Sonic Reducer

El Chicano

2005-11-30T21:52:00.000-08:00

Originally known as the VIP's, East LA's El Chicano were at the forefront of the 70's "Conga Funk" movement, which included bands such as War, Malo, and eventually Tierra. Their sound, like early Santana, is a mixture of rock, funk, soul, jazz, and Afro-Cuban salsa.

Their biggest hit was the title track to their 1970 debut, Gerald Wilson's "Viva Tirado". A regional hit in LA at first, the instrumental gained steam and found ears in the east coast. This led to El Chicano performing at the legendary Apollo Theater, becoming the the first Chicano act to do so.

MP3: "Viva Tirado" by El Chicano
from Viva Tirado(MCA/Kapp, 1970)

MP3: "Spanish Grease" by El Chicano
MP3: "Sabor a Mi"
from Revolucion(MCA/Kapp, 1971)

MP3: "Tell Her She's Lovely" by El Chicano
from Cinco de Mayo(MCA, 1974)

Maceo Parker

2005-11-22T21:36:00.000-08:00

Sax funk legend Maceo Parker first gained notoriety when he was part of James Brown's band and landed a solo on "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag." This led to solo's on other classics such as "Cold Sweat" and "Sex Machine." Maceo later left James Brown along with bassist Bootsy Collins and trombonist Fred Wesley to join George Clinton and Parliament where they took funk to a whole other level. In 2004 Maceo was part of Prince's Musicology tour where he received great critical acclaim. Maceo still continues to tour the world with his own band.

MP3: "Born To Wander"
MP3: "Feeling Alright"
by Maceo & All the King's Men from Funky Music Machine(Excello, 1972)

MP3: "Chameleon" by Maceo Parker from Soundtrack(Minor Music)

Kool & The Gang

2005-11-14T18:41:00.000-08:00

Originally a traditional jazz band known as the Jazziacs, the group would incorporate their love for James Brown and Sly & The Family Stone into their music and eventually become Kool & The Gang. Although they reached their commercial peak in the 80's with hits such as "Ladies Night" and "Celebration", some of their earlier work is as funky and soulful as it gets. Much of their early funk was heavily sampled in hip-hop during the 90's. My exposure to Kool & The Gang's earlier work was through Too $hort's sampling of "Hollywood Swinging" for his song "Money in the Ghetto". Definitely some Funky Stuff.

MP3: "NT" by Kool & The Gang from Gangthology (Universal Int'l,2003)

MP3: "Dujii" by Kool & The Gang from Kool Jazz (Polygram, 1974)

MP3: "Sombrero Sam" by Kool & The Gang from Live at P.J.'s (Polygram, 1971)

Pucho

2005-11-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

For nearly 40 years, some of the most underrated Latin Soul and Jazz music has come from none other than Pucho and his Latin Soul Brothers. By listening to just one measure of his music, you'd think that Pucho hails from Cuba or some other Latin American country. It is surprising to find that Pucho is not even a Latino. The legendary timbalero was born Henry Brown in Harlem, New York and grew up entranced by the African American sounds of jazz and soul as well as the Latin music that he was exposed to in his neighborhood.
Although Pucho never garnered the recognition as contemporaries Willie Bobo and Mongo Santamaria, Pucho and his Latin Soul Brothers have had a resurgence due to a new generation of listeners who have rediscovered his music. He still continues to tour to this day.

MP3: "Maiden Voyage" by Pucho & his Latin Soul Brothers
from Legends of Acid Jazz (Prestige, 1996)

MP3: "Chitterlings Con Carne" by Pucho & his Latin Soul Brothers
from Pulp Fusion (Harmless, 2003)

"Bags"

2005-10-31T20:51:00.000-08:00

One of the most prolific figures in the hard bop scene, Milt "Bags" Jackson played vibraphones with a virtual who's who of jazz giants including Coltrane, Bird, Woody Herman, and Monk. In fact, Milt was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie in 1946. When Dizzy's horn section needed to rest their chops, Milt was to play in a quartet with band members John Lewis, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke. This group eventually became known as the Modern Jazz Quartet.

MP3: "Sunflower" by Milt Jackson from Sunflower (CTI, 1973)

MP3: "Stella By Starlight" by Milt Jackson Sextet from Invitation (OJC, 1962)

Irakere

2005-10-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

Led by legendary pianist Chucho Valdez, the legendary Irakere is widely considered one of the best bands to ever come out of Cuba. Blending Afro- Cuban rhythms with jazz, funk, rock, and classical music, Irakere has made waves with its music and its defectors, most notably Arturo Sandoval and Paquito D'Rivera, who have gone on to have monster solo careers.

