BRAND NEW FUNK!


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BRAND NEW FUNK
Here are some of the most exciting BRAND NEW FOR ’04 FUNK BLOWOUTS every mug should be up on!



NEW 70's Funk Article!
Fred Wesley's New Book!
Zootzilla's New CD!


The 70's Issue of American Legacy
For those of you that have been looking for a funky and proper treatment of the 1970s, well track down the FALL '04 issue of AMERICAN LEGACY! Solid, serious but groovy discussions of black television, black attitudes, and The Funk are all up in that issue. DON'T SLEEP!

THE GENIUS OF FUNK
by Rickey Vincent
excerpted from
American Legacy magazine Fall 2004

"Say it Loud, I'm Funky and I'm Proud" As black cultural movements go, one of the most influential and perhaps least understood is The Funk movement of the 1970s. "The Funk" is a worldview characterized by funky music, funky dances and funky fashions that coincided with a brash funky collective attitude that swept black America in the early 1970s. At the cultural and historical crossroads between gospel and soul, between blues and rock, between classical melody and African rhythm, and between racial peace and racial war came a new sound, a new groove and a new world of music: The Funk. Almost out of nowhere a litany of self-contained bands hit the charts as the 1970's dawned, sporting a wild look, bellowing horn sections, futuristic synthesizers and African imagery, delivered with jazz chops and a comic freewheeling sensibility on top of impeccably polished performances. Almost overnight, solo artists such as Joe Tex, Billy Preston, Betty Wright and Rufus Thomas were joined on the R&B charts by litany of self-contained bands such as Kool & the Gang, the Bar-Kays., the Jimmy Castor Bunch, the Meters, Tower of Power, Mandrill, Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band and the Ohio Players. While the patchwork dazzle of the Jackson 5 was at the top of the charts in 1970, their look belied a by-the-numbers attempt to capture and capitalize on the funky vibe on the street. Within a few years, the 'funk band' became a staple on the radios, and these newer groups began to blend the pop styles of the day into a self-contained buffet of black styles. Their names were funky enough: Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan, Funkadelic, Graham Central Station, the Commodores, War, the Blackbyrds, the Average White Band, Parliament, and Earth, Wind & Fire. "The Funk" was the soundtrack of the so-called Blaxploitation movies that played to packed theaters in black neighborhoods; "The Funk" was in the dances and fashions caught on Soul Train every Saturday morning, and it was in the defiant 'black and proud' stance of 100 thousand fans at Wattstax chanting "I Am Somebody!" in 1972. The Funk was as much a social phenomenon as a musical one. "Street Funk" began in the 1960's, a time when it seemed like everything in American culture was going through a dramatic change. When the decade started, "black" was a term of derision and "funk" was little more than what black folks smelled like when they didn't take a bath. By the end of the 1960's, "black" was "beautiful" and to give up "The Funk" was the height of one's ability to party and groove. Historically, the concept of 'funk' has had associations with depression and fear, as well as those of a musty stink. Yet when applied to jazz bands in the late 1950's, getting funky and playing funk meant something deeper, edgier and blacker. Those jazz players soon realized that to get paid, they had to join up with an R&B act such as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, Little Richard, the Isley Brothers, or the James Brown band. ... "The Funk" as we know it has modern roots in the James Brown band, as the band toured through black cities and boroughs, through fraternity parties and municipal union halls, through tiny rural juke joints and massive jazz palaces, the James Brown Revue went everywhere and anywhere to bring The Funk to the People It began with the rhythmic wisdom of the Godfather of Soul himself working out his band of jazz-trained horn players and street savvy rhythm players into a percolating engine of groove for Brown's ferocious dance routines and singing exploits. From 1963 onward, James Brown turned Rhythm and Blues into rhythm and fire, with grooves, vocals and increasingly urgent social commentary exploding from the records. With Papa's Got a Brand New Bag in 1965, James Brown satisfied his own development of rhythmic contrast, utilizing Jimmy Nolen's rock solid chops on percussive rhythm guitar, and a young new saxophonist by the name of Maceo Parker, who is among the few players alive capable of moving James Brown himself to higher heights of funkyness...
There's more but you gotta get the issue!

