Viva Radio and dig the Funky16Corners Radio Christmas Special, featuring an hour of the finest funk and soul in the holiday spirit.

The tune I bring you today is fitting for a couple of reasons.

I remember the Christmas day for years ago when I heard that the mighty James Brown had that very morning slipped the surly bonds of earth and passed on into the great, funky beyond.

James Brown was a towering figure in the history of soul music, and especially important (so much so as to have been indispensable) in the development of funk.

Funky16Corners marked his passing then, and we do so again this year with one of the more mellow, sentimental numbers from his catalog.

‘It’s Christmas Time Pt1’ was released in 1969, and is notable for its subdued, almost hymn-like vibe.
Recorded at the peak of his funky powers, the song sees the Godfather of Soul working in a ballad style, backed only by guitar, bass, organ and the sparest of drums.

So much holiday funk and soul is in an upbeat, often humorous style, it’s nice to hear one of the giants take it at a mellow pace.

I hope you dig it, raise a glass of egg-nog in memory of Soul Brother Number One, and that you all have a great Christmas weekend.

I’m taking the rest of the week off to be festive, but I’ll be back next week with a year-end wrap up mix.

Peace

Larry

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By Larry, December 19, 2010 4:47 pm

Harvey Averne

Listen/Download – Harvey Averne Band – Let’s Get It Together This Christmas

Greetings all.

Christmas week has finally arrived, and so, as is the custom, have some funky and soulful holiday 45s.

I managed to get in a nice dig/hang this weekend down at the world famous Asbury Lanes where I managed to grab some excellent records (both the 45 and LP varieties) and meet up with some of my old mod scene compadres (Mr Luther and Mick) as well as AP45 Sessions’ very own DJ Prime Mundo. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

I’ve made mention of the fact that I have never been a big collector of holiday music, Don’t get me wrong – I dig the jingle bells and the ho ho ho and what not – but with rare exception (generally the records that I feature here around Christmas time) I don’t go out of my way to add this kind of stuff to my record box.

Occasionally – as is the case with the Soulful Strings Christmas LP – such a record dovetails nicely with an existing obsession. Sometimes, as was the case with Clarence Carter’s ‘Backdoor Santa’, we might be talking about a record that kicks ass solidly despite the fact that it’s aimed at a Yuletide audience.

This week I’ll be bringing you two great holiday selections (Monday and Wednesday) and then taking the rest of the week off to enjoy the holiday with the fam.

I wouldn’t leave you hanging though, so make sure you tune into the Funky16Corners Radio Show this Friday at 9PM, Christmas Eve for the first annual Funky16Corners Radio Christmas Special, for an hour of the coolest funk and soul sounds for the holiday. You’ll hear the Soulful Strings, Clarence Carter, James Brown and many, many more.

The tune I bring you today is nice but of funky Latin soul by the mighty Harvey Averne.

Averne was – like his bandmate and fellow Latin music legend Larry Harlow – a non-Hispanic (both men were Jewish) who played a big role in the history of the storied Fania label.

Averne, a vibraphonist, got his start under the name Arvito and his Latin Orchestra, playing during the 50s mambo craze, eventually taking over a band that included Harlow on piano.

He had a great deal of success as a musician (and in the construction business) but had probably his most important role as the mad behind the day to day operations of Fania.

Hired by label owner Jerry Masucci, Averne worked at Fania as musician, producer (of Ray Barretto’s ‘Acid’ LP among many other classics) and A&R man.

Oddly enough, his first record, among them the boogaloo classics ‘The Micro Mini’ and ‘You’re No Good’ were released on the Atlantic label, with Averne eventually having a bunch if stuff released on Fania and its Uptite subsidiary.

The tune I bring you today ‘Let’s Get It Together This Christmas’ is a funky mover, with the punchy bass, the jingling jingle bells, and an upbeat message for the season.

I haven’t been able to nail down a release date, but the catalog number would suggest something in the area of 1969 or 1970.

The flip side is a an otherwise groovy version of ‘The Christmas Song’, marred by the ‘contributions’ of a barking dog (who gets credit on the label!).

‘Let’s Get It Together This Christmas’ was also included on the excellent ‘In The Christmas Groove’ comp.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll be back with something mellow on Wednesday.

Peace

Larry

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By Larry, December 16, 2010 12:24 pm

The Kelly Brothers performing on The Beat

Listen/Download – The Kelly Brothers – Crystal Blue Persuasion

Greetings all.

It’s the end of another week, and I’ve been a busy fella.

I’ll assume that some of you already know this, but the Funky16Corners blog was preceded, or more accurately grew out of the Funky16Corners web zine. I published the first issue online in 2000, after 15 years of doing paper fanzines on a variety of topics.

Though my web skills were rudimentary at best, I thought it would be cool to be able to write about funk and soul, include color pictures, and have it all up on the interwebs where anyone with a computer and access, anywhere in the world could check it out.

I did thirteen issues of the web zine before switching over to the blog format, and though I haven’t updated the site in almost five years, I maintained it so that people could access the various articles and discographies.