MP3: Bacalao Con Pan by Irakere
from Grandes Momentos de Chucho Valdez y Irakere

MP3: Misa Negra by Irakere
from The Best of Irakere (Columbia)

MP3: Juana Mil Ciento by Irakere
from Latin Jazz: La Combinación Perfecta (Smithsonian Folkways)

Grupo Fantasma and their Latin Funk side project Brownout! are two bands influenced by the sound of Irakere. I have heard nothing but good things about them. Definitely a band to keep your eyes and ears on.

Check out some tracks and drop them a line for me.
Grupo Fantasma
Brownout!

October 21

2005-10-21T00:04:00.000-07:00

Being that today is the birthdate of Dizzy Gillespie and myself, I have decided to post my favorite jazz composition of all-time: Night In Tunisia.
Perhaps it is too soon to have another Dizzy post but you really can't go wrong with Dizzy. Taking a page from Taxi Driver, here are some of my favorite renditions of another classic jazz standard.

MP3: Night In Tunisia by Lee Morgan
from Cooker (Blue Note, 1957)

MP3: Night In Tunisia by Arturo Sandoval
from Tumbaito (Messidor, 1991)

MP3: Night In Tunisia by Sonny Rollins
from A Night at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note)

MP3: Night In Tunisia by Kenny Dorham
from Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia(Blue Note)

MP3: Night In Tunisia by Eric Dolphy
from Hot & Cool Latin (Blue Moon)

MP3: Night In Tunisia by Cal Tjader
from Latino (Fantasy)

MP3: Night In Torino(Tunisia) by Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez
from Italuba (Universal Latino, 2004)

MP3: Night In Tunisia by Dizzy Gillespie
from Dizzy's Diamonds (Verve, 1992)

Los Amigos Invisibles

2005-10-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

I was rummaging through the numerous, neglected stacks of cd's that dwell under my bed and I came across some stuff that I had forgotten about. It's pretty cool to rediscover something you already have. Venezuela's Los Amigos Invisibles have been one of my favorite bands of the past five years or so. There sound is a hybrid of styles and influences ranging from funk, salsa, acid-jazz, disco, bossa nova, and everything else in between. Already an underground hit in Caracas, they moved to New York in 1997 and signed with David Byrne's Luaka Bop label.

MP3: "Las Lycras del Avilia"
MP3: "Mango Cool" by Los Amigos Invisibles
from The New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera (Luaka Bop, 1998)
MP3: "Arepa 3000"
from Arepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey Into Space (Luaka Bop, 2000)

Pharoah

2005-10-14T00:20:00.000-07:00

A true prominent figure in avant-garde jazz, Pharoah Sanders initially started out playing in the West Coast. His "free" style of playing grew weary out west, so Pharoah relocated to New York where he met up with Sun Ra and further developed his avant-garde style of playing. In 1965, Sanders accepted an invitation to play and record with John Coltrane. After Coltrane's death, Sanders formed his own band and garnered considerable success. Pharoah continues to play and inspire to this day.

MP3: "The Creator Has a Master Plan"
by Pharoah Sanders from Karma (Impulse!, 1969)
MP3: "The Creator Has a Master Plan" remix
by Pharoah Sanders from Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool (GRP, 1994)
MP3: "Last of the Hipmen"
from Blues for Coltrane (MCA, 1990)

Eric Dolphy (1928-1964)

2005-10-11T00:21:00.000-07:00

“When you hear music, after it’s over, it’s gone, in the air, you can never capture it again.”- Eric Dolphy

To say that Eric Dolphy was simply a great saxophonist would be an understatement. Dolphy stretched the limits of what traditional bebop had to offer and bridged the way to avante-garde without totally ignoring chordal improvisation. Dolphy often experimented with, at the time, unique instrumentation by incorporating his expert flute and bass clarinet playing into his arrangements, which usually showcased his use of harmonic dissonance. Unfortunately, like many greats, Eric Dolphy died at the age of 36 from undiagnosed diabetes.

