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By Larry, June 9, 2019 9:09 am

Charles Earland

Listen/Download – Charles Earland – (You Caught Me) Smiling MP3

Greetings all.

I come to you today with an exceptionally tasty bit of Hammond goodness, courtesy of one of my all time faves, the mighty Charles Earland. It is made all the more tasty by its roots as a Sly and the Family Stone cover.

Earland was the preeminent second-wave (post Jimmy Smith) Pennsylvania Hammond giants, getting his start in the early 60s and then moving on to a solid career all the way through the 90s until his passing in 1999. His early, local Philly 45s are classics, as are all the albums he made for the soul jazz powerhouse Prestige Records.

Today’s selection is the opening track on his 1972 LP ‘Live at the Lighthouse’.

Recorded at the storied jazz club in Hermosa Beach, CA, it’s a fantastic set with Earland leading a tight band.

The song, originally titled ‘You Caught Me Smilin’ (truncated to ‘Smiling’ here) originated on Sly and the Family Stone’s 1971 LP ‘There’s a Riot Goin’ On’. The original, vocal version of the song has a kind of dreamy/stoned vibe to it. Earland’s cover lights a bit of a fire under it, with a big Hammond sound that sometimes verges on (but never crossed into) distortion.

The album as a whole is quite good, but this track is by far my fave.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you all next week.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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By Larry, May 19, 2019 9:49 am

Miss Margie Joseph

Listen/Download – Margie Joseph – My Love MP3

Greetings all.

If you follow my show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, you may have seen that the DJ premium I put together for this year’s fundraising marathon was dedicated to soul and funk artists covering 70s AM gold.

I’ve made collecting such records something of a sideline in the last few years, and today’s selection is a fine example of the subgenre (and was included on that premium CD).

Margie Joseph was a Mississippi-born singer who recorded a bunch of singles for Okeh and Volt in the 60s and a few albums for Volt in the early 70s, before moving on to record for Atlantic and their subsidiaries into the late 80s.

Today’s selection hails from her 1974 ‘Sweet Surrender’ LP, which contains many such covers, including two Bread tunes, a very early cover of Billy Joel’s ‘He’s Got a Way’ and the tune I bring you today, Paul McCartney and Wings’ ‘My Love’.

Back in the early 70s, when I was deep inside the AM radio thing, I was not a huge fan of the original Wings version of ‘My Love’, put off by Paul’s ‘whoa whoa whoa’s in the chorus (though it’s fair to say that the song has grown on me in the ensuing decades.

Margie Joseph, backed by a solid band of NY and Philly studio pros gives the song a smooth, pretty reading, treating the melody gently, and finessing the chorus.

The overall effect is as if the song had been written for her.

I dig it a lot, and I hope you do too.

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

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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By Larry, May 12, 2019 3:40 pm

Kelly Gordon

Listen/Download – Kelly Gordon – If ThatDon’t Get It, It Ain’t There MP3

Greetings all.

The tune I bring you today is from the sole album by Kelly Gordon.

I forget where I first heard about Gordon, but I do remember that it had to do with today’s selection being an interesting, funky track.

After I grabbed a copy of the album, I dug a little deeper into Gordon’s story and discovered some interesting things.

First and foremost, Gordon was the composer of one of Frank Sinatra’s biggest hits, ‘That’s Life’. He was also the producer on Bobbie Gentry’s classic run of mid-60s albums, including the epic ‘Ode To Billie Joe’ (he appears to have been a staff producer at Capitol records, working the board for a wide variety of artists).

Though he recorded a few 45s under his own name through the 60s, 1969’s ‘Defunked’ was his only album.

Featuring a variety of R&B based styles (leaning in the same direction as Joe South during the same period), the album also includes the first recording of the song ‘He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother’.

Today’s selection is the only instrumental on the album. ‘If That Don’t Get It, It Ain’t There’ features twangy guitar, funky drums and a chunky electric piano foundation, along with some punchy horns. It’s a great slice of funky rock, and the kind of thing people would be crawling over each other to get had it been issued on 45.

Sadly, Gordon was stricken with lung cancer and passed away in 1981 at the age of 49.

I hope you dig the track, and I’ll see you all next week.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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By Larry, April 14, 2019 9:13 am

Little Richie Varola

Listen/Download – Little Richie Varola – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf MP3

Greetings all.

Today’s feature is one of my all time favorite, obscure Hammond organ burners.

Little Richie Varola did almost all of his recorded work – save the album you see above – as the organist for Louis Prima.

Born in central Pennsylvania (what was in the water in PA that produced so many Hammond players?), Varola joined up with Prima in the 1960s after a starting up playing in the lounges of Atlantic City and Las Vegas.