“Hit Me Fred”


Have you ever wondered what life was really like for members of James Brown’s band when The Funk was being invented? Have you ever wondered what life was like on the road with the P-Funk Earth Tour? Well, nobody tells it better than Fred Wesley, and his autobiography is the BEST WINDOW INTO THE FUNK EVER WRITTEN!
Check out this review at amazon.com!
With Hit Me, Fred, sensational side man Fred Wesley Jr. moves front and center to tell his life story. A legendary funk, soul, and jazz musician, Wesley is best known for his work in the late sixties and early seventies with James Brown and as leader of Brown's band, Fred Wesley and the J.B.'s. Having been the band's music director, arranger, trombone player, and frequent composer, Wesley is one of the original architects of funk music. He describes life working for the Godfather of Soul, revealing the effort and sometimes frustrating discipline behind Brown's tight, raucous tunes. After leaving Brown and the J.B.'s, Wesley arranged the horn sections for Parliament, Funkadelic, and Bootsy's Rubber Band, and led Fred Wesley and the Horny Horns. Adding his signature horn arrangements to the P-Funk mix, Wesley helped make funk music even funkier.
Wesley's distinctive sound reverberates through rap and hip hop music today. In Hit Me, Fred, he recalls the many musicians whose influence he absorbed, beginning with his grandmother and father—both music teachers—and including mentors in his southern Alabama hometown and members of the Army Band. In addition to the skills he developed working with James Brown, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and the many talented musicians in their mileau, Wesley describes the knowledge picked up playing trombone with the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, Hank Ballard, and Count Basie's band. He also recounts learning about the music business, particularly through his work in Los Angeles recording sessions.
Wesley is a virtuoso storyteller, whether describing the electric rush of performances when the whole band is in the groove, the difficulties of trying to make a living as a rhythm and blues musician, or the frustrations often felt by sidemen. Hit Me, Fred is Wesley's story of music-making in all its grit and glory.
And Oh yea, the introduction was written by Rickey Vincent!!
I suggest you go right out and buy this book for yourself and yo mama right away. Better yet, order it from amazon.com from this link below. This book is the Real Deal!
Pick Up Fred Wesley's Book Now!

Zootzilla


Yes that’s right our own KPFA regular Zootzilla has finally completed his P-Funk Tour De Force, and it is everything a funkateer could ask for. It is tight, stanky and outrageous, and I’m just too proud to say that its from The Bay!
Zoot has been grooving with the History of Funk since the 1980’s along with Dave-“ID” K-os, and Dr. Illinstine and a host of other Maggots, and one thang that has been tough for these guys has been to ‘put somethin’ out!! With the help of ever so funky producer Phil The Funky Instrumentalist, Zootzilla has finally come through.
This record, more than any other work, represents the stankyness of Bay Area Funk for the 2000’s, so DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS!


Here is a review of Zoot’s album from TheFunkStore.com

ZOOTZILLA
P'n ALL OVER DA' PLACE
TCC/TFS Release Date:3/09/2004
LABEL:FLAMEONOUS Records
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN : USA
ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: (March 06, 2003)
DISC : 1
CONDITION:NEW

