Tuesday, October 14, 2014

NEW RELEASES: JACO PASTORIUS – ANTHOLOGY: THE WARNER BROS. YEARS; JAMES BROWN – LOVE POWER PEACE: LIVE AT THE OLYMPIA PARIS 1971; KARL DENSON’S TINY UNIVERSE – NEW AMMO

JACO PASTORIUS – ANTHOLOGY: THE WARNER BROS. YEARS

Stunning work from bassist Jaco Pastorius – a player who'd already wowed audiences with his seminal 70s sides with Weather Report, and on his own – but an artist who really finds a way to grow even more on these early 80s sessions for Warner Brothers! Pastorious continues to push the electric bass into so many different spaces – from fast rhythmic riffs, almost like a drum – to spare, ethereal lines that have a very evocative quality – to meloic pulses that make Jaco as important to his generation as Jimmy Blanton was to a previous era. Many numbers here feature largeish lineups – with musicians who include Michael Brecker, Wayne Shorter, and Bob Mintzer on tenor; Hubert Laws on flute, Peter Erskine on drums, Don Alias on percussion, Toots Thielemans on percussion, and Randy Brecker on trumpet – and titles include a previously unreleased version of "Donna Lee" – plus songs recorded with other artists – "Nativity" with Airto, and "Mood Swings" with Mike Stern – as well as Jaco material from the albums Word Of Mouth, Birthday Concert, and Word Of Mouth Big Band Live in Japan. Titles include "Okonkole Y Trompa", "Sophisticated Lady", "Fannie Mae", "Amerika", "Reza", "Punk Jazz", "Domingo", "Invitation", and "Chromatic Fantasy".  ~ Dusty Groove

JAMES BROWN – LOVE POWER PEACE: LIVE AT THE OLYMPIA PARIS 1971

A lost treasure from James Brown & The JBs – a vintage live performance from the early 70s, and one that captures the group at the height of their powers! The format here is very similar to the excellent Revolution Of The Mind set – a totally funky, totally righteous live performance that has James and the group even more energized than in the studio – working with the kind of razor-sharp intensity that made them a legendary funk act – leaping from tune to tune with nary a break at all! Bobby Byrd acts as the MC, and joins James for a bit of vocals – and the group at this point still includes Bootsy Collins on bass, plus loads of great guitar from Catfish Collins, and Fred Wesley on trombone and Jabo Starks on drums. Dave Matthews handled some of the arrangements – and titles include "Soul Power", "Sex Machine", "Bewildered", "It's A New Day", "Ain't It Funky Now", "Brother Rapp", "Super Bad", "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose", and "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag/I Got You/I Got The Feelin". Note – this is the first presentation of the material exactly the way that James Brown intended – as a 3LP set, without the remixing from the previous CD – pulled right from the original reels! ~ Dusty Groove

KARL DENSON’S TINY UNIVERSE – NEW AMMO


Karl Denson's definitely got some new ammo this time around – a sharper, more hook-based approach to work with his usual funky groove! Denson's tenor and flute are still strong in the mix, and the record's still got the requisite Hammond, Fender Rhodes, funky basslines, and horns – but there's also a strong presence from DJ Williams on both guitar and vocals – adding in some rockish touches that are bound to push Denson's music to an even bigger new audience. Some titles have the guitar very strongly in the lead, others showcase Denson's reeds a bit more – and titles include "Cheerleader", "Grenadiers", "Three Trials Of Strength", "New Ammo", "The Duct", "My Baby", and a version of "Seven Nation Army" – perhaps the most-covered song ever by contemporary funk bands.  ~ Dusty Groove


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