This week’s playlist is a feast of eclectic mix, past & present, past shows and upcoming shows. It spans straight up funk and downright spacey jams. It features tunes from Papadosio coming into town for two nights this week as well as their opener, Higher Learning. Also highlights local favorites Funk You and Grut.
Rebirth Brass Band – I Feel Like Funkin’ It Up – Extended Mix – Do Watcha Wanna
Thirty five years and these dudes still throw down the funk. This past Saturday they brought it to two sold out shows at Smith’s Olde Bar. You can catch the full first show here.
Papadosio – The World is a Cube – Content Coma
Looking forward to hitting Variety Playhouse for two nights of Dosio Friday and Saturday. These are album release shows and this is a cut from their latest.
Funk You – Wander – What’s on Your Mind?
Funk You killed it at Terminal West last week and got their new release What’s on Your Mind? up on Spotify. Here’s a horn packed favorite off the new album. Congrats to Funk You and the Brotherhood Horns.
Higher Learning – Mr. Thanksgiving – In Anima
Higher Learning (and HiveMind) are opening for Papadosio on Saturday night. These are both local ATL bands that are fast rising stars and travel in great company at festivals nationally. Hoping to see sit ins from Dan Cox of Hive Mind and Rohan Prakesh of Higher Learning with Dosio. I think I just might.
Barbara Dennerlein – Outhipped – Outhipped
Barbara’s a German B3 master – if you’re not hip, you’ll wanna be after listening to this. It’s a heavy organ with sax rolled in gumbo of sass.
Manu Dibango – Soul Makossa – Anthology
Gotta give props to my man, Jamal Ahmad on WCLK S.O.U.L (Sounds of Universal Love) for playing this one this weekend and bringing back long forgotten memories of great music I loved when I was actually a teenager and first got hip to what is really cool.
GoGo Penguin – Reactor – A Humdrum Star
GoGo Penguin are a powerful jazz-electronica-fusion trio out of Manchester, UK although apparently they don’t care to be pigeon-holed into any genre. I originally picked up on them looking for bands with a Snarky Puppy-like sound and indeed I could envision a Bill Laurance-Michael League-Robert “Sput” Searight sounding like this. The band is comprised of pianist Chris Illingworth, bassist Nick Blacka and drummer Rob Turner. Their multiple layers and tilt towards electronica are also reminiscent of another favorite, Lotus. Reactor has a nice funky bass intro segueing into neo-classical piano fugue.
Maze & Frankie Beverly – Before I Let Go – – Greatest Hits: 35 Years Of Soul
All time favorite singer, group, song — fantastic every time!
Heavy Metal Horns – Horns in the House – Essentials, Vol. I
First saw these guys in Boston when they were the Boston Horns. Always wondered why they never broke out beyond regionally. Maybe too early for their stuff — I think they would do well in the Southeast.
Randy Crawford – Last Night At Danceland – Now We May Begin
That’s Randy of “Street Life” fame on her follow up album backed by the Crusaders of course. This one always gets me going.
Grüt– Walking – Side Room Stories
Another group of young ATL lions, these guys are taking off with their first record and already have toured up and down the East Coast. And they were recently signed to RopeADope Records. Looking for big things from my brothers here, in the future.
Sirintip – Shut It Up – Tribus
Sirintip is a rising star at GroundUP Music having performed at GUMFest in February. Sirintip is now embarking on a US and European “Harvest” Tour so check the website for a date near you. From the website, “this debut album Tribus — produced by three-time Grammy winner Michael League of Snarky Puppy — is a gathering of different moments from the last four years of the singer/composer’s life. It’s an exciting, eclectic work that touches on pop, R&B, electronic and jazz, while creating a sound uniquely its own.
Tribus means “three” in Latin, a number that serves as the overriding theme on the album — three continents, three languages and the three relationships we all share (to the world, to other people and to ourselves).” This tune is a funky electronic sound that I think y’all will dig.
Sidewalk Chalk – Take The Time – An Orchid Is Born
These guys are also on RopeADope Recors and are super talented with hip-hop-pop. I love their blend of soulful and funky horns, and the contrast of Rico Sisney – rap MC and
Maggie Vagle on vocals is just like nectar. This one is just amazing.