Prayve's Jazz Funk Fusion

JAZZ FUNK... More Jazz Funk!!! Total grooviness, bouncing funk beats, plus very solid jazz musicianship all the way. That's what you're getting on this one.

Starts off with Herbie Hancock's "Bring Down The Birds" from the 1966 film "The Blowup". You'll immediately recognize the insane bass line from Dee Lite's "Groove is in the Heart"... Then some more from Abba's session guitarist Janne Schaffer. First with the band Svenska Löd Ab! and a very tight session from the album "Hôrselmat", an absolute rarity and collector's Holy Grail - then with the track "Dr. Abraham", from his second solo album.

Roy Porter's track entitled "Panama" with its thumping bass line, hypnotic Fender Rhodes, stellar horn and flute arrangements is a Jazz-funk classic masterpiece. A pure gem that won't stop haunting you.

Quinteplus is another rare jazz collector's favorite. A killer set by funky instrumentalists from Buenos Aires, with wonderful keyboards and sharp drum beats. The track "El Pasito de Nano" is an absolute winner... Marc Moulin's Placebo is next, and needs not be introduced any further. Outstanding funky jazz from Belgium, highly sought-after and sample-packed. "Only Nineteen" is another example of fine keyboard and horn savoir-faire.

You'll also hear some great instrumental jazz funk from Brazil, with Antonio Adolfo, Azymuth and Banda Black Rio, all of which were featured on previous posts on this blog. "Mr Funky Samba" is a timeless piece of Brazilian music. It's whatever you want to call it: samba funk, soul samba, funky samba... heavy electric bass and funky Fender Rhodes with stabbing horn sections and a strong jazz influence.

The great Dennis Coffey is also featured here, with "Scorpio". One of the most sampled track in history with its staggering 2:20 minute open break beat! Doesn't get any funkier than this...

Then come the Frenchies. Jean-Claude Pelletier, with an extract of his album "Streaking". Some of the best groovy funk ever recorded in France. Super heavy and very rare stuff... Then, Les Wanted with "Six, Quatre, Nous". Another PURE jewel, directed by Francois Rolland and Jean-Claude Pierric; "Mister J.", by the legendary Cortex from their second album "Vol.2", for all you Fender Rhodes lovers out there; "Old Timmy" by Schifters, aka. Jacky Giordano & Yan Treger; "Black Sweat" by the cult funk ensemble Chute Libre; "Clavinet Shit" by Ceccarelli, Chantereau, Padovan & Pezin. The name of the song speaks for itself; and finally "So be it" by Airto Fogo. This is basically the Funk DREAM TEAM from France (Cocorico!).

Classics to wrap up. U.S. Classics. The J.B.'s "Blow your head" will definitely fulfill the promise. Powerfull Moog driven madness from Fred Wesley's crew ; and finally the Blackbyrds' theme... Dig that!

Click on the image below to see the album art for all of tracks in this compilation:


Tracklist is:

01. Herbie Hancock - Bring Down The Birds, 1966
02. Svenska Löd Ab! - Va Då Rå - Va E', Reö, 1971
03. Roy Porter - Panama 1, 1975
04. Quinteplus - El Pasito De Nano, 1972
05. Placebo - Only Nineteen, 1973
06. Ray Bryant - Cool Struttin', 1974
07. Antonio Adolfo - Diana e Paulo, 1979
08. Azymuth - A Caça, 1977
09. Banda Black Rio - Mr. Funky Samba, 1977
10. Janne Schaffer - Dr. Abraham, 1974
11. Dennis Coffey - Scoprio, 1971
12. Jean-Claude Pelletier & Orchestra - To Streak With Devil, 1974
13. Les Wanted - Six, Quatre, Nous, 1975
14. Cortex - Mister J., 1977
16. Chutte Libre - Black Sweat, 1977
16. Schifters - Old Timmy, 1974
17. C.C.P.P. (Ceccarelli, Chantereau, Padovan, Pezin) - Clavinet shit, 1975
18. Airto Fogo - So be it, 1976
19. The J.B.'s - Blow Your Head, 1974
20. The Blackbyrds - Blackbyrds' Theme, 1974

Get your jazz funked up right here, right now!

Great Euro Pop Funk!

I'm back with some more incredibly rare funk tracks, most of them from European Library releases and soundtracks.

