Trying to put together an awesome playlist of funky jazz, mostly from the 1970’s. Keywords: wawa pedal, slap bass, Maceo Parker, syncopation… I’m not too knowledgeable about this genre of music or this period in music history, but I’m anxious to learn. It doesn’t absolutely have to be from the seventies, I’m just looking for a certain type of sound. Nothing too “swingy”, and nothing with a lot of synthesizers. Just gritty, funky jazz like you might play over a New York street scene filmed in the mid to late seventies.
Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry
is the most obvious. Great song.
list of funk groups.
Also, I’m primarily looking for instrumental stuff, but I’d like to throw in some songs too, maybe with pop crossover appeal. Like Stevie Wonder or George Clinton-type stuff.
Search this forum; there’s been a few threads. As for instrumentals, gotta go with Maggot Brain by Parliament and Go for Your Guns by the Isley Brothers…
Get the Shaft soundtrack. IIRC much of it is instrumental.
this is the song. The entire soundtrack is great for partys.
you can sample the songs here.
Meco?
Jaco!
Boz Scaggs: Lowdown and others.
Hall and Oates, for some blue-eyed soul.
James Brown, one of the original funk artists.
Steely Dan! Reelin’ in the Years.
Thanks, but this appears to be disco versions of famous movie themes. This would be the exact opposite of what I’m talking about.
That’s closer, but a little more avant garde than I had in mind.
I’m talking about stuff like this. Looking for a mix of that general type of music, with tracks of various tempos and moods.
I’m sure there are several dopers who are into jazz and could teach me a thing or two about this.
Yeah, Miles Davis’ On The Corner is some of the grittiest funk ever recorded. Also check out Right Off from Tribute to Jack Johnson, Honky Tonk from Get Up With It and Sivad from Live Evil. All are extended jazzy, funk jams that are essential.
Another band to check out is War, stuff like The Youngblood soundtrack.
I believe it was Billy Preston who first wondered what else besides a guitar could be played with one
The Crusaders (formerly: The Jazz Crusaders)
Crusaders - as mentioned in the previous post.
If you really want to take things to the nth level, instrumental jazz funk never gets more intense than Miles Davis’ Agharta and Pangaea live albums. Here’s a lengthy taste of Agharta. There are some moments of full-on dissonance so this is not for the squeamish.
“Funky jazz” is a little too broad and made me think of 70’s fusion artists like Weather Report and Stanley Clarke, which I don’t think is what you’re after.
I think if you search “blaxploitation music” you’ll come closer to the mark.
School Days - Stanley Clark
Freeway Jam and She’s a Woman - Jeff Beck
Stratus - Billy Cobham
Space is the Place - Sun Ra and his Arkestra
Birds of Fire - Mahavishnu Orchestra
What is Hip? - Tower of Power
Bring the Funk - George Clinton & Parliament / Funkadelic
Somehow I missed the part about “jazz”. :smack:
You might try Weather Report, which had, notably, Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul. Jaco Pastorius also played with them for a while. Also, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, which had some pretty amazing artists like John McLoughlin paying with them.
Return to Forever had more of the funk sound you’re thinking of.
Brick - Good High
You can’t get any funkier than Eddie Harris. He is the est.
Ministry of Sounds ‘Funk Soul Classics’ is an excellent compilation.l
MiM