MP3: "Burning Spear"
by Eric Dolphy from Iron Man (Fresh Sound, 1963)
MP3: "Mambo Ricci"
by The Latin Jazz Quartet w/Eric Dolphy from Caribe (Prestige, 1961)

Chase

2005-10-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

I remember my father telling me about Bill Chase when I was in high school. He said that Chase was a pretty cool jazz rock band in the 70's with an intense trumpet section. He played some Chase on the stereo for me and it actually sounded like Maynard Ferguson playing along with King Crimson or some other 70's prog-rock band. I've been a fan ever since.

Initially a classical trumpet player, Bill Chase shifted to jazz when he saw and heard a young trumpet player in Stan Kenton's band. That trumpet player evidently was Maynard Ferguson. Maynard can be heard everywhere in the playing of Bill Chase. He ended up playing lead trumpet with Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson, and Woody Herman. Chase eventually grew tired of being just a trumpet player in the background. He wanted to make the trumpet the main element of a band. This band would be known simply as Chase. Chase were basically a rock band fronted by four trumpets. The results were loud to say the least. They even opened up for Black Sabbath. At times they were told to tone down their performances because the headlining bands were having trouble following them. In all, Chase released three albums with mixed success. Changes in lineups and changes in public taste constantly lead Bill Chase to explore different directions to take his band. Unfortunately, we can only wonder what could have been. In August 1974, Bill Chase along with three members of his band perished in a plane crash while en route to a gig in Minnesota. He was only 39.

MP3: Cronus (Saturn) by Chase from Ennea (One Way Records)
MP3: Weird Song #1 by Chase from Pure Music (One Way Records)

Check out los amigos de durutti and drop a line to Matt. He has a classic Maynard cut with some intense screeching as well as some funky Chick Corea tracks. Definitely check it out. Thanks Matt for the cool words.

Johnny Griffin

2005-10-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

"I like to play fast. I get excited, and I have to sort of control myself, restrain myself. But when the rhythm section gets cooking, I want to explode."- Johnny Griffin

Once hailed as the World's Fastest Saxophone Player, Johnny Griffin was one of the hardest boppers of the time. Getting his break with Lionel Hampton at the age of 16, Griffin had brief stints with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and Thelonious Monk. Griffin's solos were often blues inspired and often played at break neck speeds. Although age has slowed down his playing a bit, he still continues to tour and play around Europe.

The first track is "The Way You Look Tonight" from Blowin' Session. This track contains an allstar cast of hard boppers including Griffin, Coltrane, and Lee Morgan on trumpet. I don't think Frank Sinatra ever sang this song this fast.
The second track is "Greens at the Chicken Shack" from Roy Hargrove and the Tenors of Our Time. This track shows off Johnny Griffin's blues roots.

MP3: "The Way You Look Tonight"
from Blowin' Session (Blue Note, 1957)
MP3: "Greens at the Chicken Shack"
from Roy Hargrove Quintet with the Tenors of Our Time (Verve, 1994)

Chitlins con Carne

2005-09-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

"Kenny Burrell is overall the greatest guitarist in the world and he's my favorite." - B.B. King

"Burrell is the grand master of jazz guitar." - Dizzy Gillespie

"Kenny Burrell that's the sound I'm looking for." - Jimi Hendrix

There's really nothing else I can say...

MP3: Chitlins con Carne by Kenny Burrell
from Midnight Blue (Blue Note, 1963)
MP3: Kenny's Sound by Kenny Burrell & Jimmy Smith
from Blue Bash! (Verve, 1963)

MP3: Chitlins con Carne by Stevie Ray Vaughan
from The Sky Is Crying (Epic, 1991)

"The Sound"

2005-09-27T00:40:00.000-07:00

If I had to describe the music and playing of Stan Getz in one word, the first thing that comes to mind is tone. A tone so big and pure, even John Coltrane was envious of it. Getz was first associated with the "Cool" sound coming out of the west coast. But after personal problems put his career in temporary exile, Getz rejuvenated it by way of the Brazilian bossa nova rhythm. Never one to compromise professional integrity for commercial success, Getz left the widely popular bossa nova style that made him famous and returned to leading straight jazz groups. Leading groups up until his death in 1991, Stan Getz left his legacy as one of the most respected musicians in jazz history.