Unfortunately, due to some poor planning on my part, and switching/upgrading computers a few times since then, I did not have access to the site I had built. In fact, when I finally resurrected the old computer where I thought I had it stored, I realized that what I had was an older, incomplete version of the zine that was missing the last three issues.

What I wanted to do was get the files and upload them to the same server where I keep the blog.
This turned out to be quite the production, since I had to download the three missing issues (and all the attending artwork) from one server, weave them together with the files I had, and then upload the whole shebang. This involved work that was both painfully complicated and monotonous, but since I have no one to blame but myself for the mess it had become, I can’t really complain.

That all said, the move is finally complete. For those of you that were linked to www.funky16corners.net , aside from a few minor cosmetic changes, the transition should be flawless. If you haven’t been to the webzine, you can click on the link in the sidebar and check it out. Once you’re there, make sure to click on the ‘Archived Issues’ link to access all the older content.

Be forewarned that there are a couple of pages with formatting problems that I’ll have to correct over the coming weeks, but nothing that should prevent you from reading it.

I will be updating some of the articles for both factual and cosmetic reasons, and may even generate some new, long-form content.

I would also at some point like to redo the entire look of the site, so that you don’t have to deal with the existing colored type on black background theme, but like everything else, that will have to be added to the to-do list, and will be taken care of as time allows.

I should also take this opportunity to remind you all that this Friday night at 9PM you should fall by Viva Radio to check out the latest installment of the Funky16Corners Radio Show. This week (12/17) is an all Philly Funk 45 special, and next week (12/24) is the first annual Funky16Corners Radio Show Christmas special, featuring all kinds of groovy funk and soul in the holiday spirit.

Next week I’ll be posting a couple of nice Christmas 45s, so make sure to stop by for that.

The tune I bring you today is a very nice cover of a very well known song, by a group that until recently I knew nothing about.

I can’t recall where I first heard the Kelly Brothers version of ‘Crystal Blue Persuasion’, but I do know that I dug it because I went in search of my own copy. That search ended earlier this year when I did a DJ set at the Washington DC Record Fair and found a mint copy sitting in a box between two extremely rare (and well out of my price range) soul 45s.

The Kelly Brothers got their start recording gospel in the mid-50s. Between 1956 and 1962 they recorded gospel for the VeeJay, Nashboro and Federal labels. They changed their name to the King Pins, and switched to recording secular soul in 1963, remaining with Federal.

They moved to the Sims label from 1964 to 1967, eventually landing at Excello, which is where they recorded today’s selection in 1969.

The original recording of the tune by Tommy James and the Shondells was a huge hit earlier in 1969.

The Kelly Brothers were hardly alone in their migration between the sacred and the profane. Countless soul artists got their start singing and recording gospel, and there were other artists – the Staple Singers come to mind – that passed back and forth between the genres.

The brothers (Curtis, Andrew and Robert Kelly) along with TC Lee and Offie Reese put the powerful harmonies they learned in church to good use during their soul period. There’s a great video them performing their 1966 Sims 45 ‘I’m Falling In Love Again’ on the Nashville-based TV show The Beat.

The group’s version of ‘Crystal Blue Persuasion’ adds a great soulful edge to the pop classic, with the rhythm guitar and piano playing off of each other, horns, organ and some powerful drumming as well. I love the way the Kelly Brothers kick up the tempo and lay on the harmony. I’ve always enjoyed the Tommy James original (one of the first songs I remember really well from my childhood) but it seems anemic in comparison to this version.

Interestingly, the song has long been rumored to have a religious underpinning, though a glance at the lyrics reveals that there is at least as much late 60s hippie vibe in the mix.

There’s also a great comp of the Kelly Brothers soulful stuff from their time at the Sims label at Amazon.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll see you all next week for the holiday festivities.

Peace

Larry

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Comments (3)

By Larry, December 14, 2010 2:51 pm

Calender

Listen/Download – Calender – Hypertension Pt1
Listen/Download – Calender – Hypertension Pt2

Greetings all.

The tune I bring you today is a little bit of stylish, late period New Jersey funk.

Back about a year or so ago, when I pulled this 45 out of a box at a record show, I grabbed it because the label was familiar (and from NJ).

I’d never heard of the group, but I figured (as I often do) that all signs pointed to ‘cool’, and the price was right, so I took it home.

When I finally got a chance to put it on the turntable I was pleased.

Though the group, Calender, was a complete mystery, the song ‘Hypertension Pts 1&2’ turned out to be an extremely cool number from the era when funk was on a speeding train to Disco City.

This is not to say that the tune itself is actually disco, but that it comes from a period where the artists and producers were clearly less interested in crafting a short, one-sided 45 statement than they were in stretching things out so that the dancers might have some time to get down.

Since the group name and song title led only to various sites concerned with high blood pressure, I decided to search on some of the names on the label, which turned up some interesting info.

The tune was written and produced by Paul Kyser, a Jersey City, NJ based record man who had his biggest successes with Jimmy Briscoe and the Little Beavers, a teenaged funk band from Baltimore, MD who had a number of hits in the mid-70s.

