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Early 70s jazz/funk/fusion! - recommendations?


tedmanzie
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Following on from a 1970/71 James Brown phase, I've been having a 70s jazz/fusion/funk phase for the last few months. I've picked up lots of LPs, mostly vinyl. Some of this stuff is really amazing. I particularly enjoy the stuff that keeps an element of the funk rhythm section about it, and if it has mini moogs (etc) on then its a bonus point :)

Personally I'm not really liking later 70s fusion that gets too rocky or too tricksy/prog, also when it gets too funk/disco I don't find it so interesting, and the same for stuff that goes too free and loses the rhythm.[i] But any recommendations welcome[/i]!

I would also be interested to find out if there are any British jazz classics from this era?

So here are some of my current top favourites. I'm still searching around in this jazz world so please post any recommendations or top tips:

Nathan Davis - If
George Duke - Faces In Reflection / Feel
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew / Live Evil
Eddie Henderson - Realization / Inside Out
Herbie Hancock - Headhunters / Thrust / Sextant / Mwandishi / Crossings
Norman Connors - Dance of Magic / Dark of Light / Slewfoot
Larry Young's Fuel
Lonnie Liston Smith - Visions Of A New World
Johnny Hammond - Gambler's Life
Harvey Mason - Marching In The Street

Edited by tedmanzie
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.not sure about British early 70's jazz funk, not sure it had made the jump over the atlantic at that point.. you could try some very early Incognito... beggar and co. light of the world...as for american 70's jazz funk Billy Cobham does it for me.. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN9Vaml0dZE[/media]

Edited by soul deluxe
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Billy Cobham - Spectrum

Stanley Clarke - Stanley Clarke ( a.k.a the one with the brown cover )

Not British , but essential fusion albums nevertheless . Both highly recommended .

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aw2rM0w-pc[/media]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtyzeBsZe4A[/media]

Edited by Dingus
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[quote name='soul deluxe' timestamp='1359548947' post='1956349']
you seem to have your reccomendations down already.. and seem to very very specific on what your after...not sure about British early 70's jazz funk, not sure it had made the jump over the atlantic at that point.. you could try some very early Incognito... beggar and co. light of the world...as for american 70's jazz funk Billy Cobham does it for me.. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN9Vaml0dZE[/media]
[/quote]

thanks, good tip. gotta love JS's Basil Fawlty 70s moustache too!

sorry to be too specifc in what i'm after! just describing my findings.
any recommendations gratefully received :)

Edited by tedmanzie
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[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1359550948' post='1956413']
I really like this blog for interesting jazzy funky stuff:

[url="http://neverenoughrhodes.blogspot.co.uk/"]http://neverenoughrh...blogspot.co.uk/[/url]

No idea if that fits in with what you want, but there's lots of lovely stuff. Particularly, er, if you like Rhodes.
[/quote]

Who couldn't love a Rhodes! i took a piano lesson once and the guy had a Rhodes. I couldn't concentrate at all as i was just listening to any note on it and thinking 'I must get one of these'...

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Any of Freddie Hubbards albums that he made between 1970 and 1980 are worth checking out . I'm not sure all of them would qualify as fusion - more hard bop on earlier albums such as Red Clay and Straight Life but these are well worth checking out of you like Miles Davis - but he certainly gets into that territory as the decade progresses . From 1972 :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91utPXs3SWw

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Continuing the Stanely Clarke theme, I'd recommend Return to Forever's 'No Mystery' which is their funk album. It's my least favourite of theirs but fits your requirements of jazz-funk, moog and stack heels (probably in Al Di Meola's case).

My favourite track on it is the title track but that too, like the album is a mixed bag, featuring one of Chick's best heads but an excruciating bowed bass solo which I can't stand to listen too - which is odd 'cause I normally love Stanley's electric/acoustic tone and playing.

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Everyone goes with Billy Cobham's first album, but I'm a big fan of the second one Crosswinds. The opening track is in 17/16. Have fun!

Also I love the first couple of Return To Forever albums, but they're a bit more latin than fusion. Listen to them anyway :)

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[quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1359548337' post='1956338']
Following on from a 1970/71 James Brown phase, I've been having a 70s jazz/fusion/funk phase for the last few months. I've picked up lots of LPs, mostly vinyl. Some of this stuff is really amazing. I particularly enjoy the stuff that keeps an element of the funk rhythm section about it, and if it has mini moogs (etc) on then its a bonus point :)

Not really liking later 70s fusion that gets too rocky or too tricksy/prog, also when it gets too funk/disco I don't find it so interesting, and the same for stuff that goes too free and loses the rhythm.

Would be interested to find out if there are any British jazz classics from this era?

So here are some of my current top favourites. I'm still searching around in this jazz world so please post any recommendations or top tips:

Nathan Davis - If
George Duke - Faces In Reflection / Feel
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew / Live Evil
Eddie Henderson - Realization / Inside Out
Herbie Hancock - Headhunters / Thrust / Sextant / Mwandishi / Crossings
Norman Connors - Dance of Magic / Dark of Light / Slewfoot
Larry Young's Fuel
Lonnie Liston Smith - Visions Of A New World
Johnny Hammond - Gambler's Life
Harvey Mason - Marching In The Street
[/quote]I'm not sure that what you're after actually exists. There were British artists such as Caravan and Soft Machine, but may well be a little too Proggy for your taste.
Later in the 70s you had Bruford, Allan Holdsworth, Brand X etc but they may be a little too rocky for you.
Seems what you're after comes mainly from the States, as your list of artists would suggest. Not sure there are any British Jazz Classics, of the kind you want, from that era.

Edited by SteveK
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Inspired by Toneknobs ' Al Di Meola pick , I'm going to go a bit off-road here and leap forward to 1982 . Plenty of Moog though , and an excellent fusion album in my opinion :


[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YCw_7P3YJ4[/media]

Al , Steve Gadd , Jan Hammer and the formiddable Anthony Jackson on bass .

Edited by Dingus
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i think this is as early as your maybe going to find early UK jazz Funk unless its underground stuff... i could be wrong.. i remember when this first came out, it was revalation for british jazz funk.... followed them ever since, but the a very different band now. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSvp3Xu1_Dw[/media]

Edited by soul deluxe
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[quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1359548337' post='1956338']
Would be interested to find out if there are any British jazz classics from this era?
[/quote]

Ah, read the question Tone.

Have a go with Hatfield And The North. I find (for example) Soft Machine a bit too barmy. Hatfield are post-Caravan whimsy-prog, but just onside from the madness of Soft Machine. (Having said that, SM in their very recent years before Hugh Hopper died were brilliant). Check out all four Hatfield albums - try the original Eponymous and The Rotters Club first, then more recent archive releases Hatwise Choice: Archive Recordings 1973-1975, Volume 1 and Hattitude: Archive Recordings 1973-1975, Volume 2. Here's "Going Up To People And Tinkling"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDepecCm0pw

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[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1359553678' post='1956490']
If you want to listen to some great jazzy/funky bass then have a listen to This Way Upp by UPP. This album weas produced by Jeff Beck who also plays on it. The bass player - the late Stephen Amazing - chose him name well.
[/quote]I think I know the drummer that used to be with UPP...

Oh yeah, he's in my band B)
He did an album that featured Jeff Beck a couple of years ago. You can find a taster [url="http://jimmycopley.com/"]here[/url]. Won't be of any interest to the OP though... unless he digs the blues.

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