Tuesday, November 25, 2014

NEW MUSIC: THE GREG FOAT GROUP - LIVE AT THE PLAYBOY CLUB, LONDON; SOUL, FUNK AND AFRO RARITIES: AN INTRODUCTION TO ATA RECORDS (COMPILATION); JIMMY GREENE - A BEAUTIFUL LIFE

THE GREG FOAT GROUP - LIVE AT THE PLAYBOY CLUB, LONDON

The coolest record so far from this totally great combo – a live recording done on the home turf of the Greg Foat Group – the Playboy Club in London! The retro venue really fits the slinky, sexy vibe of the group's music – and although we already loved these guys before, this album has a really special sort of feel – with loads of wonderful keyboard lines from Greg on Hohner Electra piano, Elka Rhapsody, Hammond L 100, and Mutron Phaser – almost always distorted with a nice degree of fuzz, but still a straight ahead approach, and some great undercurrents of fuzz too! The group also features tenor and trumpet – which sometimes sound distorted, ala Varitone modes – and the overall sound feels like some lost jazzy club combo from the late 60s, really tripping out in a very comfortable space. We'd easily stack this one next to our favorite funky Fender Rhodes records from back in the day – and titles include "By The Grace Of God I Am", "Ingen Reklam", "Funky Fanfare", "Madrid", and "Mr Minor". CD features two bonus tracks – "Finky Minky" and "Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag".  ~ Dusty Groove

SOUL, FUNK AND AFRO RARITIES: AN INTRODUCTION TO ATA RECORDS (COMPILATION)

A funky compilation of sorts – but one that features almost all contemporary recordings done in the best styles of older UK sound library funk! ATA are actually a current studio, put together by the guys behind the Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra – a group we normally know for more Afro Funk-styled sounds, but who here recall the glory days of Alan Hawkshaw, Keith Mansfield, and Brian Bennett – in a host of grooves that are heavy on vintage instruments, and equally old school production! The work feels a lot like lost funk tracks from labels like KPM or DeWolfe – and these guys really change their previous group to get the sound just right – on cuts that include "The Flip", "London Station", "The Terror", "Cookie Jar", "Moscow Central", "Sucker Punch", and "Hawkshaw Philly" – all credited to different groups, but we think played by the Ariya guys themselves!  ~ Dusty Groove


JIMMY GREENE - A BEAUTIFUL LIFE

A heartbreaking project from saxophonist Jimmy Greene – dedicated to his daughter, who was caught in the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school. Instead of focusing on the tragedy that struck his family, Greene instead chooses to celebrate the wonderful, but too-short life of his daughter Ana – through a beautiful record that may well be his most ambitious to date! The scope of the sound here is wonderful – very soulful, thoughtful tracks performed by a shifting lineup that includes some famous names who were only happy to help out on the project – like Kenny Barron and Cyrus Chestnut on piano, Pat Metheny on guitar, and Kurt Elling on vocals. But the core group alone is wonderful –w ith Renee Rosnes on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums – who set things up in this wonderfully soulful style that seems to evoke some of Greene's most personal moments on record. Titles include "Last Summer", "Ana's Way", "Maybe", "Little Voices", "Where Is Love", and "Seventh Candle".  ~ Dusty Groove


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