He was a keyboard prodigy, capable of lightning-fast speed and showmanship.

He recorded his sole LP as a solo artist in 1968 for the Verve label, backed by Sam Butera and the Witnesses.

The album was a combination of popular organ features like ‘Walk On the Wild Side’ and today’s selection ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’, standards and contemporary pop like Tom Jones’s ‘It’s Not Unusual’.

‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ was first recorded by Jimmy Smith in 1964 and quickly became something of a Hammond standard, being recorded by James Brown, Graham Bond, the Dynamics, The Pieces of Eight and even the Buckinghams.

Varola’s version of ‘Who’s Afraid…’ starts out with a quote from the James Bond theme, storming into a 100MPH version of the song with unbelievable keyboard work by Varola.

His speed and precision on the Hammond is remarkable and it’s not hard to see why Butera recruited him for Prima’s band.

Varola played on a couple of Louis Prima albums before leaving the group in 1972.

He was apparently working toward a jazz-rock fusion sound when he was killed in a car accident in 1974 at the age of 30.

I can only imagine what he might have been capable of musically had he lived.

As far as I can tell his album has never been reissued, so if you dig the sound you’ll have to find yourself an original copy.

I hope you dig the sounds and I’ll see you all next week.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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If you dig what we do here or over at Funky16Corners, please consider clicking on the Patreon link and throwing something into the yearly operating budget! Do it and we’ll send you some groovy Funky16Corners Radio Network (and related) stickers!

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By Larry, January 20, 2019 2:16 pm

Joe Johnson and his Hammond

Listen/Download – Joe Johnson Trio – Son of Ice Bag MP3

Greetings all.

I hope the new week finds you well.

The track I bring you today is from what most would consider a private press album (as far a I can tell the ‘label’ never issued anything else).

The performer is organist Joe Johnson, and the track, ‘Son of Ice Bag’ appears on the album ‘Jazz In Jersey’.

I can’t find any information to indicate that Johnson ever recorded anything else, under how own name, or as a sideman.

‘Jazz In Jersey’ appears to have been released in 1973, and while Johnson and most of the sidemen listed are obscure, the guitarist, Thornell Schwartz spent a lot of time recording with big name organists like Jimmy Smith, Johnny Hammond Smith and Larry Young.

The track, ‘Son of Ice Bag’ was written and first released by Hugh Masekela in 1967. It was covered a few years later by Lonnie Smith.

Johnson aquits himself nicely, and the arrangement, which hews pretty closely to the Lonnie Smith take, is cool.

I wish I knew more about Johnson. The record – despite the title – was recorded in Philadelphia, and the liner notes mention that he received an award in Philadelphia. They also say he worked with Lou Donaldson and Houston Person, but I can’t find any information to suggest that he recorded with either of them. My suspicion is that he was another working musician, probably grinding it out in night clubs and bars but never making the connection in the studios.

I hope you dig the sounds, and if you have any info on Joe Johnson, please drop me a line.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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By Larry, December 2, 2018 11:55 am

Lionel Hampton

Listen/Download – Lionel Hampton – Funky Chicken MP3

Greetings all.

I have sung the praises of the mighty Lionel Hampton in this space many times over the years.

Hampton had serious, solid jazz credentials going back to the mid-1930s and the Benny Goodman Orchestra.

Like many of his contemporaries, when the 1960’s rolled around, and the demand for, and popularity of large jazz bands started to wane, Hampton made many (artistically) successful attempts at musical relevancy, including the epic 45 ‘Greasy Greens’ on his own Glad-Hamp label.

Starting in 1972 Hampton signed with Brunswick Records and recorded a series of albums aimed at a younger market, recording versions of many contemporary pop and soul hits.

1976’s ‘Off Into a Black Thing’ was his fifth and final outing for Brunswick, and despite it’s placement firmly in the disco era, it included a number of earlier, funkier sounds.

The track I bring you today is Hampton covering Willie Henderson’s 1970 ‘Funky Chicken’ (the title track of Hampton’s album is another tune from Henderson’s album).

‘Funky Chicken’ isn’t only a cover, but it also uses the same backing track as the 1970 original, with Hampton soloing over it (and someone rapping over that).

It’s nothing groundbreaking, but since the OG is so funky, and Hamp’s (he was closing in on 70 when he recorded it!) vibes sound very groovy indeed, I’ll take it.

Oddly enough, Hampton’s Brunswick albums are fairly hard to come by, but worth picking up when you find them.

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

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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By Larry, September 16, 2018 10:56 am

Perez Prado

Listen/Download – Perez Prado – Mama A Go Go MP3

Greetings all.

You find music in the strangest places.