Kyser had his own label, Kyser Records in the 60s, recording Robby Lawson among others. He also worked with the Soul Generation, Super Disco Band, and Rhyze (formerly known as the Nu Sound Express, who recorded two excellent funk 45s for Silver Dollar), who had a minor hit with the tune ‘Just How Sweet Is Your Love’ in 1980.

‘Hypertension’ is a great slice of sophisticated, string laden funk in the style of B.T. Express. There’s more than enough real musicianship in the grooves, but enough grooves in the playing to get people out on the dance floor. The production and arrangement by Kyser is perfect; smooth but never slick. There are bits of synthesizer here and there, but they never overpower the band. Make sure to stick around for Part 2, which features some great flute work.

The group included two sets of brothers, John and Michael Barbee and Gerry and Hurley Fair, as well as Stanley Haygood, William Jones and Donna Ahjuder, and recorded this 45 (in 1975) and an LP called ‘It’s a Monster’ for Pi Kapp in 1976 with all songs either written or co-written by the group, Kyser and his frequent writing partner Leon Stuckey.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll be back on Friday.

Peace

Larry

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Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

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Comments (2)

By Larry, December 9, 2010 2:46 pm

Isaac Redd Holt & Eldee Young

Listen/Download – Young-Holt Unlimited – Horoscope

Greetings all.

I hope the end of the week finds you well.

It’s been a busy one hereabouts, with the kids, and the errands and Hanukkah ending and Christmas coming and jeebus knows what else going on.

This is the part of Friday’s post where I pause for my regularly scheduled reminder that the Funky16Corners Radio Show will be airing, as is the custom, Friday night at 9PM. There will be some old favorites, a couple of new arrivals and some groovy stuff out of the archives, so if you have your ears pointed at the interwebs this Friday night, make sure to point the browser of your choice at Viva Radio and tune in. If you are otherwise occupied, you can always come by the blog over the weekend and pull down the ones and zeros, since every single episode of the Funky16Corners Radio Show is promptly digimatized and posted at the blog after it airs.

I thought I had the whole week planned out, but when I sat down to write today’s post, I had a change of heart, and went back into the to-be-blogged folder to see what tickled my fancy. After some deliberation, I saw that I had no less than three very groovy tracks from the Young-Holt organization waiting to go, all funky, all very groovy.

This of course opened up a whole new can of worms, since I didn’t want to post all three at the same time. Despite all stories to the contrary, the Funky16Corners record vault is not six stories deep with an endless supply of vinyl, and things need to be parceled out gradually.

I gave the matter some consideration, and settled upon the 45 you see before you today, Young-Holt Unlimited’s ‘Horoscope’.

I don’t recall where I came across this disc, or where I first heard it.

It’s entirely possible that I bought it sight unheard, since I’ve come to the conclusion that Young-Holt are verily the gift that keeps on giving. They were not only prolific, but their catalog – like the many petals of the lotus – unfolds to reveal more and more funky 45s at every turn.

Here you have two journeyman jazz cats – pianist Eldee Young and drummer Isaac Redd Holt – who made their bones with the mighty Ramsey Lewis, with the 1965 hit ‘The In Crowd’ (currently being used in TV ads in furtherance of the execrable Ashton Kutcher industry). They parlayed it into their own career, eventually hitting the charts with one of the best loved soul instrumentals of the 60s, ‘Soulful Strut’ (ironically, a record they are rumored not to have actually played on).

Over the course of the next decade they would go on to release ten albums (for Brunswick, Cotillion and Paula) and over a dozen singles, all taking the concept of soul jazz and flipping the formula. The music they would create would prove to be commercial (if not commercially successful) while still substantial, formulaic without being boring and much more soulful than that of a lot of their similarly labeled contemporaries.

I always find it odd that for a group that was obviously selling a lot of records, Young-Holt Unlimited didn’t really have much in the way of chart success. ‘Soulful Strut’ was a Pop and R&B hit in 1968, but they would only hit the R&B chart two other times, earlier in 1968 with ‘Wack Wack’ and barely scraping the Top 50 with ‘Just a Melody’ n 1969.

Yet the more I dig, especially into their later Cotillion and Paula periods (1970 to 1975) the more quality stuff I discover.

Today’s selection hails from 1969, at the very end of their time with the Brunswick label, just before their move to Cotillion.

‘Horoscope’ features funky piano and bright horns, and a shouted run (credited, hysterically as ‘Narration by Isaac Holt’) through the zodiac, hitting on all the signs, ex.Virgo (‘The virgin! Ha ha, you gotta be kidding!’), as well as timely references to the Age of Aquarius and Hair (“and NO CLOTHES!!”).

The tune was written by Young, Holt and their pianist at the time, Ken Chaney (who replaced Hysear Don Walker when the group morphed from the Young Holt Trio into Young Holt Unlimited).

They’ve appeared here a bunch of times, with individual tracks and in mixes, as long as I keep digging their stuff they’ll continue to do so.

I hope you dig the track, and I’ll be back on Monday.

Peace

Larry

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg