Junior Mance - With A Lotta Help From My Friends

Year : 1970

Label : Atlantic

Genre : Jazz

Style : Soul Jazz, Jazz Funk

Awesome Jazz funk album with catchy breakbeats, funky accoustic piano & raging drumming recorded by pianist Junior Mance featuring an insane combo including drummer Billy Cobham from Mahavishnu Orchestra, guitarist Eric Gale and bassist Chuck Rainey. Junior Mance was a session musician in demand, playing for numerous jazz formations among Lester Young Sextet, Cannonball Adderley Quintet or Dizzy Gillespie Quintet and sideman for Gene Amons, Dinah Washington or Johnny Griffin. Titles includes nice covers of Sly & The family Stone (Thank You Falletin Me Be Mice Elf Agin), Blood, Sweat And Tears (Spinning Wheel) and in particular the killer tune "Don't Cha Hear Me Callin' To Ya" selected on "Right On! - Break Beats And Grooves From The Atlantic & Warner Vaults" released in 1999.

Sadao Watanabe - California Shower

Year : 1978

Label : Flying Disk

Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz

Style : Jazz Funk, Fusion

Recorded at the famous Record Plant studios in Los Angeles, "California Shower" is the best Sadao's album from his Jazz Funk period including Smooth Jazz, African & Caribbean music. It's the second of four discs serie from 1977 to 1981, arranged by keyboardist Dave Grusin featuring american top fusion musicians among Lee Ritenour, Chuck Rainey, Harvey Mason or George Bohanon. Titles include the original reggae tune "California Shower", "Duo-Creatics" composed by Dave Grusin and the Afro-Jazz-Funk "Ngoma Party". All tracks arranged by Dave Grusin. 

MUSICIANS : Sadao Watanabe - alto saxophone, sopranino, flute - Ernie Watts - tenor saxophone - Oscar Brashear - trumpet - George Bohanon - trombone - Dave Grusin - keyboards - Lee Ritenour - guitar - Chuck Rainey - bass - Harvey Mason - drums - Paulinho Da Costa - percussion, congas 

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Bobbi Humphrey - Fancy Dancer

Year : 1975
Label : Blue Note
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Latin

Bobbi Humphrey is the pseudonym of Barbara Ann, an american jazz flautist and singer who plays in particular in the Soul Jazz & Jazz Fusion Funk styles. Produced & arranged by brothers Fonce and Larry Mizell,  Fancy Dancer is her last album of six Blue Note recordings serie after five LPs and one live performance recorded in Montreux Jazz Festival. She was discovered by Be Bop trumpeter Dizzie Gillepsie and recruited renowned musicians as Lee Morgan for Flute In (1971) or Ron Carter on Dig This! (1972). A part of the line-up consists of Chuck Rainey, Harvey Mason, Dorothy Ashby, Skip Scarborough, Larry Mizell & Fonce Mizell.

Bobbi Humphrey_flute, vocals
Chuck Rainey_bass
Craig McMullen & John Rowin_guitar
Dorothy Ashby_harp
Harvey Mason_drums
Tyree Glenn Jr._tenor saxophone

Julian Priester_trombone

Oscar Brashear_trumpet
Fonce Mizell_trumpet & keyboards
Skip Scarborough, Larry Mizell & Jerry Peters_keyboards
Mayuto Correa_congas
Roger Glenn_marimba & vibes

01. Uno Esta
02. The Trip
03. You Make Me Feel So Good
04. Fancy Dancer
05. Mestizo Eyes
06. Sweeter Than Sugar
07. Please Set Me at Ease

Richard Groove Holmes - Comin' On Home

Year : 1971
Label : Blue Note
Genre : Jazz
Style : Soul Jazz, Jazz Funk

Unique LP for Blue Note by Groove Holmes featuring Ray Armando, Weldon Irvine and guests, bassist Chuck Rainey (Theme from Love Story), percussionist James Davis (percussions and vocal on Don't Mess With Me). Titles include Soul & Jazz Funk tunes, Theme From Love Story by french composer Francis Lai, Bossa Nova standard by Jobim, Wave, two compositions of Weldon Irvine (Mr. Clean & Down Home Funk) and two others from Groove Holmes. Produced by George Butler, recorded by Rudy Van Gelder.

Richard Groove Holmes_organ

Weldon Irvine_electric piano

Jerry Jemmott_bass

Gerald Hubbard_guitar 

Darryl Washington_drums 

Ray Armando_congas 

01. Groovin' for Mr. G.
02. Theme from Love Story
03. Mr. Clean
04. Down Home Funk
05. Don't Mess With Me
06. Wave
07. This Here

Candido - Thousand Finger Man

 

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Year : 1969
Label : Solid State
Genre : Latin Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Afro Cuban Jazz

Iconic album from the Havana native percussionist Candido Camero featuring bassist Chuck Rainey and guitarist David Spinozza. Candido starts as professional for Machito before to move to New York in 1952 in order to play with Dizzie Gillespie. Between 1953-1954, he joins the Billy Taylor Quarter and later becomea session musician in demand performing and recording with Buddy Rich, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Evil Jones or Art Blakey. "Thousand Finger Man" is a pop funk album produced by saxophonist Duke Pearson including heavy organ sounds, killer congos beat and latin grooves. Titles include Candido's original "Thousand Finger Man", the "Tony's Theme" extracted from Lady In Cement score and covers from Rufus Thomas (the stax classic "Jump Back") and Booker T. & The MGs (Soul Limbo).