Now I would not recognize Zootzilla if I saw him on the street, but all of that is about to change. Bump waiting on the Dr. to put out some new music, the future of the funk is now, and its Zootzilla. Not unlike a lot of us, having awakened to the secret pleasure of the P at a young age, Zootzilla joins an already growing legion of off-shoot bands and clones dedicated to preserving the spirit of the boogie. This is a funkalicious bomb!!
Delivered with all of the raw energy, joy, spirit and wit of say, Hardcore Jollies-circa Funkadelic, thru 12 tracks of the dank-a-fied real realm of Zootzilla. This is a realm of “Hot Stank (Pimp Stew and Monkey Woo)”, “Old Mac;s Funky Farm”, “Flamonious Skunk” and “Woof Whistles and Cat Calls” fea. Micheal Kidd Funkadelic Hampton’s almost ambient sounding lead guitarisms. These are a few of the wide open tracks and concepts you will find within the realm of Zootzilla.
He sounds so much like George Clinton/Trey Lewd you will think they are guesting on the album. Its almost as if he is channeling their energy. ‘Somebody put roots on me’ as he sings on 'Monkey Woo'. Outrageously daring guitar solos over crunching chords and mutron-induced Space Bass effects dominate the effort. You’ll recognize the Bootsy influence on several of the cuts.No fat, just solid funk ‘n roll, hilarious lyrical concepts with gangs of voices, overdubs, effects, percussion. His raps are as twisted as anything TLewd has done to date.
He brings full circle a gumbo of hip hop, R&B, metal ,classic funk that has always defined good P. But Zootzilla is not copying the P. He is genuinely full of the P. And when you are as full of the P as he is, sooner or later you are going to start P’n All Over Da Place.

Reviewed For TheFunkStore.com..By
Funk Journalist&Atlanta Radio Personality~"Bustin'"Bob Mitchell

You can go To The Funk Store right now and listen to Zootzilla, and buy his album. Your smart booty knows wot time it is, and it’s time to get Zootzilla!

Get Zootzilla at TheFunkstore.com!


The Funky Links

Here are some great Ultra Funkish Links for 2005 that every Maggot should be Peeping out!!

The ONE NATION Page All the news and updates about the P-Funk Nation U need!

ShockG.com Airything you wanted to know about Digital Underground and the new Shock G album!

GeorgeClinton.com Finally a definitive and groovalisic source for Clinton info!

BootsyCollins.com Bootz has always been up on cyberspace!

juniemorrison.com Junie's sweet site!

Jerome Brailey's MUTINY site Jerome Brailey was one of the first to offer his CD's over the web. Don't Sleep!

Bernieworrell.com Yesss Berrrrnieee!!


+ great places to research The Funk 4 yourself:

The Motherpage

The All Music Guide!


+ great places to track down great rare funk!

dustygroove.com This Chicago based store has great groove imports and provides cool summaries of each product. They also ship quickly.

gemm.com This is a database of stores around Europe and the U.S. very very large collection. If you gotta get it, look here.

cdeurope.com I found some goodies here, but had to be desperate.

Amazon.com Yes, they serve up used CD's better than ebay!

+ other great funkateers!!

The New Funk Times page

The Soul Patrol Mailing List Home Page

Soul Patrol net radio

And the never tiring funk reviewer David Brooks a.k.a. Brookenstein

and finally funkmasterj's pad (check out his label links below!)


Funk Reissuers

RHINO RECORDS www.rhino.com

ACE RECORDS www.acerecords.co.uk

HIP-O RECORDS www.hip-o.com

FANTASY RECORDS www.fantasyjazz.com

BBE MUSIC www.bbemusic.com

CASTLE MUSIC www.castlemusic.com

www.oldies.com

www.goldsoul.co.uk

UBIQUITY RECORDS www.ubiquityrecords.com

RAZOR AND TIE www.razorandtie.com

TUFF CITY RECORDS www.tuffcity.com

TV RECORDS www.tvrecords.com

K-TEL RECORDS www.ktel.com

PANDISC www.pandisc.com

RYKODISC www.rykodisc.com

Thanks to Jordan Rich for info on these links.

There are a number of funk documentary projects going on, from London to Los Angeles, and you will be getting updates on these activities from time to time on this post.


Feedback on The Funk
You want to discuss The Funk? You can email Rickey Vincent at rickeyvincent77@yahoo.com And give some feedback on this site, or any THANG you want to get down about!

Or you can get deeper into the groove, and join the Funky Music Mailing List (!) This list comprises some serious funkateers from across the country and around the world, and they keep a mug updated on shows, themes, ideas and thangs. But be warned, nobody Fakes tha Funk there! Here is the link to the Funky Music Mailing List.

Click here to email Rickey Vincent: rickeyvincent77@yahoo.com


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