The Philadelphia Sound

[originalbigm]

Being my favourite genre of disco music I came across this interesting essay, from the American Sociological Association, in respect to The Sound of Philadelphia being the foundation of disco.

http://www2.asanet.org/footnotes/indexone.html

"As hard bop faded and jazz overall collapsed temporarily around the time of Coltrane’s death in 1967 (Giddins 1998), new sounds in soul music emerged, transforming rhythm and blues with new instrumentation and new themes. A community of musicians and producers converged on Philadelphia International Records, including the O’Jays, Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes (with alumnus Teddy Pendergrass), and MFSB. At Philadelphia International, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff created a signature sound, mixing irresistibly danceable grooves with arrangements for large horn and string sections on unforgettable records, such as Joe Simon’s “Drowning in the Sea of Love,” Billy Paul’s “Me and Mrs. Jones,” and the Intruders’ “I’ll Always Love My Mama.” They pioneered the ten-minute anthems of soul—for example, the theme song from Soul Train—that provided the building blocks for disco and modern dance music. Gamble and Huff combined these musical elements with a commitment to black ownership and control that made them a crucial symbol for and representative of the Philadelphia black community. Thematically, the Philadelphia Sound mixed a commitment to racial equality and social uplift with an emotional sophistication and bittersweet tone that helped set the cultural tone for post-civil rights America."

[eddie]

Right on! Gamble and Huff's musicians heavily studied the hard bop genre. PIR desired more of a swing feeling but employed more call and response brass and string sections much like the big band era. The thumping bass lines were an indirect derivative of Count Basie's upright bass player, Walter Page. Sharp turnarounds and brief repetative themes or motives were both common in hard bop and PIR sound.

[discotom73]

I always enjoyed listening to the Sound Of Philadelphia! You name it: The O'Jays, The Three Degrees, MFSB, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes! "Love Is The Message" by MFSB (1973) is one of the best instrumentals that city ever made! Gamble & Huff did everything right at that time. Of course, no disco genre really dominated everybody else. Philly Soul, Miami Funk and others helped defined their own version of disco. Thus, the music became mainstream and dominated the U.S. charts throughout the 70s.