Comments (2)

By Larry, March 29, 2012 2:57 pm

Grant Green

Listen/Download Grant Green – Never Can Say Goodbye

Greetings all.

I should start off by reminding you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show returns to the airwaves of the interwebs this Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you can’t join us at airtime, make sure to fall by the blog and pick yourself up an MP3 of the show (or dip into the extensive Radio Show archives with almost 100 past episodes).

I should also mention that I’ll be joining the HPRS vinyl collective to sell some records this Saturday 3/31. The sale runs from 11-5 at 960 Green Street in Iselin, NJ (not too far off of Rt1). I’ll have a couple of boxes of LPs (lots of soul jazz and 60s rock) as well as a few boxes of 45s (funk, soul, jazz, rock etc) and some ephemera. If you’re in the area and have a taste for records come by and sample the wares.

The tune I bring you today is a stellar cover of what in unquestionably one of my all time favorite songs.

When I was a kid, Clifton Davis was famous as an actor, which is why I was shocked years later to discover that he was responsible for composing ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’.

Whether it is in the original hit version by the Jackson Five (1971), the epic disco reading by Gloria Gaynor (1974) or even in the slow burn by Isaac Hayes, the song has a remarkably powerful melody that has drilled itself deep into my brain.

I pick up covers of the song wherever I find them, which is why I grabbed (first) the 45 of Grant Green’s version, and then years later the LP from which it was pulled, 1971’s ‘Visions’ (which is where this recording is from).

Green takes a slow, late-night approach to the tune with some very nice soloing, but the real key to why this particular arrangement resonates with me is Billy Wooten’s vibes.

Known to crate diggers and collectors as the man behind the Wooden Glass (a group that also included pianist Emmanuel Riggins, who also joined Wooten in Green’s band and plays on this date), Wooten also contributed to a few albums by the Soulful Strings and Richard Evans.

Wooten’s vibes add a ringing counterpoint to the guitar and electric piano, bouncing between the right and left channels, becoming in many ways the heart of the record.

It’s a wonderful interpretation of the song and one of my faves.

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

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, March 15, 2012 2:48 pm

Leon Spencer 1945-2012

Listen/Download Leon Spencer – Message From the Meters

Listen/Download Leon Spencer – The Slide

Listen/Download Melvin Sparks (feat Leon Spencer) – Thank You Pt1

Listen/Download Melvin Sparks (feat Leon Spencer) – Thank You Pt2

Greetings all.

It is – as always – time to remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show returns to the airwaves of the interwebs this Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you can’t join us at airtime, make sure to fall by the blog and pick yourself up an MP3 of the show (or dip into the extensive Radio Show archives with almost 100 past episodes).

I had something else planned for today, but last night word started to filer through the haze of the interwebs that one of my favorite past masters of the Hammond organ, the mighty Leon Spencer, had passed away.

I have yet to locate any real details, but when I do I will pass them on.

Spencer may not have been a household name (except for my house, maybe) but he was a very important figure of the crucial, funky, soul jazz years of the late 60s and early 70s.

He only recorded a few albums as a leader (between 1971 and 1974) but was a very prominent sideman on Prestige and Blue Note dates, backing cats like Lou Donaldson, Melvin Sparks, Rusty Bryant, Gene Ammons and others.

I’m posting four cuts for your listening pleasure today.

The first two (recorded 12/7/70) , Spencer’s cover of “Message From the Meters” and his original “The Slide” appeared on his Prestige LP, ‘Sneak Preview’. The all-star group, featuring Melvin Sparks, Idris Muhammad and Grover Washington Jr really bring the funk on the Meters tune, and get to settle into a more relaxed groove on ‘The Slide’.

The third features an example of Spencer’s work as a sideman (recorded 9/14/70*), backing Sparks (again with Muhammad) on his ‘Sparks’ LP, covering Sly and the Family Stone’s ‘Thank You (Fallettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)’. I’m posting both halves of the 45 since you get to hear Spencer stretch out a little bot more on part two.

Leon Spencer had a fluid, economical style that always demonstrated an ability to weave in and out of the groove. His playing was clearly deep inside the soul jazz “thing” while also being consistently inventive, something that cannot be said of all organists active in the period.

He will be missed.

See you on Monday with some more soul.

Peace

Larry

*Trumpeter Virgil Jones appears on both dates as well

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, January 29, 2012 4:01 pm

Woody, the Herd and one blazing white suit.

Listen/Download -Woody Herman and the Thundering Herd – Crosswind

Greetings all.