Once again, the spotlight is put on Paris-based composer/arranger Janko Nilovic, with the amazing "Sacha Pacha". A vibrant and theatrical masterpiece with multiple layer orchestration and one of the nastiest bass lines I've ever heard.

In the same cinematic vibe, the next track "Ophis le Serpentaire" by Vincent Gemignani is filled with abstract hip-hop beats and eerie choir arrangements - music that will make your mind travel.

Then comes Serge Gainsbourg, with arrangements by Michel Colombier, on the "Breakdown Suite" a dark and worrying funk piece, from the Sound Track for the film "Si j'étais un espion" directed by Bertrand Blier in 1967.

Piero Piccioni's "L'Italia Vista dal Cielo" is another funk track for a movie score, less dark than the previous one, with a loungy-easy listening feel. Then come a couple of French libray tracks, all with very distinguishable psych-pop string and percussion arrangements.

Another highlight in this selection is the track "Cha Tatch Ka" by Bernard Estardy. A musical experiment that falls in no category whatsoever. Hypnotizing drum and guitar loops, psychadelic synth licks and what seems to be a 1 year old baby beatboxing over all this madness. Believe it or not, this was recorded in 1967 - far ahead of its time.

Bruno Spoerri was a swiss composer in the 70s, who recorded music to promote various industrial products. "Les Electroniciens" for instance, is a PR disc for a company that sold fork lift trucks - an astonishing slab of funk concrete with fast looping bass and heavy drumming. You can even hear the fork lift truck in full operation!

"Tema de Soninha" by IRP-3, was a soundtrack for an obscure Brazilian movie "Soninha Toda Pura" (Soninha all pure). The movie was quite controversial because of it's lesbian theme and sexual content, and the music arranged by Erlon Chaves was released in very small quantities on a 7" single. Performed by the obscure IRP-3, this is a pure gem with a high speed organ solo and a swelling break beat throughout the song.

These two songs as well as "Ophis le Serpentaire" were recently compiled and reissued by the excellent Jazzman Records, a UK based label specialized in uncovering and re-releasing rare quality funk music.

The other tracks selected are all just as good, if not even better. Harlem Pop Trotters, Jacky Giordano "Pop in... Devil's Train", Ivan Jullien, Ben & the Platano Group "Paris Soul", Vincent Gemignani "Modern Pop Percussion" are some of the most desirable and sought after French funk records ever recorded.

The album "Hörselmat" by Svenska Löd Ab!, was recorded in Sweden in 1971. Only 200 copies were pressed which makes this another collector's most wanted, full of improvisational jazz riffs and skilled musicianship. The man at the guitar is no other than Janne Schaffer, who later becam the studio guitarist for the band Abba.

Tracklist is:

01. Janko Nilovic - Sacha Pacha, (Pop Impressions - 1970)
02. Vincent Gemignani - Ophis Le Serpentaire, (Modern Pop Percussion - 1970)
03. Serge Gainsbourg - Breakdown Suite, (Si j'étais un espion - 1967)
04. Piero Piccioni - L'Italia vista dal cielo, 1968
05. Raymond Guiot - Bass Dancing, (Basse Contre Basse - 1972)
06. Guy Boyer - Bongos & Sound, (Vibra Conception - 1966)
07. Hervé Roy - Pop Vibes, (French Pop - 1970)
08. Disco 12 - Pink Champagne, (The Disco Tramps - 1975)
09. Stefano Torossi - Sixth Dimension, 197?
10. Steve Gray - Winning Is Easy, 1973
11. Harlem Pop Trotters - Mocassin, (S/T - 1975)
12. Jacky Giordano - Don't be Cool, (Pop in... Devil's Train - 1974)
13. Bernard Estardy - Cha Tatch Ka, (La Formule du Baron - 1967)
14. Michel Colombier & Ivan Jullien - Talk, (Pour Danseurs Seulement - 1968)
15. Svenska Löd Ab! - Den Dan Vi Sket I Hugo, (Hörselmat - 1971)
16. Ben & the Platano Group - Arte Pino Pasta, (Paris Soul - 1971)
17. Bruno Spoerri - Les Electroniciens, 1973
18. Vincent Gemignani - Liberalia, (Pop Impressions - 1970)
19. IRP-3 - Tema de Soninha, (Soninha Toda Pura, 1971)
20. Vladimir Cosma - Ultra Pop-Op, (Ultra Pop.Op, 1970)

Get it here!