MP3: La Fiesta by Stan Getz from Captain Marvel (Columbia, 1972)
MP3: Saudade Vem Correndo from Jazz Samba Encore (Verve, 1963)
MP3: Night and Day from Stan Getz & Bill Evans (Verve, 1973)

Birk's Works

2005-09-23T00:11:00.000-07:00

There is not much I can say about Dizzy Gillespie that has not been said before. Simply a true giant of jazz and probably the greatest ambassador this music has ever known. Heavily influenced by his idol, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy made his mark during his brief tenure in Cab Calloway’s orchestra. Calloway, however was not too fond of Dizzy and his approach to soloing. As a result of their strained relationship(and Diz using a knife to cut Calloway), Dizzy left the band. Soon after, Dizzy was experimenting with Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker. Together they developed music that incorporated complex chord structures, complex progressions, and progressive soloing techniques. This style of music would eventually come to be known as Bebop. Easily identifiable because of his stage presence and his trademark bent trumpet, Dizzy combined technique, blistering range, and power into his playing. Truly one of the greates trumpet players of all-time. Perhaps my greatest influence, not just in jazz, but in music.

MP3: "Prelude" from Gillespiana (Verve, 1961)
Mp3: "Alligator" from The Real Thing (Breathless, 1970)

2005-09-19T21:56:00.000-07:00

Que Bruto

This is perhaps a prequel to an upcoming Soul Sides post. Oliver was cool enough to let me do a write up on his site. The topic: Chicano Soul. Many of these soul songs are "hidden gems" for funk enthusiasts simply because the songs are sandwiched between classic Tejano tunes. The first track is from The Latin Breed. The Latin Breed were an offspring of Sunny and the Sunliners, another band responsible for some raw Texas funk. Latin Breed's version of Otis Redding's "Hard To Handle" opens with a wall of horns and wah wah guitar and features the raspy vocals of singer Jimmy Edwards.
The second track is a vinyl rip from Tejano legend Augustine Ramirez. His rendition of the Ides of March classic,"Vehicle" sounds very raw to say the least. The aggressive horns and dominant organ are no match to the raunchy sounding, in your face guitar solo. Excellent.

MP3: "Hard To Handle" by Latin Breed
MP3: "Vehicle" by Augustine Ramirez from Sangre de Indio lp(Zarape)

2005-09-17T17:15:00.000-07:00

Soul Vaccination

I didn't want to leave this page with just a single post, so I have some classic Tower of Power. TOP have been making horn-driven funk and soul since the early 70's. Line-ups have inevitably changed throughout the years, but one constant has been TOP's leader from day one, Emilio Castillo. TOP never gained the popular mainstream attention as other horn driven bands of the day like Chicago, Earth, Wind, & Fire, and Blood, Sweat, and Tears. One reason may be because Tower of Power were on a whole other level. They weren't playing mainstream rock or jazz-rock. They were playing greasy, East Bay funk with horn lines that were as thick as they were tight.
Both of these tracks display a killer rhythm section anchored by one of the most respected bassists around, Rocco Prestia and the pyrotechnic playing of a young Lenny Picket, long before his days leading the Saturday Night Live Band.

MP3: "Squib Cak es" from Back to Oakland(Warner Bros. 1974)

MP3:"Soul Vaccination" from Tower of Power (Warner Bros. 1973)

On a side note... Check out Soul Sides. It is a great audioblog and probably the reason I wanted to start this one.

2005-09-16T23:09:00.000-07:00

Maynard

I'll introduce my varied tastes, which are many, in this first post. Being the first, I really want to start out with a bang. So I'll start with some obscure quasi-jazz by Maynard Ferguson. Maynard is a trumpeter from Ontario, Canada who actually worked with a young trumpet prodigy named Clifford Brown in his early days. Unfortunately, Maynard strayed from the classic jazz sound and moved into his own version of Jazz-fusion. During this time period many established jazz musicians were experimenting with electronics and different sounds and combo arrangements. Hence the term Fusion. Miles Davis' Bitches Brew was the pinnacle of this movement. Not to be outdone, Maynard decided to fuse his supersonic, stratospheric trumpet playing with....Disco. As a result, Maynard lost all credibility with jazz purists. Always a popular listen for younger trumpet players, Maynard, who has returned to his big band roots, often displays power, range, and hypnotizing lip shakes that make his sound totally unique.

Stan Kenton was known to stretch the limits of trumpet range in his arrangements. "Screamin'" is a classic example.
(click on links for download prompt)

MP3: Screamin' - Stan Kenton ft. Maynard Ferguson
MF has always been at his finest with a big band. This is no exception.

MP3: "The Fly" is a classic example of Maynard's disco/funk fusion years. Can't you just picture John and Ponch riding their CHP bikes?