Welcome to another week here at the funk ranch.

I hope all is well with you and yours.

I wanted to get the week started with something funky, but also a little jazzy, and then I thought “cover-y, too” so I went digging in the Funky16Corners Digital Funk Silo, plugged the coordinates into the GPS and arrived at the track you see before you today, Woody Herman’s version of ‘Crosswind’.

Originally recorded (and composed) by drummer Billy Cobham in 1974 on his ‘Crosswinds’ LP, the tune is one of the finer examples of jazz funk from the era.

I’ve gone on the record in this space (and other places as well) about my love for late-period Woody Herman.

Though he was an acknowledged jazz master for his work with the original Thundering Herd(s), Herman kept big bands going long past the time when most folks thought it financially and artistically feasible, and he did it well.

His late 60s/early 70s sessions for Cadet, done with the assistance of folks like Richard Evans show that Herman was able to stay relevant, keeping his head and ears in the game.

His version of ‘Crosswind’ was recorded at Montreux in 1974 and appeared on the (self-explanatory) ‘Herd at Montreux’ LP, which also features a very groovy, funky reworking of Aaron Copland’s ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’.

The arrangement is very funky, with lots of electric piano, bass and drums, as well as soaring brass.

I was surprised when I picked up this album and realized that I knew almost none of the players, though it was cool to see that Herman still had Richard Evans arrangement of ‘Can’t Get Next To You’ in his book.

It’s a fine example of early-70s jazz funk and I hope you dig it.

See you on Wednesday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 too.

Comments (14)

By Larry, December 27, 2011 7:58 pm

On the scene at Subway Soul

Willis Wooten – Your Love Is Indescribably Delicious (Virtue)
Bobby Doyle – River Deep Mountain High (WB)
Etta James and Sugar Pie DeSanto – In The Basement (Checker)
Barbara Lynn – Club a Go Go (Tribe)
Billy Butler – Right Track (Okeh)
Impacts – Thunder Chicken (Marmaduke)
Idris Muhammad – Express Yourself (Prestige)
Lavell Kamma and the Afro Soul Revue – Soft Soul (Tupelo Sound)
Sam Dees – Lonely For You Baby (Soul City)
Spellbinders – Help Me Get Myself Back Together Again (Columbia)
Jimmy Ruffin – 96 Tears (Soul)
Ella Fitzgerald – Savoy Truffle (Reprise)
Ray Bryant – Up Above the Rock (Cadet)
Mac Rebennack – The Point (AFO)
Della Reese – It Was a Very Good Year (ABC)
LaVern Baker – Batman to the Rescue (Brunswick)
Norman T Washington – Jumping Jack Flash (Pama)
Rivingtons – Pop Your Corn Pt1 (RCA)
Upsetters – Down Home (ABC)
Vernon Garrett and Marie Franklin – Second To None (Venture)
Curly Moore – Soul Train (Hot Line)
Dobie Gray – Out On the Floor (Charger)
Eyes of Blue – Heart Trouble (Deram)
Washington Smith – Fat Cat (Okeh)
Gene West – In the Ghetto (Original Sound)
Candido – Jingo (Salsoul)
Touch – Love Hangover (Breaking Down) (Brunswick)
Gene Ammons – Son of a Preacherman (Prestige)

Listen/Download – F16C Radio v.95 – 2011 Year In Review – 140MB Mixed MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the year is upon us, and so, as it has been in many years past, is the Funky16Corners Year In Review mix.

This assemblage of the finest individual tracks from this space over the last calendar year has become a tradition in which we sweep up around the Funky16Corners Blogcasting Nerve Center and Record Vault (Funk and Soul Division) and piece together a puzzle of sorts that once assembled (correctly) should give a picture of where my head – and my crates – were at over the last year.

And what a year it’s been.

If you’d sat me down last December and laid out the coming year in front of me, I would have laughed, filled with excitement and then probably crawled under the nearest table in search of shelter.

The year got off to a great start with the beginning of my residency at Spindletop @ Botanica in NYC. Over the course of the next eight months I had the opportunity to spin pretty much whatever I felt like (within certain tasteful guidelines) and it was a blast.

Botanica was a very chill location, with some very cool people, and despite the whole thing crashing down in a somewhat bittersweet pile of ashes, I would say that it was on the whole a very positive experience.

You all know that there is nothing I love better than spinning the music I love for an appreciative audience, and I had many very groovy opportunities to do so this year.

