Lenny White - Venusian Summer

If you like your funk orchestral, over 10 minutes long and can handle long solos, then this is for you. While the word epic is overused (not least by me), these two cuts from Lenny White's 1975 album are truly worthy of the word. Prince of the Sea is subtitled "The story of the young prince becoming Neptune". It starts slowly and sweetly, almost silent for the first 30 seconds and passing three minutes before any drums kick in, giving a soft and rolling introduction. Fusion heavyweights Al Di Meola and Larry Coryell then take turns strutting for the remainder of the track, with brief piano interludes from Onaje Allan Gumbs (who also appears on the very different tracks by Cecil McBee and Phyllis Hyman also posted on this site). Venusian Summer Suite, in two parts, is subtitled "The haunting Venusian maidens lured starships to their doom" and is dedicated to the crew of the Starship Enterprise. The first part, called Sirenes is performed by the Brooklyn Syntharmonic Orchestra & Inner-Mission Choir Orchestra. It is eery and fearful, sounding indeed very much like atmosphere music from an early episode of Star Trek. After about four and a half minutes it breaks into part two, Venusian Summer itself. This is pulsing music, with clavinet, acoustic piano, minimoog, and stand out flute from ex Jazz Crusader Hubert Laws. Watch out for the surging synths after about 8 minutes 20.

Lenny White - Prince of the Sea

Lenny White - Venusian Summer Suite

Paperclip People - The Secret Tapes of Dr. Eich

I love Carl Craig
He loves Carl Craig
She loves Carl Craig
We love Carl Craig
You love Carl Craig
They love Carl Craig

Released together as an album OVER 10 (TEN) YEARS AGO.

Paperclip People - Throw
Paperclip People - The Climax
Paperclip People - Clear and Present

Quaid - Dollar

A quick one today. Jack from The Horse Latitudes shared with me a Joseph Quaid version of Dollar after the Billy Paul post a couple weeks back. It's always good to hear different takes on a tune, and this time it's given a more Detroit under the skin feel.

Dollar (Quaid Dub)

Inner City - Paradise

Another piece of shameless nostalgia. This was one of the first tapes I ever bought. A pocket money purchase from Woolworths on Portobello Road. We'd just had the 'second summer of love' although I didn't know at the time. Paris Gray was HOT and I was too young. Who was this 'Jack' anyway? I spent my time listening to Kiss when it was still pirate with endless plays of I Feel Love, and complaining that my Mum wouldn't buy me a pair of Air Max . I've been making up for that ever since on nike-id.com. We all know and love Big Fun and Good Life, and you don't need me to tell you that it was the perfect, most accessible, feel good blend of Detroit Techno & Chicago House for the masses. But beyond those masterpieces, there were other slices of pure, unadulterated big life good fun, presented for you here in easily digestible MP3.

Inner City - Do You Love What You Feel
Inner City - Set Your Body Free
Inner City - And I Do

As a special bonus, I've also included an extended 7 min 40 version of Big Fun. Watch out for the 'piano' that opens about 4:10.

Inner City - Big Fun (Extended)

Billy Cobham - A Funky Thide of Sings

Three tracks today from Billy Cobham's 1975 album A Funky Thide of Sings. Notable contributions from John Schofield on guitar and Michael and Randy Brecker on assorted brass with Billy directing proceedings from behind his drum kit. Panhandler and the title cut are funk workouts that could have been playing to aliens too hip for the Mos Eisley cantina. Sorcery is a portentous groove with some nice keyboard solos.

Billy Cobham - Panhandler
Billy Cobham - Sorcery
Billy Cobham - A Funky Thide of Sings

Nephew of Phela

Check out Captain's Crate with Nephew of Phela's nice long break beat take on the Mulatu Astake track, Yegelle Tezeta I posted a little while back...

2Face Idibia - Grass 2 Grace

Time to dip into the Naija selection again. This time around is 2Face Idibia, a huge star who's won various MTV awards and sold millions of records in Nigeria. Three tunes from his new album Grass 2 Grace here, each with good vocals and pop sensibility (especially True Love which is heavy rotation fodder). If I was honest I probably wouldn't like it if it was British, American, Swedish or French. But since it's Nigerian I can't help myself.

2Face Idibia - I Dey Feel Like
2Face Idibia - No Shakin' (see the video here)
2Face Idibia - True Love

A voice soaring the summit of heaven

First of hopefully many guest posts from my friend Shiva Nova



Abida Parveen has been doing this for nigh on 35 years.

Trained by her father in Pakistan, she is now the first lady of Sufi ghazal and kafi. In this song (Mera Sohna Ghar Aya) her voice is dipped in liquid gold, rises and falls, ebbs and flows with devotional expression.

Abida Parveen - Mera Sohna Ghar Aya

Believe in what you stand up for

Believe in what you stand up for.

Albert Ayler - Free At Last - New Grass - 1968
Archie Shepp - Attica Blues - Attica Blues - 1972
Doug Hammond & David Durrah - Wake Up Brothers - Reflections in the Sea of Nurnen - 1975
Gary Bartz Ntu Troop - Rise - Taifa - 1970
Sun Ra - Nuclear War - Nuclear War - 1982
Oneness of Juju - Love's Messenger - Space Jungle Luv - 1976

James Mason - Rhythm of Life

MY GOD! I've just read an almost identical post at Dilated Choonz even down to a Ready Brek comment posted two weeks prior to this one. How embarrassing.

Ready Brek. In 1989, when I was 13, I was given a tape. I can still picture it. A black 'limited edition' TDK. On side one were people like Eric B and Rakim, Big Daddy Kane and EPMD with every track detail written out in full. On side two, just two words: Rare Groove. I now recognise (most of) the tunes and it had classics from Bill Withers, Roy Ayers and Gil Scott Heron among others. This tape rocked my world, and I still cherish it (although I have no tape player any more). It opened with this first James Mason track which I later learned came from this, his only album; an album that almost defines Rare Groove since it was rescued from obscurity by the Acid Jazz scene. James Mason was heavily involved in Roy Ayers's supreme Running Away and took much of that feeling into this 1977 record, particularly on Sweet Power Your Embrace. But Mason's album is more impassioned, urgent and less polished than anything the great Ayers achieves - Roy, I guess, is just too cool. In the liner notes James says "For making the music that has inspired and shaped my musical values over the years, SPECIAL THANKS to The Crusaders, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Joseph Zawinul, Stevie Wonder, The Pointer Sisters and Stanley Clarke. And for the learning experience working as a member of his band afforded me, THANK YOU to Roy Ayers". Quite right. I love this sound and hope you do too.

James Mason - Sweet Power Your Embrace
James Mason - Free
James Mason - I've Got My Eyes On You