#11 Lookin’ At You - Frank McComb - by profyousion
Monday, February 9th, 2009PROFYOUSION’S VIDEO REVIEW theyre-gonna-be-lookin-at-you
love stories
They’re Gonna Be Lookin’ At You is the first track by Frank McComb I heard on internet radio and I felt compelled to share it with my reader/listeners.
Released in march 2000 on the Love Stories album, Sony Music Entertainment label.
Frank is one of few rare talents whose entire discography is worth having.
He sings, writes, arranges and plays keyboards, and possesses a vocal facility which seems to enable him to sing musical tones difficult to put on a chart.
When listening to the key changes in each of his tunes closely, his chops have an edge not often found in r&b, maybe more so in a more listener friendly early George Duke style of jazz.
#8 Fry His Ass - Skerik’s Syncopated Taint - by profyousion
Friday, January 23rd, 2009profyousion’s video review fry-his-ass
husky
This is another funky, greasy, new jazz jam…woooo!
“Fry His Ass” off the” Husky” album 2006 by skerik’s syncopated taint septet. Unfortunately, it’s an album only selection on itunes
The phrasing alternates between mellow, then fierce… back and forth continuously to a climax that sounds as if the fellas just played themselves out.
If Thelonius Monk did the horn arrangement and they were played by Roland Kirk, it might sound like this. Screamin’ horn harmonies slightly off key, yet the drummer keepin’ the funk “in the pocket”, even the clarinet gets some dap on this.
Seemingly, the prevailing view amongst todays’ musical pundits is”gone are the days of jazz rooted in gospel and blues. The “Nu Jazz” is rooted in funk and hip-hop”. Funk has an underrated influence on a great deal of popular music in general, and hip-hop with its’ syncopated beat and phrasing is a subset of funk!
#7 Funky Goldman - Soil & “Pimp” Sessions - by profyousion
Saturday, January 10th, 2009profyousion’s video review funky-goldman
pimpoint
I got hip to these cats maybe about 6 months ago while listening to internet radio, and I had to know who they were.
The jam I heard was called “Funky Goldman”, the groove of which reminded me of some old time ballroom jams that might have been played at the club back in the day. It has a Herbie Hancock-like synth “vocal” over some mean, yet laid back slick sax riffs.
This cut is off their 3rd album “Pimpoint”, a somewhat intriguing title.
You can imagine my surprise when I found out these cats were japanese!
Now I’m really intrigued. What do these cats know about pimps?
Evidently, these guys came about through the japanese dj club scene as an add on live jam session in between dj sets. Due to the strength of their sets, they eventually usurped the djs and their brand of alternative jazz became the main draw.
Here’s a YouTube video of a club set
They started out with just two cats, Shacho the “agitator”and Tabu Zombie(trumpet). Shacho seems to be the spirit of the group as he hypes the crowd and encourages involvement through the use of a megaphone!
As they increased in popularity, other members were added. Motoharu (sax), Josei (keyboards), Akita Goldman (double bass) and Midorin (drums).
The sheer energy and tempo of their music drew attention most notably from Gilles Peterson, a noted dj, record label owner and host of radio 1, a leading radio station in the uk, where he’s known for his eclectic playlist. He signed them up on his Brownswood label and has been instrumental in helping them gain exposure through various club dates and music festivals.
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