In addition to Spindletop, I was honored to get a chance to participate in one of the last Subway Soul nights, alongside Phast Phreddie, Girlsoul and Jumpy. It was a serious gas, where I got to spin some of my Northern Soul faves and hear the other selectors whip some heat on the ones and twos (I left with a slightly inflated want list that night).

The real treat of the year, though was spinning at Elliott and Jonna’s wedding down in Philly, which was an amazing experience.

Great people into great music with the extra added benefit of some delicious food. I can think of no better way to spend a summer night.

There was also the ongoing pleasure of doing the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which has really been a gas this year. If you haven’t yet tuned in, you can join the party every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio, or pick up the show as an MP3 over the weekend (they’re all archived here at the blog, too).

I also got to spin records at a couple of local autism fundraising events which was especially rewarding for reasons very close to my heart.

Speaking of things close to my heart, 2011 was also the year that my wife was diagnosed with leukemia, an event that has verily turned our world inside out.

Though some superficial things have remained on a somewhat even keel, the axis on which my family’s life spins was shaken to its core this fall, and we have all learned to look at the world through slightly different eyes.

Things are on a solid, progressive track as far as my wife’s health is concerned, and we have many reasons to be optimistic, which doesn’t change the fact that no matter how sunny things look ahead of us, there’s always that shadow in the rear view mirror.

I have to make note of the fact that the readers of this blog have been extraordinarily supportive during this crisis, and that has been heartwarming and very much appreciated.

When I take a look at this playlist, it occurs to me that although there are some old faves and some longtime want list items finally bagged, there are also many, many new discoveries that came into my ears and then my crates over the past year, and that is the main reason that the Funky16Corners train stays on the rails.

It has always been my hope that those of you that stop by here on the reg are discovering something new and groovy, but also that you realize that this is a journey of discovery for me as well.

Big ups go out to fellow selectors like Tony C, Tarik Thornton, M-Fasis, Agent 45 and Midnite Cowbwoy for hepping me to cool stuff that I hadn’t heard before, all of which I passed on to you good people through the blog.

I will continue to do so.

I have no idea what 2012 holds for me, since things have really taken on a day-to-day vibe these last few months.

My main hope is that everyone here at home base stays healthy and happy.

Aside from that, I only hope that the next year brings some new sounds my way, and hopefully the opportunity to spread the love, whether through the blog, or in person as a DJ.

Either way, the very least any of us can do is follow that basic prescription in the Funky16Corners logo:

Keep the Faith.

See you next week (make sure to tune in to the Funky16Corners Radio Show Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio for the Year End Funk and Soul Dance Party!)

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk.

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 for some very tasty UK Folk Rock.

Comments (1)

By Larry, December 13, 2011 4:07 pm

Dizzy Gillespie

Listen/Download – Dizzy Gillespie – Soul Kiss Pt1

Greetings all.

I hope the middle of the week, aka dio del humpo finds you all well.

If you fall by Funky16Corners on the reg, you already know that I often find myself in a jazz bag, but even the most devoted might be surprised on how deep that bag really is.

Thanks to my father, a musician and a fan, I’ve been hearing jazz my entire life, from Dixieland, to Chicago style, West Coast cool, and hard bop (in my parents house) and adding post bop, fusion and free jazz in my adulthood.

There was even a period in my late 20s to my early 30s where I listened to little else.

There are often jazz and jazz-related features here on Funky16Corners (and on the radio show) but those are generally restricted to the groove-based and the funky.

I’m not here to tell you that I’m going to start rhapsodizing about my deep and abiding love for Clifford Brown and Thelonious Monk, or that I’m going to start another blog, because I’m not (insane), but rather to preface the inclusion of another groovy, funky track, that happens to have been made by one of the most prominent innovators in the history of jazz.

It has been discussed here before, but to reprise briefly, there are two kinds of jazzers you will find here at Funky16Corners, those who’s career is rooted almost exclusively in soul jazz/groove, in that those sounds were their figurative bread and butter, and old school players who found themselves on the margin as the 60s arrived and took a detour into a more contemporary sound in an effort to stay current.

John Birks ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie found himself in 1971 teetering on the border between those two groups.

It was Gillespie, who along with Monk, Charlie Parker, Kenny Clarke and many others verily gave birth to Bebop in the 1940s.

Dizzy had the extra added benefit of also being a hepcat supreme, becoming in essence the face of the movement with his beret, goatee and hip lingo. People might have heard of Parker or later (much later) Monk, but they knew what Dizzy looked like, and in the earliest days of the spread of electronic media, that meant that for many, he was THE face of modern jazz.