A few years back someone posted a psychotronic video, with a clip of a dancer from some old black and white grindhouse flick, but the music playing over the clip was wild.

It took some finagling, but after asking around and doing a little digging I discovered that the track was toady’s selection, ‘Mama A Go Go’ by Perez Prado.

Prado was a Cuban/Mexican bandleader, known as the King of the Mambo who had hits in the 50s with the original ‘Mambo No 5′, Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White’ and ‘Patricia’.

Originally released in 1967 on the United Artists LP ‘Concierto Para Bongo’, ‘Mama A Go Go’ is a crazy fusion of Latin boogaloo and 60s au go go.
The mixture of styles is unusual, but I’m a little shocked it wasn’t more prevalent. The collision of the two styles seems like a natural fit to me, with the hard percussion and the wailing combo organ.

The album as a whole is a very interesting mix of styles, with a few tracks (‘Estoy’ and ‘A Go Go’) following the pattern of ‘Mama A Go Go’, ‘Cayitano’ moving in a straighter boogaloo direction and ‘Fantasia’ and the title track going straight up Latin jazz.

The album must have been popular in some markets, as it was released in a number of countries in 1967, then reissued in Spain and the US in the 70s (this is a 1979 Raiz issue) then again in a few countries in the 80s, then on CD a number of times in the following decades.

There was also a 45 issue of this track and as far as I can tell it’s rarer and more expensive than the LP.

I hope you dig it and I’ll see you next week.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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By Larry, April 22, 2018 10:42 am

Sensei Curtis

Listen/Download – Curtis Mayfield – Kung Fu MP3

Greetings all.

What Better way to east into the week than with some mellow, timely Curtis?

You all know that Curtis Mayfield was/is where it’s at, as composer, Impression, singer, guitarist and spirit of all things soulful.

Today’s selection, ‘Kung Fu’ (and you know there’s some 44 year old out there carrying the name with him) hails from the 1974 LP ‘Sweet Exorcist’, which seems to have been pieced together with some older/existing tracks and some then-current material.

No matter how or why this album was assembled, the bottom line is that it is prime, mid-70s Curtis (‘Kung Fu’ was an R&B Top 5 hit, making it into the Pop Top 40) and it has both a tasty groove, as well as a story to tell.

I have no doubt that Curtis had the strong, stoic wanderer Caine on his mind when he composed the tale of persistence in the ghetto, with a tip of the hat to the Temps ‘Papa Was a Rolling Stone’.

The groove is subdued but strong, with the bass and a stabbing organ setting the tone, with some barely perceptible strings wavering underneath.

This is the sound of the city circa 1974, with Curtis walking a razor between defiance and despair.

It is both a head-nodder and a head-shaker, and if you’re not old enough to remember the early 70s, there’s enough going wrong in the world now for you to identify with the vibe of the song.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you all next week.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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By Larry, December 24, 2017 1:34 pm

Harold Johnson

Listen/Download – Harold Johnson – Greensleeves MP3

Greetings all.

I hope that the new week and the holiday season finds you all well.

The tune I bring you today is a Christmas favorite that got its start as decidedly secular English folk ballad in the 1500s, eventually being appropriated as the Christmas song ‘What Child Is This’ in 1865.

It has been recorded countless times in a variety of styles by a long list of performers.

Today’s selection, by jazz pianist Harold Johnson appeared on his 1970 LP ‘Wide Open’.

‘Wide Open’ is a fantastic example of alternately funky/straight soul jazz piano laying down a selection of originals and contemporary covers.

Johnson’s version of ‘Greensleeves’ gets off to a hot start with congas and bass, before being joined by a hard-hitting drummer, and then Johnson himself.

It is an aggressive arrangement of a song that is usually delivered in a much more languid style, and it works very well indeed.

Johnson and his group had recorded two earlier albums, one on the small LA H.M.E. label and the second (like this one) for Revue.

Oddly, after 1970 Johnson worked mostly as a sideman on a string of LPs by Eddie Kendricks, Willie Hutch and others and as a composer and arranger.

I hope you dig the tune, and that you all have a happy holiday.

See you next week

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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By Larry, December 17, 2017 12:37 pm

Stretch

Margaret Singana

Listen/Download – Stretch – Why Did You Do It MP3

Listen/Download – Margaret Singana – Why Did You Do It MP3

Greetings all.

As has been said here many a time before, one must keep their ears peeled and open at all times if the flow of interesting music is to continue into one’s crates. The reords you see before you today at a testament to that very thing.

A while back I was immersed in a viewing of ‘Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ when a funky song popped up on the soundtrack that got my ears perked right up.

A dash of Googling and IMDB-ing led me to the track ‘Why Did You Do It’ by Stretch.

