TOP 40 JAZZ FUNK 1975-1981

[DISCODISK]

just come across this chart compiled probibly around 2000 the first thing that hits me about this is it would have been very different if compiled nearer to the years the chart covers, its compiled by richard searling[who in fairness wasnt playing very much of this stuff at the time of the charts early years] it isnt stated if its club reaction or personal faves and its not totally accurate and is typed as is.being compiled by richard it obviously is a nort west england chart

1 miroslav vitous-new york city-warners
2 lonnie liston smith-expansions-r.c.a
3 azymuth-dear limmertz-prestige
4 cedar walton-latin america-columbia
5 charles earland-over and over-mercury
6 idris muhammed-could heaven ever be like this-kudu
7 b.baker & chocolate-snow blower-lester radio[?? t.k]
8 bobby lyle-the genie
9 willie bobo-always there
10 chick coreia -central park-polydor
11 harvey mason-till you take my love-arista
12 neil larsen-sudden samba-horizon
13 webster lewis-el bobo-epic
14 freddie hubbard-little sunflower-columbia
15 donald byrd-places & spaces-blue note
16 wilbert longmire-black is the color-tappan zee
17 seawind-he loves you-cti
18 joe sample-there are many stops along the way-abc
19 david benoit-life is a samba-avi
20 wilton felder-inherit the wind-mca
21 eddie henderson-say you will-capitol
22 john klemmer-brasilia-abc
23 ned doheney-to prove my love-columbia
24 roy ayers-running away-polydor
25 rodney franklin-the groove-columbia
26 funkadelic-one nation under a groove-warners
27 ruben wilson-got to get your own-cadet
28 deodato-whistle bump-warners
29 locksmith-black jack
30 sivuca-aint no sunshine-vanguar
31 george benson-the world is a ghetto-warners
32 nino tempo-hooked on young stuff-a&m
33 kennie delt & prana-conquer all-mercury
34 alphonse mouzon-by all means
35 ramsey lewis-spring high
36 manfred fest jungle kitten-tabu
37 george duke-brazilian love affair-epic
38 richard evans-burning spear
39 eddie russ-zaius
40 paulinho da costa-deja vu


there it is,im pleased to see b.baker right up there as i thought that would have been a bit forgotten today,but only one from roy ayers,no prance on-eddie henderson,no nightcruiser-deodato,no room 335-larry coryell and if indeed based on audience response george benson should have been right up there at the top how big was that! what does everyone else think.......

[K-Bee]

Great list indeed. A lot of my favorites are there allthough I'd propably put Brazillian Love Affair in a higher position.
Good to see the willie bobo version of Always There too....it's way better than Ronnie Laws in my book.

[Forrrce]

I myself doubt if Searling would have played any of this stuff at all - can you imagine him spinning tracks like 'New York City' (maybe blending in Idris Muha.....nahhhhh! )? It's a very by-the-book, almost 'Mastercuts' standard chart, but it is reflective of a lot of popular tunes in the UK. Not sure about one left-fielder - I don't recall Kenny Delt & Prana being that big (it's not at all jazzy, either) so I'm puzzled by its inclusion. Would be interesting to know exactly what context this chart is meant to be in.

[Greg Wilson]

Hi Discodisk: Very interesting list. As both yourself and Forrrce pointed out, Richard wasn't a Jazz-Funk DJ so I'm not sure how he compiled this chart. Colin Curtis would be far more qualified to come up with such a list.

You said 'the first thing that hits me about this is that it would have been very different if compiled nearer to the years it covers'. Well, it just so happens that I have a top 50 Jazz-Funk oldies list, compiled in 1981!

Tuesday night at Wigan Pier was the most consistently successful specialist black music night in the North of England in the early 80's (as endorsed by Blues & Soul readers), and although it would later be at the forefront of the developing Electro-Funk scene, it was originally a Jazz-Funk night.

Anyway, here's the top 50, compiled mid-way through 81. It obviously provides an interesting contrast to Richard's top 40. Although (like most lists of this kind) it's a snapshot of a particular moment in time, it certainly reflects what the Jazz-Funk crowd in the North of England were into back then:


WIGAN PIER JAZZ-FUNK OLDIES

1.LEE RITENOUR marketplace
2.CHIC COREA central park
3.BENNY GOLSON the new killer joe
4.MONGO SANTAMARIA watermelon man
5.EARL KLUGH amazon
6.LEON HUFF latin spirit
7.JUDY ROBERTS never was love
8.B. BAKER CHOCOLATE CO snowblower
9.BOB JAMES snowbird fantasy
10.WAR the world is a ghetto
11.LONNIE LISTON SMITH expansions
12.MARK SOSKIN walk tall / caribbean party stomp
13.EDDIE HENDERSON prance on
14.RICHARD TEE first love
15.JEFF LORBER FUSION the samba
16.MASS PRODUCTION shante
17.CEDAR WALTON latin america
18.PAULHINO DA COSTA love 'til the end of time
19.RONNIE LAWS youngchild
20.HERBIE HANCOCK I thought it was you
21.ROY AYERS running away
22.ROY HAYNES vistalite
23.DONALD BYRD dominoes (live version)
24.AL DI MEOLA roller jubilee
25.BLACKBYRDS rock creek park
26.CHICO HAMILTON the strut
27.RICHIE COLE hi-fly
28.WILTON FELDER let's dance together
29.GIL SCOTT HERON / BRIAN JACKSON the bottle
30.HIROSHI FUKUMURA hunt up wind
31.CANDIDO jingo
32.AL JARREAU spain
33.GEORGE DUKE brazillian love affair
34.SADAO WATANABE samba do marcos
35.LONNIE LISTON SMITH in the park
36.GEORGE BENSON the world is a ghetto
37.FRANCINE McGEE delerium
38.LONNIE LISTON SMITH space princess
39.JOE SAMPLE there are many stops along the way
40.FATBACK BAND spanish hustle
41.HIROSHIMA lion dance
42.CROWN HEIGHTS AFFAIR dreaming a dream
43.DAVID MATTHEWS ORCHESTRA mato grosso
44.DAVID VALENTINE blackbird
45.RYO KAWASAKI the breeze and I
46.RONNIE FOSTER argentina
47.DAVE GRUSIN rag bag
48.RONNIE LAWS always there
49.LAMONT DOZIER going back to my roots
50.GEORGE BENSON on broadway

During 1981, when this top 50 was compiled, oldies were a vital part of a Jazz-Funk night due to an increasing lack of current releases of a similar quality. The above list was handed out at Wigan Pier and reflected the continued popularity of these classic tracks. Also worthy of special mention is Richie Cole's 'New York Afternoon', undoubtedly the biggest oldie during the latter part of the year.

The list was based on audience response and compiled by the Pier's DJ, Greg Wilson, and Light Jock, Paul Vallance.

[QUINNY]

Both charts are of interest (especially to our American friends, no?) 'cos if nothing else they show that this music was palyed on the UK scene and had a reasonable number of followers. Both are limited, but as has been written, both are a 'snapshot'. Certainly, both are a might esoteric, don't you think? For me personally, they really bring into question why people danced to certain tracks and not to others and the whole 'was Disco purely a fashion statement?' question. From my own perspective, I just wanted to play records that made me move or feel good (and therefore hopefully made it happen on the dancefloor too).
Charts never tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, do they?
It's funny how things come around. Recently, I put together a radio demo CD for me to try and pick up a (funk) radio slot and two tracks I included were Kenny Delt and Hiroshi Fukumura. The Kenny Delt track was definitely pure funk so far as I was concerned, Fukumura just about the best of the Jap Jazz Funk tunes. Sweet memories.

P.S. Why so many non Jazz Funk tracks included? Or did Jazz Funk merely include anything and/or everything that wasn't meant for popular comsumption? I really can't remember.

[DISCODISK]

hi GREG WILSON,theres much more in there the way i remember things richard tee-first love and ronnie foster argentina are really running through my head now i have to hear them, a few months ago i had all this stuff out for a session and put it all away,im sorry now as i cant really get to this stuff now till later in the summer[without causing inconvenience]but theres still so much missing george duke- i want you for myself,lee ritenour-fly by night,ronnie laws -heavy on easy,stix hooper-feeling happy,jaws lalo shifrin,sea level-fifty four,and at least hey uh what you say come on and love will bring us back together from roy ayers.JAZZ PILGRIMS gonna be in heaven when he sees this tomorrow :lol:

[QUINNY]

I know they aren't as hip as most of the listed tunes, but how about Manu DiBangos' Big Blow, Players Association - Turn The Music Up (an absolute JF anthem), Brick - Dazz, Herb Alpert - Rotation or Rise, Donald Byrd - Change, Blackbyrds - almost any other track than the one listed etc, etc?
How did Azymuth - Dear Limmertz make it in preference to 'Jazz Carnival? I guess the latter lost its hipness factor by being a massive worldwide hit.
Also, although I must admit to it sounding a little jaded after so many plays and listenings, can all of you remember the absolute electricity that surrounded the Crusaders 'Street Life' when it was first about? If any JF tune caused a real, tangible buzz not only among the JF crowd, but with almost every Disco goer that was it. There was a real feeling that the JF scene was finally on its way. And where is it in these two charts? Like it or loathe it, in all honesty, you'd have to put it somewhere near the very top wouldn't you, especially in a retrospective chart with none of the immediate emotions to cloud thoughts?

[Forrrce]

Good to see 'Argentina' get a mention...let's not forget Bendeth's 'Feel the Real'. Just remembered a couple that were popular in London at least - Ray Barretto's 'The Old Castle' and Nayoya Matsuoka's 'Take 6-4-5'. I think James Mason's 'Sweet Power' should be included but then I suppose it was more of a radio tune. Funny how few recall some of the crud from the jazz-funk era like Jazz Sluts and Spaces 'Song For Jeremy' - sometimes it's hard to see why something was big, in retrospect.

[QUINNY]

Forrrce: You raised an interesting point. Personally, I've always suspected that the Jazz Funk scene was as much a radio one as club based. Doubtless there were a select few jocks who played all the JF tracks at the odd residency, but its influence was spread more via the radio, crucially by the shows on Capital and Radio London. Indeed, a great many of the tracks were much more radio friendly than dancefloor.
I even heard that Chris Hill used to play a punk set in '76 to keep some of his punters happy, something I never did.
Not to put too fine a point on it, was the JF scene a little top heavy with bullshit at times? If you're reading this Jazz Pilgrim don't be offended, but please give us a truthful, sober assessment. Was it as hip as its purveyors had us all believe? Was it hip for its own sake? I hope you're big enough to answer with integrity as we're all grown up now.
Jazz Funk is undoubtedly one of my favourite types of Disco music and much of it I still hold very close to my heart, however some of it is a very large thorn in my side too. Nothing is ever all good or all bad, eh?

Yes, there was a load of crud that passed for the best thing since sliced bread for all of two minutes (I'm thinking a lot of Brit Funk/Jap Funk releases here). It was first and foremost a fashion statement, wasn't it, just like all the Disco genres? How many of the 'fans' would have more than a passing interest in it these days?

[jazz_pilgrim]

Discodisk – A very interesting chart. As you correctly guess, I am pretty well right up in the STRATOSPHERE at present!!! :lol:

If you compare that chart to what I would consider to be the Jazz Pilgrim’s fusion chart, then one can say that most of the tunes are right in there, but there are a couple of notable exceptions …. When we formed as the Jazz Pilgrims, it was really a case of two groups merging together – there was the group that I used to hang about with – we were the soul/disco/funk fans who met through our Saturday supermarket jobs, and the second group were the rich lot (honest!) and they were the serious jazz aficionados…. Our merger worked very well …. One guy, Andy, was and still is, a real fusion expert and his jazz-funk collection was awesome – he had all the rarest stuff. A JAZZ DISCODISK, so you might say!! :lol: When I departed for my year in Germany, he gave me a list of all the essential fusion tracks, which I have steadily procured over the years.

Only two weeks ago, for example, I finally managed to get my hands on EDDIE RUSS and “Zaius” !! (via a Dr Bob Jones compilation). I only got Mitroslav Vitous after downloading it off the web (as I have said before – my only MP3 download ever!!). In the mid 80’s I did actually have a copy of the LP in my hands – I was at Greenwich second-hand market in London – the guy wanted ten quid for it but its condition was so poor I very reluctantly decided not to buy it …. That was top of Andy’s list of obscure jazz fusion tracks ….

Interesting point from Quinny about the Crusaders and Streetlife. And he is dead right! There was a great buzz on that record when it was first played in the clubs .. in fact, I can safely say that that record was one of the first to really open my eyes to the jazz side as opposed to the soul/funk side of disco music. That and Spirogyra’s Morning Dance. I remember well thinkingh “Hey! I really think this jazz thing is cool!” We all did. It was very hip, all of a sudden, to be a jazz fan. Then it was a case of waking up to some of these tracks that I had recorded off the radio, but hadn’t realized their significance eg Dominoes and Expansions. And that was about when we met the second half of the Pilgrims…


So what were the Jazz Pilgrim’s Fusion Few??

