A fantastic look at the instrumental strengths of the mighty Motown enterprise – music presented here in an unusual batch of vocal-less tracks from the Motown vaults – 11 of which were never issued at the time, and 5 of which appear here for the first time ever! There's been plenty said about the work of the Funk Brothers behind famous Motown singers over the years – but this set offers up an expanded look at the variations of instrumental modes expressed by the label – some with full charts and arrangements, some with more of a small combo mode, and some with a surprising touch of jazz in the mix! As you might guess from Ace Records, the presentation of the material is fantastic – and there's full session notes and other details that really illuminate the sounds within – in a set of 24 tracks that include "LBJ" and "Chicken Little 69" by Earl Van Dyke & The Soul Brothers, "The Break Down" and "Come See About Me" by Choker Campbell, "True Fine Boy" by The Funk Brothers, "Uptight" by Herman Griffin, "Great Google Mook" by The Mysterions, "Soul Line" and "Double O & A Half" by The Agents, "I'll See You Later" by Johnny Griffith Trio, "Grazing In The Grass" and "Let Me Loose" by Stevie Wonder, "All Turned On" by Bob Wilson & The San Remo Quartet, "Papa Hooper's Barrelhouse Groove" by The Crusaders, "Ich I Bon #1" by Nick & The Jaguars, "Get Ready" by Jonah Jones, "Defunk Brothers" by Frank Morelli, and "Little Mack's Shuffle" by Morocco Muzik Makers. ~ Dusty Groove
A searing live performance, and one that's even more of an all-star session than you'd guess from the cover! The date was recorded in front of a large festival in Japan – and in addition to piano and a host of great keyboards from Herbie Hancock, and plenty of guitar solos from Carlos Santana, the set also features Wynton Marsalis on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – plus a trio of percussionists behind them! The whole thing is a great reminder that when Carlos Santana wants, he can take on just about any style out there – and the mix of Herbie's keys with his guitar is almost in the spirit of the work that Larry Young brought to Santana. Titles include "Saturday Night", "A Quick Sketch", "Parade", "Europa", "Round Midnight", and a great medley of "Watermelon Man/Evil Ways" – plus a few untitled cuts too! ~ Dusty Groove
Maybe the most righteous music we've ever heard from keyboardist Robert Glasper – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given his legacy of albums over the years! This project feels different than the previous Black Radio releases by Glasper – different than his initial blending of jazz modes and contemporary soul – and maybe more strongly driven by mission and purpose, with a quality that really comes through right from the very first note! Glasper's piano and keyboards still have that strong sense of shape we love so much – but they're maybe more heady and serious, and really set a fantastic tone for the album's many contributions from important voices like Esperanza Spaulding, BJ The Chicago Kid, Amir Sulaiman, Lalah Hathaway, Common, Posdnuos, Q Tip, Gregory Porter, Ledisi, HER, and others – a lineup who really elevate the already-sublime tone of the record. We've always found inspiration in the music of Robert Glasper – but it's also an amazing thing to see him rise to an almost statesman-like position with a project like this – on titles that include "Black Superhero", "Shine", "Why We Speak", "Better Than I Imagined", "Everybody Love", "It Don't Matter", "Heaven's Here", "Forever", and a surprisingly strong cover of "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". ~ Dusty Groove
DJ Craig Charles has been the main man spinning funk on the BBC for many years – almost a John Peel for the Daptone/Coalmine label crowd – and here, he unveils a second sparkling collection of some of his favorites – tracks that are mostly contemporary funk numbers, but mixed with a bit of vintage material too! A few tracks are exclusive mixes to the set, and all the numbers are well-chosen cuts that bridge the gap between 70s funk and the contemporary underground – titles that include "Move On Baby (Trunk Of Funk mix)" by The Allergies, "Why Did You Do It (Reflex re-vision)" by Ferry Ultra, "Slow Down (Smoove's Trunk Of Funk rmx)" by Smoove & Turrell, "Ride On Time" by The Bamboos, "Rhythm In Your Mind" by Str4ta, "My People" by Cha Wa, "Sorry Fly Away" by Souljazz Orchestra, "If It's All The Same To You Babe" by Luther Ingram, "Your Autumn Of Tomorrow" by The Crow, "Mixed Race Combination" by Joseph Malik, "Beat It" by The Traffic, "This Is What You Are (radio edit)" by Mario Biondi, "He Said/She Said" by Acantha Lang, "Soul Makossa" by Lafayette Afro Rock Band, "Sitting On Top Of The World" by Jay Nemor & Electrified, and "Don't Hold Me Down" by PM Warson. ~ Dusty Groove
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