I really started to wonder why am I wasting my time listening to deep house and all the new lounge stuff when this music from the 70s is just so cool, I can't get enough of it! It always make me feel funky, gets my head nodding - no surprise that this all started hip-hop and everyone goes back to these records for samples even today. I'm not generalizing, listen to DJ Premier, he spends awful lot of time digging the crates, records exactly like these for the funkiest breakbeats and sound samples. I've got a 50 minute collection of Premier's samples of these funk sounds, just a few bars from each going on for the whole set, now that's a goldmine.
And Dimsa, your cupboard at home is full of this secret stash, I envy that! The Lounge Vault, or more precisely the Jazz-Funk Vault is open again - reminds me of DJ Shadow digging the crates in the basement, if anyone has seen the movie called "Scratch" with that enormous basement vynil collection (basement of a warehouse, floor to ceiling shelves full of records if you want to get the picture)
Track 1 and 2 are absolutely brilliant! Never heard about any of the artists, so I guess that's why it's rare tracks. Track 2 especially sets an awesome mood, it's just the SanFran sound for me after the 70s TV-series, The Streets of San Francisco.
The organ sounds like it was Chick Corea playing it, but there's a strong funk groove - this is a nice example of jazz-funk since the drumming and the solos are quite freestyle like in jazz, but the main feeling is funk.
I like Track 4's happy sound, on the loop, typical good sample for a great east coast hip-hop song. I can imagine someone rapping on top of this.
The James Brown tune (may he rest in peace, it was just as a big shock few years ago as MJ, sad that there wasn't as much press and media around it) is the typical great JB funk, did not know this, sounds a bit like "Payback" which is one of my favourites. Some will call this monotone, this is the big test for someone to see if they feel the funk or not.
Do It - Fluid! I have this one, wanted to say it's a classic, but I also have it on a rare groove collection so I guess it's not that well-known. I was listening to this so much! The bass is awesome, similar to many later funk and hip-hop songs.
Track 7 is like "T Plays It Cool" from Grover Washington, you know why, those Fender Rhodes piano riffs are very similar to that - makes me wonder weather Washington was getting the idea and sound from here?
Change - Makes You Wanna Hustle well it does, how great is this tune! Best ever Donald Byrd song, uptempo, bit of a latin disco feel. No wonder that the incredible DJ Jazzy Jeff have sampled it in his "Touch Of Jazz" oldschool opus from the very first Jeff and the Fresh Prince album. Now this is a classic.
Jungle Jazz - one of the most sampled breakbeat and sound after JB, how good is this, never goes out of fashion. Well, it's rare, since it's not the mainstream Jungle Boogie version, it has that clean breakbeat at the start which Dave Dorrell and CJ Mackintosh used for M.A.R.R.S. Pump Up The Volume. Although it's lacking the other break with the "Ah - feel the funk y'all" which is the really famous one from Jungle Boogie.
Track 10 sound like the Arrested Development have sampled it for their "Everyday People" song, not sure if it's true, it's just the 3 guitar riffs in the refrain.
Flat Meat (Track 11) has amazing slapping bass and the electric piano solo reminded me of Joe Sample from the Crusaders, great vibe.
Lee Ritenour was a surprise again, I need to listen to his early work more, great jazz-funk sound, did not know he had these kind of tunes! I understand now what you mean by Smooth Jazz being a retirement gence for Jazz-Funk since many artists have done that transition (although I always consideres Pat Metheny a real jazz musician with his very unique style of playing the guitart, complex compositions with orchestral sound - even if his music is generally quite melodic and easity accessible, some real jazz fans might find it too mainstream or pupular but I tend to disagree)
This Ritenour track also reminded me of Crusaders, sounds just like "Keep The Same Old Feeling" at some points (plus the break has a feeling of the break in "Street Life" if you know what I mean with the eery atmosphere created with the strings).
Eh, this is fantastic! Many thanks for sharing!