I had never heard of the band or the song, but dug it a lot, so I started looking around and discovered the the tune was a UK Top 20 and dance floor hit in 1975.

The group was led by Elmer Gantry (aka Dave Terry) former lead singer of UK psych group Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera and former Curved Air member Graham ‘Kirby’ Gregory.

They released the 45 on the UK Anchor label also home to Ace, and (for some odd reason) all of the UK versions of Alice Cooper’s albums.

The original Stretch version of ‘Why Did You Do It’ is a very groovy piece of funky rock with a solid backbeat and bass combo that butts right up against disco without trading too heavily on that territory, and a fantastic vocal by Gantry.

The other version I bring you today was recorded a few years later by South African vocalist Margaret Singana.

Her take on the song, from her ‘Tribal Fence’ album was released here in the US on the Casablanca label.

Singana’s album is a mix of traditional African sounds, soul and disco, and featured production and guitar work from future Yes member Trevor Rabin (also a native South African).

The production on Singana’s version is a little slicker (with a very nice guitar solo by Rabin) , but her excellent voice features heavily. Her album also contains a nice version of James Brown’s ‘It’s a Man’s Man’s World’.

I hope you dig both versions of the tune, and I’ll see you all next week.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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If you dig what we do here or over at Funky16Corners, please consider clicking on the Patreon link and throwing something into the yearly operating budget! Do it and we’ll send you some groovy Funky16Corners Radio Network (and related) stickers!

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By Larry, December 3, 2017 11:32 am

Johnny Watson

Listen/Download – Johnny Watson – Coke MP3

Greetings all.

One of the great pleasures of record digging/collecting is the unexpected find, as in ‘I had no idea this very familiar artist did anything like this’ which describes this week’s selection to a tee.

A few years ago I picked up a Johnny Watson solo 45 off of a friend’s list, on which the man who was so famous a guitarist that it became part of his name (i.e. Johnny Guitar Watson) was featuring not on the six-string razor but rather surprisingly on the old 88s!

I dug the 45 a lot, and started to look around for information on the circumstances leading to its recording, and I was very surprised indeed to discover that Watson had recorded an entire album of instrumentals for Okeh in 1967.

This was during the heart of his association with Larry Williams, who just happened to have co-produced the album in question (entitled ‘Bad’) with Watson himself.

The record sees Watson featuring on both piano and guitar on a wide range of contemporary covers of tunes by folks like Eddie Floyd, Ray Charles, Sam and Dave and the Four Tops among others, mixed in with a couple of groovy originals, of which today’s selection is one.

‘Coke’ (hmmmmm…) is hard charging number featuring Watson’s guitar, piano and a tastefully applied horn section.

It has plenty of soulful, au-go-go flavor, and would work nicely on the dance floor.

I don’t think the album has ever been reissued. There was only the one 45 released from the LP.

I hope you dig the sounds, and I’ll see you all next week.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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If you dig what we do here or over at Funky16Corners, please consider clicking on the Patreon link and throwing something into the yearly operating budget! Do it and we’ll send you some groovy Funky16Corners Radio Network (and related) stickers!

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By Larry, October 1, 2017 9:15 am

Roy Head

Listen/Download – Roy Head – Driving Wheel MP3

Greetings all.

The tune I bring you today is from what is by far the funkiest album by one of the great white R&B/soul singers of the classic era.

Roy Head, formerly of the Traits was a bona fide Texas legend. Posessed of a great, raspy voice and excellent taste in material, Head had his first hit in 1965 with ‘Treat Her Right’ (which became a standard) for Back Beat and even though he didn’t cozy up to the charts much more after that, continued recording quality stuff into the 1980s.

The tune I bring you today hails from the excellent 1970 LP ‘Same People’, which contains a number of amazing tracks (including covers of the Sir Douglas Quintet’s ‘She’s About a Mover’ and Dyke and the Blazers’ ‘Let a Woman Be a Woman’).

The original version of ‘Driving Wheel’ was recorded in 1936 by Roosevelt Sykes (aka The Honeydripper) and went on to become a blues standard, with Little Junior Parker taking it into the R&B Top 5 in 1961 and Head himself recording it for Back Beat in 1966.

Here Head lays into the tune in a funky way, with blazing horns and a chugging Hammond organ laying the foundation underneath.

If you can get your hands on a copy of the album (which I sought after and increasingly scarce) do so with a quickness. You will not be disappointed.

I will surely post other tracks from it in this space in the future.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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If you dig what we do here or over at Funky16Corners, please consider clicking on the Patreon link and throwing something into the yearly operating budget! Do it and we’ll send you some groovy Funky16Corners Radio Network (and related) stickers!

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