Top of the pile was our JP’s anthem/theme:

Donald Byrd – Dominoes (live)

The other ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL tunes that were mentioned above:
Lonnie Liston Smith - Expansions
Willie Bobo – Always There
Manfredo Fest – Jungle Kitten
John Klemmer – Brasilia
Benny Golson – Killer Joe
Miroslav Vitous – New York City
Eddie Russ – Zaius
Ramsey Lewis – Spring High
Blackbyrds – Rock Creek Park
George Benson – The World Is A Ghetto
Gil Scott-Heron/Brian Jackson – The Bottle

Some of the big tracks that were not in the lists above:
Ingrams – Mi Sebrina Tequana (from the LP That’s All)
Johnny Hammond – Gears (a really great LP!)
Webster Lewis – Barbara Ann
Charles Earland – Driftin
Charles Earland – Intergalactic Love Song
Jimmy McGriff - Tailgunner
EWF - Africano

Other artists included Sonny Stitt, Eddie Harris, Doug Richardson...

And there are loads of gems in those two lists…. Suffice to say, that selection sums up the range of jazz funk music played in the clubs very nicely indeed! A few comments. Dear Limmertz was always my favourite Azymuth track. Nice to see some of the more obscure tracks like Snowblower (B Baker), Life Is Like A Samba (Dave Benoit) and Over and Over (Charles Earland) in there. And Sivuca as well…

And my number one in the discomusic.com Top 25! Running Away! Haven’t played that for at least two days! I guess I will never tire of that vibes solo! Do you agree, Blaxman?? :lol:

Have just see Quinny's point - was there a load of bullshit in there? I take no offense. I always think that the US jazz funk music that was played was towards the quality end of the spectrum. I tend to think that the jazz tracks have lasted much better than a lot of the disco pap that was around. Simply because it was jazz. But there were of course the jazz artists who jumped on the disco bandwagon. Some of that stuff was dire. Really dire. I have cited before Herbie Mann and Superman. Bloody awful.
I think most of the Japanese tracks were OK - Sadao Watanabe etc...

While some of the British jazz funk stuff was quite good, I agree that a lot of it was very bland. Tracks from Second Image, UK Players, Powerline etc sound very ordinary today. The British jazz-funk outfit that gave me most pleasure of all were Morrissey-Mullen. To see them live was pure joy! I used to go week after week in the mid -Eighties where they had their long-running gig at the Half Moon in Putney (south London) on Tuesday nights. At the time I was living in London, and it was only too easy to hop on a 220 bus up Garratt Lane and thence on to Putney Bridge .... When they had a charity night with Georgie Fame, that was a special night I shall never forget ....Brilliant! But their records always slightly disappointed me, I must admit ... They couldn't quite capture that exuberance and atmosphere on vinyl ...

…. And, as a final anecdote, here is the most LEFT FIELD jazz track EVER that could be played in the clubs!!!! I only picked up on this one in the Nineties when my son was about five years old. A real good one! I am talking about a theme music LP that accompanied a certain children’s programme! On that LP was a really useful jazz track! Oh, to have been a DJ and broken this track on this crowd! I would have definitely stuck a white label on this one!! The programme? – it was POSTMAN PAT!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Forrrce]

Well, Quinny - until JP turns up, I'll give my take on your last few points - with which, by the way, I concur. The deliberate 'esoterica' factor of jazz-funk - the obscure imports, unpronouncable names and general kudos associated with such things, could give the scene (as with real jazz) a high 'wanker' factor. Because my tastes have 'hardened' considerably since then and with the general passage of time, the term 'jazz-funk' describes a lighter side of the genre - Ramsey Lewis, Shakatak, etc., - are what my peer group are more likely to refer to as jazz-funk, whilst edgier, more progressive stylings (Dave Liebman, Terumasa Hino, Steve Grossman, et al) we simply class as fusion. Maybe because of Robbie Vincent's "Jazz-Funk 40", which became the "Fusion 40"!
What I'm getting at is when the dust has settled, you find your own way - jazz-funk and fusion worked for me to the point that I got heavily into '50s and '60s jazz, which is where a lot of my money goes 'til this day.
I do see some parallels with the old jazz-funk scene and what's going on today. There's that 'emperor's new clothes' factor (no pun intended) which kept the acid jazz alive longer than its .5 deserving minutes and currently there's a lot of trip-hoppy nonsense that gets passed off as 'jazz'. Something like that Koop LP is perfect for those who don't want to listen to Coltrane, but don't mind if he's (unimaginatively) sampled. And the broken beat, west London / Jazzanova stuff - the odd not-bad tune abounds but this seems to be classed as some sort of new jazz. It has a high trendy/esoteric factor but lacks any substance the jazz-funk scene may have had, but I think this is like a modern-day version of the same thing.

