‘Mamas Gun animate the spirit of conscious ‘70s soul on bold and big-hearted new album, ‘Cure The Jones’. Out of the turbulence of the last two years comes the fifth album from UK-based soul outfit Mamas Gun – a lush, nuanced and expansively contemporary meditation on a world turned upside down, embedded in the classic soul tradition of Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye. Building on 2018 album Golden Days and the band’s status as a world-renowned live act, 11-track opus Cure The Jones represents Mamas Guns’ most complete and powerful work to date – a joyous and sophisticated exposition of song-craft, that explores themes of love, loss, life through the most pressing social and political issues of the day. Written and produced during the pandemic by Mamas Gun frontman Andy Platts with additional intricate soundscaping from drummer Chris Boot, Cure The Jones was recorded direct to tape with an array of analogue gear at Platts’ home studio in just three days, focussing the soulful energy of the band into a coherent gospel-tinged whole.
The first-ever release of a lost live performance from trumpeter Donald Byrd – material from that brief time when he was working on the Paris scene, and really pushing his music in new directions! As you'll note from the title, the group here also features the great reedman Bobby Jaspar – who blows both flute and tenor, and works alongside Byrd in tremendous formation – in part because there's a crack rhythm trio on the date – a Prestige/Blue Note-styled group that features Walter Davis on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums! The material was recorded with great fidelity by the French ORTF – far better than another live date with Byrd and Jaspar that's been floating around over the years – and the whole thing cooks like a stone classic that should have been issued on an American label in the late 50s, not languishing in the vaults for decades. Titles include "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "Long To You", "Flute Bop", "Boogie Woogie", "When Your Love Has Gone Away", and "It Could Happen To You". ~ Dusty Groove
A really beautiful project from trumpeter Dave Douglas – an artist who lately seems as if he's even better than usual when he's got a special idea behind a record! That's definitely the case here – as Douglas works with inspiration from a medieval mural in Ghent – used for both the secular and spiritual currents that run through the music in a beautiful way – with Dave's instrument blended with pump organ and prepared piano from Marta Warelis, guitars and lute from Frederik Leroux, and cello from Tomeka Reid – plus use of "serpent" and tuba by Berlinde Deman, who also vocalizes a bit next to Douglas. Lander Gyselinck moves between drums and electronics – the latter of which are used in nicely subtle ways – and titles include "Instrumental Angels", "Mercy", "Arrival", "Hermits & Pilgrims", "Righteous Judges", and "Ah Moon". ~ Dusty Groove
After Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker came head to head with James Brown in the mid 70s, they broke off and formed the Horny Horns contingent – a tight funky backing section that's featured on a number of late 70s funk sessions, and which also recorded some extremely nice numbers on their own! This first album has the group working with George Clinton and Bootsy, who was a friend of Fred and Maceo from the old days – and who could really use the tight playing of some James Brown-trained musicians to smooth out their groove. This album was the group's first – and it's still their best – forging a massive new funk sound with the best elements of the old JBs fused through Clinton and Bootsy's P-Funk filter. Includes the monster funk cut "Fourplay" – a standout classic that features a funky break, hard solos, and all the other elements you'd need to make a great funky instrumental. Other tracks include "Between The Sheets", "Peace Fugue", and a version of "Up For The Down Stroke". ~ Dusty Groove
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