Grant Green - Visions

Year : 1971

Label : Blue Note

Genre : Jazz

Syle : Fusion

Great crossover jazz album from Grant Green Sextet featuring, as always, his sideman Idris Muhammad, Emanuel Riggins, Chuck Rainey, Billy Wooten, Ray Armando plus additional musician, Harold Cardwell, who plays drums & percussions on Blues for Abraham. Titles include Mozart Symphony #40 in G Minor, K550, Hancock's standard "Cantaloupe Woman", pop & soul covers We've Only Just Begun & Never Can Say Goodbye. 

Grant Green_guitar
Idris Muhammad_drums
Emmanuel Riggins_electric piano
Chuck Rainey_bass
Billy Wooten_vibes
Ray Armando_congas

01. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
02. Maybe Tomorrow
03. Mozart Symphony #40 in G Minor, K550, 1st Movement
04. Love On A Two-Way Street
05. Cantaloupe Woman
06. We've Only Just Begun
07. Never Can Say Goodbye
08. Blues for Abraham

Harvey Mason - Marching In The Street

Year : 1975

Label : Arista

Genre : Jazz, Soul

Style : Jazz Funk

Debut album solo of american studio jazz drummer, Harvey Mason. He collaborated with many jazz and fusion musicians such as George Benson or The Brecker Brothers, almost present in all the Mizell Brothers productions with Donald Byrd or Bobbi Humphrey and played for several japanese artists as Hiroshi Fukumura on Hunt Up Wind (1978). He best known as in group The Headhunters and sideman for Herbie Hancock on Head Hunters (1973), Man-Child (1975), Mr. Hands (1980). Titles include featurings with guests musicians as Melvin 'Wah Wah' Ragin (guitar & talkbox on Fair Thee Well), Hubert Laws (flute on Modaji) George Bohannon (trombone on Hop Scotch) and Blue Mitchell (solo trumpet on Marching In The Street). All tracks composed by Harvey Mason except Modaji by Dave Grusin and Wild Rice by Lee Ritenour. Arranged & produced by Harvey Mason.

Harvey Mason_drums, vocal

Chuck Rainey & Paul Jackson_bass

Lee Ritenour_guitar

Herbie Hancock & Dave Grusin_keyboards

Oscar Brashear & Bobby Bryant_trumpet

Ernie Watts & Bennie Maupin_saxophone

01. Marching In The Street

02. Modaji

03. Hop Scotch

04. Wild Rice

05. Ballad For Heather

06. Fair Thee Well

07. Building Love

Hiroshi Fukumura With Sadao Watanabe - Hunt Up Wind

Year : 1978
Label : Flying Disk
Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Disco, Caribbean

"Hunt Up Wind" is a jazz funk album to the Latin & Caribbean expressions recorded by one of most famous Japanese jazz trombonist, Hiroshi Fukumura featuring saxophonist Sadao Watanabe. The duo is supported by a killer rhythm section including some of the best american musicians from the Jazz Fusion scene, drummer Harvey Mason from The Herbie Hancock Group, bassist Chuck Rainey, James Brown's guitarist Cornell Dupree, pianist Don Grusin (brother of Dave) and percussionist Paulinho Da Costa from Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77. Titles include Latin Funk (Hunt Up Wind, That's Enough For Me), Caribbean rhythms (Jongo, Mr. Blue), Smooth Jazz (White Clouds, Pra Dizer Adeus) and disco beats (Pogo, Captain Caribe). All tracks arranged by Hiromasa 'Colgen' Suzuki except "Pogo" by Sadao Watanabe.

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Yusef Lateef's Detroit Latitude 42° 30' Longitude 83°

Year : 1969
Label : Atlantic
Genre : Jazz
Style : Soul Jazz, Funk/Soul

Legendary member of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet between 1962 to 1964, Yusef Lateef  was one of the american jazz greats, multi-instrumentalist who played as well all saxophones as various types of flute, orchestral instruments (oboe, bassoon) and clarinet. "Detroit" is the first Lateef's jazz incursion in the Soul music genre to the funk accents (Bishop School, Eastern Market). Lateef has recruited musicians accustomed to the style including rhythm section featuring Eric Gale, Bernard 'Pretty' Purdie, Hugh Lawson, Chuck Rainey & Cecil McBee, all supported by brass & strings section featuring trumpeters Thad Jones & Jimmy Owens. From Hard Bop to the Soul Jazz style, titles include only compositions by Yusef Lateef except "That Lucky Old Sun" composed and written by Beasley Smith & Haven Gillepsie.

Yusef Lateef _flute & tenor saxophone

Hugh Lawson_piano

Cecil McBee_bass

Chuck Rainey_electric bass

Eric Gale_guitar

Bernard Purdie_drums

Albert "Tootie" Heath_percussion

Norman Pride & Ray Barreto_congas

01. Bishop School

02. Livingston Playground

03. Eastern Market

04. Belle Isle

05. Russel & Eliot

06. Raymond Winchester

07. Woodward Avenue

08. That Lucky Old Sun

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