[QUINNY]

Jazz: Dear Limmertz was probably my favourite Azymuth track, but seriously now, how could it be placed above Jazz Carnival in the context of danceability? The sheer vivacity of 'Carnival' was exhilirating. This split to some extent epitomises the Radio vs. Club play aspect of Jazz Funk. Limmertz was danceable but probably with a small 'd' for most people, eh?
Jazzy Postman Pat....intrigueing. Let us not forget the other heavy slice of funk rap that had toddlers up and jammin' (in '84 this time)
'Woodpeckers from Space' (forget who by...... aha found it 'Video Kids') as featured in a Pingu episode. I fell out of my chair when that aired!!

[jazz_pilgrim]

Quinny - Jazz Carnival was definitely the more danceable of the two and I really used to love dancing to it. it was anexhilarating track, but I also thought it had an unusual beat to it, and I was surprised (and pleased) that it made the Top 20. I still play it from time to time. Dear Limmertz was all about atmosphere - it has a nice "autumnal" feel about it. For me it was in the "Summer Madness" groove. A great listening track ... but the bass was pretty decent for dancing as well. I have Latin jazz 2 and there is another Azymuth track on that (Can't remember the name) - a 10 min mid tempo track that also chugs along very nicely...

[Greg Wilson]

As Forrrce pointed out, when Jazz-Funk's popularity began to wane many people got into Fusion. From 1982 I limited the Jazz I played to a couple of spots per night, running 3 or 4 records at a time for the Fusion crews. Although Electro-Funk took over as the dominant style during 82/83 (at least in the North), the Jazz spots continued to be a popular part of my nights until I stopped deejaying in 1984.

I've just come across a couple more lists from the early 80's, which reflect the Jazz stuff I was playing at Wigan Pier and Legend:

TOP 10 JAZZ OF 82
1.BOBBY McFERRIN dance with me
2.LESSETTE WILSON caveman boogie
3.RAY BARRETTO pastime paradise
4.GROVER WASHINGTON JNR little black samba
5.TOKI & SAMBA FRIENDS brasil
6.DOM UM ROMAO braun blek blu
7.PETER MAGADINI samba de Rollins
8.STUDIO TRIESTE malaguena
9.BAYA a vegas kind of guy
10.COCONUTS CREW sambolero

25 FEATURED JAZZ ALBUMS 1983:
BOY KATINDIG midnight lady
BOBBY ENRIQUEZ the wild man
MASURU IMADA andalusian breeze
SWAMP CHILDREN so hot
TANIA MARIA come with me
CAYENNE roberto who?
RARE SILK new weave
VICTOR FELDMAN secret of the andes
LONNIE LISTON SMITH dreams of tomorrow
RICHIE COLE return to alto acres
WEBSTER LEWIS touch my love
EARL KLUGH low fide
SERGIO MENDES sergio mendes
WAR the music band jazz
CHIC COREA return to forever
CHIC COREA light as a feather
NAYO MATSUOKA daybreak
PAULHINO DA COSTA agora
GERRY MULLIGAN little big horn
ART PEPPER today
BRAZILIA brazilia
ROLAND VALQUEZ urban ensemble
ART BLAKEY the jazz messenger
ART BLAKEY a night in tunisia
DIANNE SHUUR pilot of my destiny

[SandraDee]

I love that Lesette Wilson 'Caveman Boogie' track; I've recently bought the CD re-issue of 'Now That Ive Got Your Attention' which is brilliant.

I know I'm probably alone here but as well as liking much of the stuff mentioned above, being into 'disco' as much as the jazz-finkier stuff, I actually liked alot of the disco that jazz artists made such as 'Disco Land' by Norman Connors, 'Ill Never Forget My Favourite Disco' by Dexter Wansell & 'Disco Dancing' by Stanley Turrentine. These type of tracks were fun & unpretentious which is why the media hated disco so much & terminated it ASAP. :evil: