Hamilton Bohannon.
Drummer Hamilton Bohannon (born March 7, 1942) was among the top bandleaders, percussionists, and producers in ’70s disco/dance music. Bohannon grew up in Newnan, GA, and was drumming in a high school band while an elementary school student. After earning a music degree from Atlanta’s Clark College, he was hired as a drummer by Stevie Wonder and moved to Detroit, where he was a bandleader and arranger for Motown tours until he joined Dakar/Brunswick in 1972. Bohannon perfected his formula of heavy, thudding bass accents and aggressive rhythms while recording for Dakar. He had several songs that were successful club records, but only mild R&B hits, among them “South African Man,” “Foot Stompin’ Music,” “Disco Stomp,” and “Bohannon’s Beat.” He moved to Mercury in the late ’70s and scored a major hit with “Let’s Start the Dance” in 1978, Bohannon’s only Top Ten R&B release. The song featured vocalist Carolyn Crawford. He subsequently produced Crawford’s solo release, “Coming on Strong,” that same year and continued working with her into the ’80s. Bohannon kept recording for Mercury, though barely getting light chart action in 1979 and 1980. He started Phase II Records in 1980 and recorded there until 1984. Bohannon introduced another vocalist, Liz Lands, on a remake of the Originals’ “Baby, I’m for Real,” which was included on the 1980 LP One Step Ahead. He signed with MCA in 1984 and recorded several albums. His 1989 release Here Comes Bohannon featured another fresh female voice, Alltrinna Grayson. (AMG).
Tracks:
1. Rock Your Body
2. Wake Up
3. Running From Your Love
4. Do It Good
5. Let’s Start The Dance III)
6. Tell Me You’ll Wait
7. Enjoy Your Day
**Listen**
Hamilton Bohannon – The Bohannon Drive (1983)
Diciembre 4, 2008 a 11:35 pm (Disco Funk, Electronic)
Bobby Womack – Roads Of Life (1979)
Diciembre 4, 2008 a 10:05 pm (Funk Jazz)
Roads Of Life (1979)
A great album from Bobby — different than his earlier albums for United Artists, but in a good way — one that revives his whole career, and takes his sound into a whole new direction! The album’s got a smooth soul finish with some touches of synth funk — produced by Bobby and Patrick Moten, who would later work together on the masterful Poet LP — and the contrast between the more modern arrangements and Bobby’s raspy soul vocals works wonderfully! The mellow tracks are really great — with a tight, lightly funky sound bubbling under Bobby’s wonderful vocals — and the album’s got loads of nice cuts like “The Roads Of Life”, “Give It Up”, “The Roots In Me”, “Honey Dripper Boogie”, “How Could You Break My Heart”, and “What Are You Doing”.
Tracks:
1. The Roads of Life
2. How Could You Break My Heart?
3. Honey Dripper Boogie
4. The Roots in Me
5. What Are You Doin’
6. Give It Up
7. Mr. D.J. Don’t Stop the Music
8. I Honestly Love You
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Harvey Mason – Funk In A Mason Jar (1977)
Diciembre 4, 2008 a 4:32 pm (Funk Jazz, Soul)
Funk In A Mason Jar (1977)
Smooth soulful jazz from Harvey Mason — one of his strong 70s winners for the Arista album, and a record that really brings a new level of class to his sound! There’s less of the grit in the grooves than you might expect from the down-home reference of the title — and in a way, the record’s a similar shift to well-produced R&B as Michael Henderson or Norman Connor’s work from the same time — a soaring, fluid groove that’s still supported by solid jazz instrumentation, but which also has a nice dose of soul in the mix! Players here are a real all-star lineup — with talents that include Dorothy Ashby, George Benson, Ronnie Foster, Bob James, and Phil Upchurch — and most cuts have vocals, by The Waters and others. But possibly best of all is the production — which is by Harvey, and really wonderful — sophisticated and smooth, but never slick — a really careful balance that really puts him right up there with Norman Connors or Roy Ayers! Titles include “Pack Up Your Bags”, “Till You Take My Love”, “Funk In A Mason Jar”, “What’s Going On”, “Set It Free”, “Space Cadets” and “Freedom Either Way”
Tracks:
1. Pack Up Your Bass
2. Till You Take My Love
3. Space Cadets
4. Freedom Either Way
5. Funk In A Mason Jar
6. What’s Going On?
7. Set It Free
8. Phantazia
9. Liquid
**Listen**
