By:
On:
In: ALBUMS, BLOG POSTS

Yayennings Vol. 2 is a terrific album of conversations and chemistry.  Jay Jennings (trumpet, flugelhorn) and Bob Reynolds (tenor sax) are chatting and trading riffs constantly throughout each song. They flow in and out of unison alternating leads at breakneck speeds and relink back in sync. It’s incredible how fluid they are together and with Jose Perez on drums and and Ross Schodek on bass laying down the grooves end-to-end. I first got hip to this quartet at GroundUP Music Festival (GUMF) 2018 late night set (click for video) and taken in by an all drum brushes set from JoseContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: ALBUMS

Malcolm Strachan, the trumpeter for The Haggis Horns, released his second “solo” album this year, Point of No Return.  Although it’s a solo album, the core band on “Point Of No Return” are musicians that Malcolm has known and worked with for over two decades, often in The Haggis Horns, and most appeared on the debut album. Newcomers this time are longtime Haggis Horns guest percussionist Sam Bell plus special guest vocalist UK jazz singer Jo Harrop, who adds non-verbal Flora Purim style vocals on tracks one and three. I covered hisdebut album About Time back in 2020 so IContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: ALBUMS, BLOG POSTS

When I think of Denver funk, The Motet is the first band I think of.  They’ve been putting out great albums for more than 20 years, with All Day, being their 10th and I’ve been with them most of that time. This album takes them back to their funk roots of hard hitting, retro-echoing, mood-enhancing instrumental music. In a way, the band has come full circle, from its afro-cuban stylings through it’s two eras with lead vocals and back. All throughout, The Motet‘s live sets always featured two or three tunes featuring instrumentals. One new twist for this release isContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: BLOG POSTS

Back when EMPIRE CENTRAL was released, I wrote a full review and declared that “this album will be nominated for and win Grammy (or two).” In fact, it has now made it to the second round as “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album” nomination and has also been released in Dolby Atmos format on all streaming platforms. The full review covers track-by-track and each tells its own story. Here, I took on the impossible task of highlighting some of the highlight moments and solos from some of the songs. It’s absolutely an album that should be in your rotation. I’d love toContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: BLOG POSTS

Snarky Puppy’s EMPIRE CENTRAL is one of the most anticipated, absolutely amazing album to be produced in my lifetime!  I was fortunate to be at the recording sessions (see link) and that was a life-changing experience! Now, just six months later, the ensemble’s latest masterstroke is released. The two discs are total earcrack – you can’t get enough of it and listening leads to more listening. It’s a gumbo of styles with songs written by a dozen or so different people. The theme of the album was to be centered around Dallas, the area where group first formed. The titlesContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: BLOG POSTS

The New Mastersounds have long been one of my favorite bands recorded and live. The pandemic put both of those on hold for nearly three years – the last time I saw them was exactly three years ago at Terminal West in Atlanta. NMS from Leeds, England, have been around for more than 20 years and are a leader in retro funk. Over the years, they’ve evolved from being largely an instrumental group with the four core players melding perfectly together to inclusive of more vocals, especially on The Deplar Effect and the previous album Shake It. Both feature LamarContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: BLOG POSTS

Lotus is one of my all time favorite bands, and consistently put out terrific albums. They’re in the group of bands that are great to listen to and also live.  Last year, the departure of long-time lead guitarist, Mike Rempel, gave fans pause for concern. However, the quick pick up and assimilation of Tim Palmieri of Kung Fu has put that all to rest. I’ve seen Lotus live three times now with Tim and he is a powerful shredder and is authentic to the lifeblood of Lotus. Bloom and Recede is the first album released with Tim and it’s aContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: BLOG POSTS

In the 1960s, we had the “British Invasion” of rock bands into the United States. Now we have the influx of “British Funk” often capturing the sounds of the 60s and 70s in a compelling way for today’s scene.  The groups include The New Mastersounds, Haggis Horns, Filthy Six, The Bongolian, Speedometer and of course The Jazz Defenders.  All these groups put out great music and are among my favorites of today.  Several players cross pollinate these groups and collectively deserve a huge place in your record collection. King Phoenix is The Jazz Defenders their second album for Haggis RecordsContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: BLOG POSTS

Lettuce is a very special band. They blaze new trails in funk yet never forget their roots and pay homage to all their funk forefathers. Unify is their latest album, the third in the trilogy following Elevate and Resonate and it may be their best yet.  Each song is an advance on their past, super groovy and distinctive yet frequently echoing some of their funk predecessors.  In this album’s case they actually had the chance to collaborate with some of their mentors and idols including Bootsy Collins (James Brown, Parliament/Funkadelic, Bootsy’s Rubber Band) and Nick Daniels (Dumpstaphunk). The album isContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: BLOG POSTS

For the penultimate show of the Immigrance tour, Michael League and his band of merry men delivered a great concert at the Im Wizemann venue in Stuttgart, Germany.  This show sees a rare appearance of “Alma,” an unchained “Tio Macaco,” and some guitar wizardry on “What About Me.” Surprisingly, “Chonks,” “Bigly Strictness,” and “Bad Kids from the Back” are all absent from the set list…but nonetheless the show still rocks! A bonus video will be linked at the end of this review. Track-By-Track Chrysalis – Jason “JT” Thomas kicks off the proceedings with the funky, stuttering drum intro.  Then BobbyContinue Reading