I was lucky enough to see him twice in the late 70s and early 80s.

The tune I bring you today was recorded in 1971, when keyboardist Mike Longo was working in Dizzy’s band.

While there were old school boppers like James Moody on the session, you also had Longo, Bernard Purdie and Phil Upchurch as well.

The sound of ‘Soul Kiss’ is about soul jazzy as Dizzy ever got, and it’s not hard to see cuts like this as his bid to stay in the rapidly evolving game.

The groove is hard, the organ wails, and the only indication the listener gets that Gillespie was involved are the short, sharp trumpet bursts in the chorus.

The album that it comes from ‘The Real Thing’ is a very funky affair, especially for Gillespie, and as a result it is sweated heavily by the crate digging set.

I have yet to find a vinyl copy of the LP, but the 45 I bring you today will do for now.

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

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 too.

Comments (2)

By Larry, November 29, 2011 4:40 pm

Herbert Solomon: Secret Agent!

Listen/Download – Herbie Mann – Scratch

Greetings all.

The tune I bring you today is a very groovy bit of swinging soul jazz from one of my faves, Mr Herbie Mann.

I know that there are folks out there that don’t sweat Herbie the way I do, but you know I dig me some flute, as well as soul jazz of all kinds, which brings us back around to Herbie.

I would go so far as to say, with his early 70s, bare chested attempts at mainstreaming (which have their charm as well) Herbie was not only a very capable instrumentalist, but was also forward thinking, staying well ahead of the curve as it relates to the introduction of world music sounds as well as working a solid groove into his music.

He got his start in a Latin jazz bag, but by the early 60s was weaving in R&B as well and making some great records.

Now, I have a grip of Herbie’s albums, but the one that eluded me for the longest time was the one that contained today’s selection.

‘Our Mann Flute’ is – as far as I’ve seen – the most expensive of Mann’s 60s Atlantic output, mainly because it has such a groovy ‘spy craze’ cover, which means that along with soul jazz folks like me, the album is being chased by exotica fans and Beatle-booted modernists as well, thereby driving up its price and in some cases taking it out of the bargain bin (where you can find most of Herbie’s albums) and up onto the wall in a snappy, acid-free, plastic sleeve.

That said, though the version of the theme from ‘Our Man Flint’ is more Iron Leg material, the tune I bring you today is groovy indeed.

If the author credit on ‘Scratch’ rings any bells it’s probably because Wayne Henderson was part of the Jazz Crusaders, with whom this tune originated.

Mann’s version of ‘Scratch’ sees a front line of trumpet and flute (backed by pulsing saxophones) stating the main theme, before Herbie gets to step out in front for a solo.

The cut has a real dance floor push to it with some swinging flautistry by Mann and tight backing from his band.

It is a groovy cut indeed, and I hope you dig it as much as I do.

See you on Friday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 too.

Comments (11)

By Larry, November 24, 2011 2:20 pm

Mmmmmmmm!

Greetings all!

This is an impromptu post, spurred on by the spirit of Thanksgiving, in which the holiday and the word take on extra special meaning.

I am thankful first and foremost that we are lucky enough to have my wife home with us for the holiday. I brought her home from the hospital this morning.

Hopefully being home and around her family will help make her stronger during her recovery.

Second, I’m thankful that I have this outlet to share my love of music with all of you.

I’m reposting the three food-related mixes I’ve done here over the years so that while you’re stuffing your gobs with gobbler, you can also stuff your ears with soul.

What you get here are the first two Soul Food mixes, as well as F16C Radio v.60 which is mostly chicken-themed, but ends in a flourish with the Niteliters ‘Serenade to a Jive Turkey’.

I hope you dig the sounds, and that you all have an excellent Thanksgiving weekend,

See you on Monday.

Peace

Larry

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Funky16Corners Radio v.3 – Soul Food (That’s What I Like) Pt1

Track listing

Brother Jack McDuff – Hot Barbecue (Prestige)

 Soul Runners – Chittlin’ Salad Pt1 (MoSoul)

Lionel Hampton – Greasy Greens (GladHamp)

Albert Collins – Cookin’ Catfish (20th Century)

Andre Williams – Rib Tips (Avin)

Maurice Simon & The Pie Men – Sweet Potato Gravy (Carnival)

Mel Brown – Chicken Fat (Impulse)

Lonnie Youngblood – Soul Food (That’s What I Like) (Fairmount)

Prime Mates – Hot Tamales (Sansu)

