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:

[zeca azevedo]

Hey,

almost all these jazz/soul tracks are great , but I'm listening to QUARTERFLASH's HARDEN MY HEART right now :lol:

zeca azevedo, wrong place, wrong time

[Greg Wilson]

Sorry to be such an sad anorak! This is how the two charts look combined:

1. CHIC COREA central park 49+41+90
2. LONNIE LISTON SMITH expansions 40+49=89
3. B. BAKER CHOCOLATE CO snowblower43+44=87
4. CEDAR WALTON latin america 34+47=81
5. ROY AYERS running away 30+27=57
6. LEE RITENOUR marketplace 50
- MIROSLAV VITOUS new york city 50
8. BENNY GOLSON the new killer joe 48
- AZYMUTH dear limmertz 48
10.MONGO SANTAMARIA watermelon man 47
11.EARL KLUGH amazon 46
- CHARLES EARLAND over and over 46
13.JOE SAMPLE there are many stops... 12+33=45
- LEON HUFF latin spirit 45
- IDRIS MOHAMMED could heaven ever be like this 45
16.JUDY ROBERTS never was love 44
17.BOBBY LYLE the genie 43
18.BOB JAMES snowbird fantasy 42
- WILLIE BOBO always there 42
20.WAR the world is a ghetto 41
21.HARVEY MASON till you take my love 40
22.MARK SOSKIN walk tall / caribbean party stomp 39
- NEIL LARSEN sudden samba 39
24.EDDIE HENDERSON prance on 38
- WEBSTER LEWIS el bobo 38
26.RICHARD TEE first love 37
- FREDDIE HUBBARD little sunflower 37
28.JEFF LORBER FUSION the samba 36
- DONALD BYRD places & spaces 36
30.GEORGE BENSON the world is a ghetto 15+20=35
- MASS PRODUCTION shante 35
- WILBERT LONGMIRE black is the color 35
33.SEAWIND he loves you 34
34.PAULHINO DA COSTA love 'til the end of time 33
35.GEORGE DUKE brazillian love affair 18+14=32
- RONNIE LAWS youngchild 32
- DAVID BENOIT life is a samba 32
38.HERBIE HANCOCK I thought it was you 31
- WILTON FELDER inherit the wind 31
40.EDDIE HENDERSON say you will 30
41.ROY HAYNES vistalite 29
- JOHN KLEMMER Brasilia 29
43.DONALD BYRD dominoes (live version) 28
- NED DOHENY to prove my love 28
45.AL DI MEOLA roller jubilee 27
46.BLACKBYRDS rock creek park 26
- RODNEY FRANKLIN the groove 26
48.CHICO HAMILTON the strut 25
- FUNKADELIC one nation under a groove 25
50.RICHIE COLE hi-fly 24
- RUBEN WILSON got to get your own 24

[jazz_pilgrim]

Greg,

With such a list, where could I hope to begin? Suffice to say, I am sure that I and my fellow Jazz Pilgrims still have many great memories of dancing to most of those tunes.

Here are the tracks that were particularly special to us

2. LONNIE LISTON SMITH expansions 40+49=89 8)
3. B. BAKER CHOCOLATE CO snowblower43+44=87
4. CEDAR WALTON latin america 34+47=81
5. ROY AYERS running away 30+27=57 8)
8. BENNY GOLSON the new killer joe 48
- CHARLES EARLAND over and over 46
- IDRIS MOHAMMED could heaven ever be like this 45
- WILLIE BOBO always there 42 8)
20.WAR the world is a ghetto 41
- WEBSTER LEWIS el bobo 38
- FREDDIE HUBBARD little sunflower 37
- DONALD BYRD places & spaces 36
30.GEORGE BENSON the world is a ghetto 15+20=35
- MASS PRODUCTION shante 35
- WILBERT LONGMIRE black is the color 35
35.GEORGE DUKE brazillian love affair 18+14=32
- RONNIE LAWS youngchild 32
- DAVID BENOIT life is a samba 32
40.EDDIE HENDERSON say you will 30
- JOHN KLEMMER Brasilia 29 8)
43.DONALD BYRD dominoes (live version) 28 8) 8) 8) 8)
- NED DOHENY to prove my love 28
46.BLACKBYRDS rock creek park 26 8)
- RODNEY FRANKLIN the groove 26
- FUNKADELIC one nation under a groove 25
- RUBEN WILSON got to get your own 24 8)

Dominoes was the Jazz Pilgrims' ANTHEM 8)

A lot of the others I know and love as well! But ironically enough, though, I don't recall the Chick Corea track at #1!

Could heaven ever be like this ? I think I've arrived! :D

Cheers for the memories!!

:)

[NickNack]

Hi all you Jazz-sters,

I finally got to read this thread form beginning to end. Wow --- so many names I don't know but quite a few I do. What interests me is your discussion about playing these in the clubs. Were you using them with your disco sets or were you guys working clubs exclusive for this type of music? I ask because a few on your list were club hits here but I don't remember anyone taking the time to break the music down as "jazz-funk" or "fusion". I mean, yes, those terms, especially 'fusion', were getting a lot of radio talk shall I say, but a good dance record was simply that, a good dance record. The perfect example would be Charles Earland's "Over and Over". I would bet that a good deal of us who got this promo 12" at the time had no idea Earland was a jazz musician. I know I didn't.

Others in your list like "Street Life", "Always There", the Idris Muhammad cuts, Richard Tee... yeah, we knew they were 'jazzy,' but who cared. They got people on the floor. EVERYBODY played "Street Life", it was too hot to ignore. "Summer Madness" was simply a <very> serious groove from a bunch of guys I'd been listening to since I was a teenager.

I guess what I'm getting at is back then, when you were all working these records, were you also as big on the categorization of what you were using? You talk about the "jazz-funk scene" as if it was an entity of it's own in the clubs. As if people came out to dance to this and only this in their favorite night spot. Have I misunderstood? The appreciation of black-rooted music appears much deeper on your side of the world and I thought maybe something had taken place there that hadn't here.

[Greg Wilson]

Hi NickNack,
The Jazz-Funk movement was specialist or 'upfront', with its own nights seperate from the mainstream scene (although popular Jazz-Funk tracks might eventually find their way onto mainstream playlists). Many of the records played were new releases, but others were tracks that the DJ's had unearthed on obscure albums (in a similar way to how Northern Soul DJ's might have dug out old 45's).

It was a huge underground movement in the UK during the late 70's / early 80's, which attracted enthusiasts nationwide. In the South, the Soul Mafia DJ's had many big weekly nights, as well as All-Dayer and even Weekender events. In the North, Colin Curtis was the best known DJ on the Jazz-Funk scene (Colin had been Ian Levine's partner at the famous Northern Soul venue, Blackpool Mecca). The North also held regular All-Dayers to compliment the club nights. In 1981 I became a regular on the North's All-Dayer circuit, which meant I'd joined the premier league of Jazz-Funk specialists in the region.

Here's something I once wrote to someone by way of an explanation:

JAZZ-FUNK

Jazz-Funk had emerged during the late 70’s, as a result of American Jazz musicians going for a funkier vibe. Names like Roy Ayers, George Duke, Herbie Hancock and Lonnie Liston Smith we’re all held in high regard on the UK club scene. Specialist DJ’s took things a stage further and also began playing Jazz of a purer variety, usually the more uptempo tracks that would suit the dancers. These were often by South American musicians, adding a Latin flavour into the equation. Many of these tracks were only available on albums, and artists including Chic Corea, Lee Ritenour, Dave Valentine, Al Di Meola, and Al Jarreau, would fill the floor at specialist Jazz-Funk nights nationwide. Many of these tracks were never released as singles and some weren’t issued at all in the UK, so if you wanted to be taken seriously as a Jazz-Funk DJ you had to be prepared to fork out a fair sum of money each week on expensive US imports. By the early 80’s an ever-growing wave of 'British Jazz-Funk' groups had begun to make an impact in the charts, including Light Of The World, Level 42, Linx, Shakatak, and Freeez. To confuse matters further, ‘Jap Jazz’ was also in vogue, with labels like Flying Disk and Electric Bird releasing digitally mastered albums by both Japanese and International artists, which cost a small fortune to buy!

Add into the melting pot the latest US Soul, Funk and Disco, and you had yourself a Jazz-Funk night playlist circa 1981.

Greg

[jazz_pilgrim]

First of all, NickNack - thanks for showing an interest!

Greg has got it exactly right - the Soul Mafia scene was separate from the mainstream commercial scene, but garnered a huge faithful following in the South of England. I was not a DJ but a [very regular!!] club goer.

The main 'Soul Mafia' clubs would play music right across the spectrum - you would get the mainstream soul, funk, jazz and disco releases of the day, but there was also a great emphasis on rooting out really good old records from the Seventies - whether it be soul, funk, jazz or disco. So, in one night's playlist in one of these discos, you got a mix of tunes from right across this spectrum. And at a few of ther clubs I used to go to - you would sometimes get a reggae room as well. All in the mix.

With time, this separate room scenario has steadily developed and you quite often had two rooms of different music within the same venue - one jazz, and one soul/funk, say. And you could go between either room. Today you might get five rooms or so ... Did that ever happen in the US, NickNack??

In terms of the overall mix of music played in the clubs I frequented, there was definitely a tendency to play a lot of jazz-influenced music. My friends and I grouped together as the Jazz Pilgrims (I am really a Simon!!) and we especially loved the jazz side. We took over a whole club - our Jazz Pilgrims DJ became the regular DJ there and we dominated the centre of the dance floor all night! A lot of those jazz anthems mentioned above were spun every week - together with the usual other soul funk and disco tunes. Once again - all mixed up.

NickNack - if you have a MD player, I'll send you some of the tunes on a Minidisk so you can have an idea what the music was like!

In certain clubs only jazz fusion was played. I remember a tiny Monday night basement club in around 1978 that specialized in this jazz fusion - it is where I first got hooked on the jazz side. Hard driving latin/jazz rhythms in a tiny atmospheric club - that was real sophistication for a young 17-year old!! :P The records were spun by a then unknown DJ who is now one of the biggest in the UK on today's music scene - Pete Tong.

Another example I remember was that in the London clubs around 84/85, jazz itself became very fashionable as a dance music - stuff like Miles Davis - Milestones, Lee Morgan - Sidewinder ..yes, all the sixties Blue Note stuff(together with all the new stuff) became the latest trend!! It was all kicked off by a local DJ who is now also a Nationally-known DJ - Gilles Peterson. How do I know this? Coz I was right there in the beginning when Gilles just coming to fame, and we became good friends at the time..

And all the while, the guys in the North of England were doing their own thing as well - Northern Soul, Jazz-Funk, Electro ...I actually became a Northern Soul fan for a few years in the late Eighties, going to some of the excellent clubs which were then available in London. The Northern Fans took their music very seriously ansd were incredibly knowledgeable. I mean - look at the knowledge of our very own Discodisk!! In all the years I have been into the music, I have met a lot of guys who know their music far better than I do - but few could ever match Discodisk! Respect to ya, bro'!! 8)

I am sure Greg and Discodisk will be able to elaborate on the phenonemon of separate rooms within the Northern soul scene that I mentioned because that was very common there as well. It probably started up North (guys??). You would get one room playing Wigan Casino classics, say, and one room playing modern soul, for example.

So what am I trying to say, NickNack? In short - in many of the clubs in the UK there was a great cross-section of black music spun from jazz through soul through disco and funk all in the mix which attracted a huge and loyal following. And there was definitely an emphasis on jazz-influenced tracks in certain of the clubs. This has definitely contributed to the British Soul fan's being knowledgeable about and having a deep appreciation for black-rooted music. There was definitely something big taking place!!

:)

[QUINNY]

And........from someone who never specialized to such a degree, I'd say that my own priority was to play anything that was danceable and sounded like it was meant. In other words, I'd say that possibly many UK jocks were like Nicky, in that we played a fairly wide cross section of tracks, except we maybe had a stronger 'rooting out' thing going on, 'cos we weren't exposed to his huge numbers of disco records first hand. I guess this is one reason why 'pure disco' with its slightly faceless, white sound never caught on as much over here. Invariably this led to a highish concentration of Jazz Funk toons, although the sub genre didn't really come into its own with the more mainstream crowd until early 1979 when records like Players Association - Turn The Music Up suddenly found favour on the radio airwaves. Then for about 6 - 9 months Jazz Funk exploded.
Many, many DJs (myself included) had been playing a lot of 'Jazz Funk' records ever since things like Cymande - The Message , early Kool & The Gang, Deodato Manu DiBango and the like in '72/'73 and the pure funk items such as Bohannon - Stop & Go, Midnight Movers Unlimited - Follow The Wind, Olympic Runners and the like.

What others have written here is more or less my take on things too. There were relatively very few pure Jazz Funk venues but they were hugely influential in what was (a) released in the U.K and (b) therefore what much of the country's club goers danced to. The JF scene was very fashion conscious both in dress and especially music. I personally wasn't overly happy with the pretentiousness that went with it and the smug sense of superiority that tended to come across, but it did turn up quite a few great records to play (along with the inevitable dross). There again, I was a relatively old man by then, who'd probably gone through all that **** a decade or so earlier. I realize that it shouldn't have meant a damned thing, but I did note a sense of ill will towards the JF scene from many of those outside of it. In that respect it did parallel the Northern Soul scene.

BTW: The Chick Corea tune @ #1 has to be a fix of some description or another doesn't it? I've certainly never heard it.
Why B. Baker sooooooo high? Not one of the greatest dancers on the JF scene surely? To some extent more like a radio record with its constant turnarounds that are very disjointing.
It was very interesting to see that the top 5 or so had scores in the 80s and 90s whereas all the rest were 50 or below. Such a huge gap suggests the lists were biased towards current playlists at the time of the surveys, but that's always going to happen, eh?
Funkadelic - Jazz funk?????? and so lowly too?

[Greg Wilson]

I was never a part of the Northern Soul scene, so I can't comment on that - Discodisk has all the first-hand knowledge there.

During the early 80's there was sometimes a Northern Soul room at the Jazz-Funk All-Dayers. Northern was very much on the wane at this time, so this was hardly reflective of the massive scene of the 70's. Now and again there'd be a room that featured just Jazz Fusion.

The main room would always cover a range of black music styles - Jazz-Funk and Fusion, Funk, Soul and Disco, before Electro-Funk gatecrashed the party. The music was 'upfront' (i.e - not what was being played in the more mainstream clubs). This wasn't so much to do with elitism, often records that had become UK hits, and were now being played at more commercial venues, had been featured on the Jazz-Funk scene months before (becoming hits in the first place as a result of the support by DJ's on this scene).

NickNack: Did you have anything like All-Dayers (or All-Nighters for that matter) in the US? A number of the most popular specialist black music DJ's in the region were brought together at a generally large venue, which was open from around 2pm until midnight (Sundays or Bank Holiday Mondays). The various DJ's did spots throughout the day, with people travelling in from cities and towns from miles around (in the same way that they had for Northern Soul events).

Quinny / Jazz-Pilgrim: Maybe 'Central Park' by Chic Corea was a track that was especially popular in the North (remember that the 2 charts are both from Northern sources). It's from an album on Polydor called 'Secret Agent'. There was no 'fix' as you suggest Quinny, this was an absolutely huge tune on the scene (probably discovered by Colin Curtis). BTW B Baker might have been slow but it was a popular dance track, it wasn't just the uptempo stuff like Azymuth 'Jazz Carnival' that were favoured by the dancers.

As has been said previously in this thread, these charts should only be viewed as snapshots of the era, and not definitive. It would be good to find a similar chart from the South, maybe this would balance things out a little.

Mastercuts did a series of excellent 'Classic Jazz-Funk' compilations in the early 90's. If you want me to copy these off for you NickNack I'd be happy to do so.

[Forrrce]

'Central Park' was a bit of a London tune. I have it on 12".

[QUINNY]

When did 'Central Park' get released? If it was '81 that might explain a few things as that was my most desperate year as a DJ. Couldn't find enough work, so I missed out on quite a bunch of things.