Just Brothers – Sliced Tomatoes (Music Merchant)

Leon Haywood – Cornbread and Buttermilk (Decca)

Bobby Rush – Chicken Heads (Galaxy)

Booker T & The MGs – Jelly Bread (Stax)

Gentleman June Gardner – Mustard Greens (Blue Rock)

West Siders – Candy Yams (Infinity)

Hank Jacobs – Monkey Hips and Rice (Sue)

George Semper – Collard Greens (Imperial)

Billy Clark & His Orchestra – Hot Gravy (Dynamo)

Listen Download Mixed MP3

__________________________________________________________________

Funky16Corners Radio v.9 – Soul Food Pt2

Playlist

1. Simtec Simmons – Tea Box (Maurci)

2. Johnny Barfield & The Men of S.O.U.L. – Soul Butter (SSS Intl)

3. Ronnie Woods – Sugar Pt2 (Everest)

4. Stan Hunter & Sonny Fortune – Corn Flakes (Prestige)

5. Fabulous Counts – Scrambled Eggs (Moira)

6. Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band – Spreadin Honey (Keymen)

7. Freddie Roach – Brown Sugar (Blue Note)

8. Albert Collins – Sno Cone Pt1 (TCF Hall)

9. Chuck Edwards – Chuck Roast (Rene)

10. Willie Mitchell – Mashed Potatoes (Hi)

11. Booker T & The MGs – Red Beans & Rice (Atlantic)

12. Righteous Brothers Band – Green Onions (Verve)

13. George Semper – Hog Maws & Collard Greens (Imperial)

14. Lee Dorsey – Candy Yam (Amy)

15. Roosevelt Fountain & his Pens of Rhythm – Red Pepper Pt1 (Prince Adams)

16. Bad Boys – Black Olives (Paula)

17. Willie Bobo – Spanish Grease (Verve)

18. American Group – Enchilada Soul (AGP)

DOWNLOAD – 39.3 MB Mixed MP3

__________________________________________________________________________

Funky16Corners Radio v.60 – Finger Lickin’ Good!

Funky16Corners Radio v.60 – Finger Lickin’ Good!

Playlist

____________________________________________________________________________________

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 too.

Comments (14)

By Larry, November 13, 2011 3:36 pm

Reuben Wilson

Grover Washington Jr.

Listen/Download – Reuben Wilson – Inner City Blues

Listen/Download – Grover Washington Jr. – Inner City Blues

Listen/Download – Grover Washington Jr. – Mercy Mercy Me

Greetings all.

Here’s simultaneously hoping that you all are well and telling you that things are progressing as well as can be expected in our corner of the world.

My incredibly brave wife is standing tall despite chemo beating her like a rented mule.

These are hard times (a la Curtis Mayfield, Gene Chandler and Baby Huey) for her to endure treatment and for us to watch her do it.

It is alternately inspiring and disheartening, since the process reveals her ever deeper well of resilience, but also a seemingly endless supply of physical and psychological pain for her to deal with.

But, deal with it she does.

My thanks go out to the doctors and nurses who are helping her (and all of us) through this experience, as well as all the good folks who have sent messages of hope and prayer.

I’ve never had a huge amount of faith in humanity, but this experience – no matter how harrowing on its face – has also exposed our family to an extraordinary show of kindness and generosity from family and friends.

If there is an upside to this, that is it and it is humbling.

My (our) thanks to all of you.

Since I can’t guarantee more than one post a week while all of this is going on, I figure it behooves me to ensure that it brings with it a healthy dose of sounds, on which you can focus your aural ruminations until the next time I can get it together.

While I was combing the wilds of my hard drive, I happened upon a Reuben Wilson album, with an especially Hammond-groovy take on Marvin Gaye’s ‘Inner City Blues’ from his (Reuben’s) 1972 ‘The Sweet Life’ LP.

As I was giving it a listen, it occurred to me that I had other cool covers of  cuts from ‘What’s Going On’ in storage – of a similar vintage – and that I ought to pair them up in the dual causes of thematic consistency and general good music-ness.

I doubt that anyone reading this will dispute the greatness of Marvin’s 1971 epic, considered by many to be his greatest work, and one of the single finest soul LPs ever recorded.

It was a significant hit for Gaye, and it’s influence was far reaching, generating many cover versions across the soul, funk and jazz spectrums.

The first track I bring you today is the aforementioned Reuben Wilson take on ‘Inner City Blues’ (see Funky16Corners Radio v.24.5 for a very nice cover of this tune by Brian Auger).

Wilson is one of my favorite jazz funk organists of the classic era, never flashy but always stylish and on point. While he doesn’t always get the shine that some of his better known contemporaries do, his work with the Wildare Express (on Brunswick) and solo sides for Blue Note and Groove Merchant are essential.

His take on ‘Inner City Blues’ grooves hard, with some very nice soloing on the Hammond and tight, funky backing by his group.

The second and third cuts in this post are from an artist that continually shows up in surprising places.

Grover Washington Jr is a cat that I only knew from his big hits, and always assumed to have sprung up, fully formed as one of the standard bearers of smooth, R&B inflected jazz.

However, it was during my obsessive Hammond digging that I discovered that he had played with the Mark 3 Trio, and had done time in Philly area combos with none other than the mighty Charles Earland also recording as a sideman for other Prestige artists like Boogaloo Joe Jones, and Leon Spencer.

A few years back someone hepped me to his first solo album ‘Inner City Blues’, recorded for the Kudu label in 1971.

Backed by a serious group of sidemen, including Idris Muhammad, Ron Carter, Eric Gale, Bob James and Richard Tee, Washington displayed a tougher side of his sound.

I was surprised when I discovered how much work he did as a sideman for organists like Johnny Hammond Smith and Dr Lonnie Smith (were they giving everyone named Smith a Hammond organ??), as I was to discover how much I dug this album.

I was initially going to post only his lyrical, mellow cover of ‘Mercy Mercy Me’, but as I was writing this post I was listening to the album and decided that I had to include the title cut from the album as well.

Washington’s version of ‘Inner City Blues’ features some wild guitar as well as some very cool sax work by the man himself that I rougher than just about anything I’ve ever heard him play.

And really, could anyone possibly not dig the opportunity to hear two very cool versions of a song like this?

I thought not.

So, dig the Marvin worship and if I’m not back before Friday, remember that the Funky16Corners Radio Show will be back Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio, and then posted as an MP3 on Saturday.

Keep the faith and I’ll see you when I see you.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 too.

Comments (10)

By Larry, November 8, 2011 2:48 pm

All hail the King

Clean cut but wild.

Listen/Download – King Curtis and the Noble Knights – Sack O’Woe

Listen/Download – Viceroys – Sack O’Woe

Greetings all.

Despite all handicaps temporal or emotional, my pathological need to share sounds with you all has elbowed its way onto the scene.

To begin, a brief update.

All is proceeding as expected with my wife currently reaching her treatment benchmarks.

This is not to suggest that she is up and doing a sprightly jig either, because as anyone who has ever endure chemotherapy will attest, there’s nothing quite like having a war going on inside your body at the microscopic level.

She is beyond tired, perpetually uncomfortable – though the term ‘uncomfortable’ seems sorrowfully inadequate to describe what she’s experiencing – worried (about the rest of us first, herself second), perplexed and most importantly angry, since one must meet the offending disease on all fronts, chemically and spiritually.

We all miss her terribly (especially the little Corners) but know that we all have to hang tough and keep her as “up” as we possibly can (while doing the same for each other).

Your good wishes are very much appreciated, and I assure you that they are being relayed to the missus as they roll in.

Of course, what better way to express these travails in music than a couple of recently acquired versions of one of my all time favorite soul jazz classics, Cannonball Adderley’s mighty ‘Sack O’Woe’.

I’ve never approached this great song in any way but instrumental, and since Mr Adderley laid it down that way, it behooves yours truly to eschew any investigation of the lyrical content (Jon Hendricks’ poetic appendage notwithstanding).

That said, were I to venture a guess as to the overall intent of the song, starting with the title and then digesting the feel of the music (especially Adderley’s versions) one would be forgiven for assuming that the vibe is not any mere gripe, but a defiant fist in the air aimed squarely at any and all oppressions, be they racial, economic, romantic or other, in the style of

‘Like, you know man, when I survey the world around me it occurs to me that what I have slung over my shoulder here is a sack o’woe.’

Which of course is a bag we Grogans find ourselves in right now, but just as soon as we find out where this leukemia cat lives, we’re gonna drop that sack on his doorstep and burn his fucking house to the ground.

You dig?

I thought that you would.

The two sacks I bring you this day come from the horn of King Curtis of Ousley and his Noble Knights, and another royal outfit from the PNW hinterlands by the name of the Viceroys.

Both recordings are of a similar, early 60s vintage, with the King plowing into the songs like a soulful bulldozer, and the Viceroys taking a slightly more laconic approach.*

Either way, both versions cool in their own way, and as soon as I find some more that I like, I shall share them too.

Make sure that you head over to MNtothat to pick up the Funky16Corners 7th Anniversary Mix. I’ll eventually post links and info here, but why wait when you can dig it now?

Make sure to check out this week’s Funky16Corners Radio Show, Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio, and I’ll see you all as soon as I see you.

Peace

Larry

*Keep in mind that both of these albums contain other treasure worth hearing, which have been, or will be played on the Funky16Corners Radio Show

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, October 27, 2011 1:52 pm

The cover (above) The Banana Splits (below)

Listen/Download – Cal Tjader – The Tra La La Song

Greetings all, and join me as we wind up another week on the good ship Funky16Corners.

Since it is almost Friday, I must remind you all that the Funky16Corners Radio Show returns to the airwaves of the interwebs this and every Friday night at 9PM at Viva Radio.

This week features some very groovy stuff, as well as a nice little Halloween set for those in need something spooky and soulful. Keep in mind that if you are unable to join us at the time of broadcast, you can always stop by over the weekend and pick yourself up an MP3 of the show which you can listen to at your leisure.

Earlier this year I posted Cal Tjader’s version of ‘Gimme Shelter’ and told the story of how the old Funky16Cornersmobile got towed away while I was at a record show.

While discussing the song in the comments, I mentioned that Tjader had also covered the theme from the old ‘Banana Splits Show’ and promised to post it in the future.

Well, at the risk of sounding like Criswell, the future is now!

Unless you’re over 45, or some kind of hardcore pop-cult nut, you probably have no idea who the Banana Splits were, which was, a costumed quartet of people in animal costumes (dog, lion, gorilla and elephant) who lived together in a psychedelic clubhouse and had a band (sounds like a hallucination, right?).

Though most of (not all, most) the music associated with the show was disposable, bubblegummy pop, the one tune that everyone who ever saw it (or has heard Bob Marley and the Wailers ‘Buffalo Soldier’) remembers is the theme, otherwise known as the ‘Tra La La Song’.

Oddly enough, the song has had quite the little history of its own, being covered (and hitting the UK Top 10 in 1979) in a version by the Dickies, the aforementioned borrowing by Tuff Gong, and a later cover by Liz Phair and Material Issue.

A few years back I saw an ad for a reissue of a Cal Tjader album that I’d never seen before called ‘Plugs In’, which appeared to contain a cover of the ‘Tra La La Song’. Naturally, as big a Tjader fan as I am I found this hard to believe and figured it was either a misprint, an outtake or another song entirely.

That is until I scored myself a copy of the album when I was down in DC last year when the bizarre but tasty intersection of Mr. Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. and Fleagle, Bingo, Drooper and Snork was confirmed.

Recorded live at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California in 1969, ‘Plugs In’ featured Tjader with an electrified band. The addition of Al Zulaica on electric piano and Armando Peraza (who also recorded for Skye) on congas makes for a sound reminiscent of Vince Guaraldi’s later ‘Charlie Brown’ soundtracks.

Tjader takes the ‘Tra La La’ song at a relaxed and groovy pace that the actual Banana Splits never would have been able to achieve without chemical assistance.

It is a mellow cut indeed, and I hope you dig it.

See you on Monday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, October 13, 2011 1:28 pm

Joe Thomas ‘The Ebony Godfather’

Listen/Download – Ebony Godfather – Castlin’

Listen/Download – Ebony Godfather -Electric Godfather

Greetings all.

The end of the week is finally upon us and I – for one – couldn’t be happier.

Sleep (and vinyl) deprived, I could use a serious rest, yet for some odd reason I soldier on.

That said, I still managed to get this week’s Funky16Corners Radio Show assembled and ready to go, which it will (go, that is) this Friday night at 9PM at Viva Radio. If funk, soul, jazz and/or rare groove are sounds that make your ears happy, make sure to tune in, or if you can’t bet there, you can always fall by the blog on Saturday to pick up the show as an MP3.

The tunes I bring you today are a couple of very tasty bits of funky flute action.

I picked up the ‘Moog Fluting’ album by the Ebony Godfather sight unheard, mainly because its reputation preceded it, having shown up on several ‘finds’ lists over the years as a kind of crate diggers perennial.

It was a cheap score, so I tossed it onto the keeper stack (on account of I dig some jazz flute) and took it home, where I discovered in short order that the Ebony Godfather was in fact none other than Joe Thomas, who had used that title on an album a year or two before this one.

Though he is credited on the back of the record, I have no idea why he would go out of his way to obscure his involvement unless of course it was some sort of Superfly-era rebranding attempt.

Though the title suggests Moog involvement, what’s really going on is that Thomas is working it out on the flute in a pretty standard jazz-funk fashion, with the occasional addition of processing/effects on the instrument, none of which sounds like Moog (to me anyway).

The two tracks I bring you today (‘Castlin’ and ‘Electric Godfather’) are prime slices of early/mid-70s jazz funk, with Thomas’s exciting soloing laid over a tight electric rhythm section and horns.

It’s a little hotter than your average CTI session of the same era, while maintaining some of the same flavor and production values.

Thomas always managed to walk that fine line between jazz and commerce, working R&B inflected soul jazz in the 60s (as a sideman and leader), funkier stuff like these Ebony Godfather sessions, and the smoother disco sounds of his later sessions like ‘Plato’s Retreat’ and his cover of Boz Scaggs’ ‘Lowdown’.

His attachment to the material always seemed much more natural than that of some of his peers attempting to work the same side of the street.

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

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 too.

Comments (2)

By Larry, September 18, 2011 1:56 pm

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Sweetwater

Listen/Download – Sweetwater – Compared to What

Greetings all.

The new week is here, and so am I (for what it’s worth).

There quite a chill in the air, and taking the little Corners out to the bus is getting to be a brisk undertaking.

I need to adjust my brain so that I begin to appreciate the onset of fall, which is a season that I usually dig quite a bit, but I’m having an especially hard time letting go of summer this year.

Not sure why that is, but as is often the case, if I feed my ears enough groovy music, all paths will be clearer, roads smoothed, thoughts more productive and positive.

That said I had a great time this past Saturday DJ-ing at the JT Foundation for Autism Awareness 5K Run in Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ.

This was by far the earliest (first record went under the needle at 7:30am) and chilliest (temps hovering in the mid-50s) DJ gig I’ve ever done, but the high spirits of all the people gathered to raise money and awareness of autism more than made up for the hour.

There were lots of familiar faces from the local autism community, and the setting (right by the water) couldn’t have been nicer.

I even got the now familiar “You actually spin vinyl?” comments which seem to pop up every single time I DJ outside of a club setting. It’s a little strange to hear, but it is a bracing reminder of how deep and insular the world of record collecting is. Each time this happens, without fail, there’s a brief moment of “Who’s crazy? Me or them?” followed immediately by the realization that it is  – without question –  me.

The whole Funky16Corners fam was there as yours truly dropped a wide variety of funk, soul and disco classics for about three hours.

Yours truly (not all sixteen corners visible) selecting something cool.

The crowd as seen from my perch in the band shell.

Cueing up a little Stevie Wonder to take the chill out of the air.

So, let’s get the week started with what Slim Gaillard would refer to as a very mellow groove.

If you have in fact heard of Sweetwater, it might very well be as one of the little known artists to have graced the stage at Woodstock.

They released a couple of albums for Reprise in the late 60s and early 70s before their lead singer Nancy Nevins was badly injured in a car accident and forced out of the lineup.

I’m tempted to describe Sweetwater as an archetypal hippy band, but the reality was that in everything except the broadest sense the only thing most of the bands of the era had in common (aside from an interesting fashion sense) was their diversity in all things.

Sweetwater was integrated, both racially and musically, with a sound that exemplified the melting pot aesthetic, a little rock, a little soul, some baroque touches all served up with a garnish of freak scene freedom.

Naturally, across the musical spectrum, this tie-dyed bouillabaisse wasn’t always entirely successful or coherent, but that is almost always the case when a lot of free thinkers decide to get loose, and thankfully when their fusions were successful, they were often exceptional.

Gene McDaniel’s epic testament ‘Compared to What’ is one of those soul jazz evergreens (like Cannonball Adderley’s ‘Sack’O’Woe’) that managed to expand beyond its original bailiwick into the world of rock.

Sweetwater manage to keep the built-in groove of the song, but ease off the gas a little, creating a very groovy, somewhat restrained, yet still soulful feel. The basic groove is constructed with bass, drums and electric piano, with the flute and cello (yes, cello) weaving in and out of things tastefully.

This is also one of those records where I’m shocked no one has chopped or looped either the bass or flute lines, both ripe for the audio harvest.

I hope you dig it.

Make sure you stop over at Iron Leg and pull down the ones and zeros on the fifth episode of the Iron Leg Radio Show.

See you on Wednesday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 too.