TITLE: Matrix 
ARTIST: Masabumi Kikuchi Sextet 
LABEL: Catalyst 

I am a sucker for small label 70's jazz, even if it is not that funky.  This is one I just picked up recently via mail order.  Interestingly enough, the package it came in was tattered to shreds, looked as if it had been sent in the rain, maybe it had been, since it came from the rainy city of Portland.   
 
Check the cover.  I don't know if you can see from my scan, but it is a picture taken from a satelite of what looks like a great big tract house development.  Long live the 'burbs baby ! 
The record itself is fat because it has two psychedelic jazz breaks on side 2: "If I Said the Sky was Falling" and "In Fourth Way".  Both have decent breaks at the begining and one even has harpiscord.  The rest of the album is slow mellow fusion with some nice standards like "Black Orpheus" and "Green Dolphin Street".  Catalyst is a snoozy label but has some niceness: Gary Bartz, Frank Foster, Frank Strazzeri.

TITLE: Experience 
ARTIST: Ted Picou Trio 
LABEL: Picou 

Like I said above, I'm a sucker for small label 70's jazz, and this one would fit the billing.  

At first your probably saying, what is this guy thinking.  I mean, I wonder what the guy who came up with this cover was telling the band to sell this cover--  "Okay guys this would be cool like you know a portrait shot, but, here's the catch, IT'S YOUR ACTUAL FACES In the frame ! Engenious huh !?"  Totally wack. 

And the music is nothing more than some mellowed out fusion, save for the song "Kwa" which sounds like a more jazz oriented Fela, and "Sleepwalker" which is a totally fat funk cut with an ill horn line and drums.   

Big ups to Aron's records in West Hollywood for putting this in there dollar bin. 

TITLE: Music 
ARTIST: Steve Davis 
LABEL: RCA 

 This is a jazz rock record on RCA from 1970 by a guy I've never heard of.   

This record is super fat.  Gangstarr sampled the cut "It's All Because You Are Gone" on Daily Operation.  nice spare breakdown in the middle of the song with some ill drums.  sounds like hiphop from 1970. 

Also contains the song "Lalune Blanche" which incidentally was on Archaelogist's Classics Volume 34 if I remember correctly.  It has french vocals which aren't that bad, a little Aznavourishly snoozy, but not too bad.  But got some ill basslines and a horn hook that would put kool & the gang to rest.   
The rest of the album is decent too, a little on the rock side, but there is loads of stuff on here that hasn't been dealt with yet.   

Cover is super ill, especially if you stare at it too long.  And check out the back, George Clinton on vibes and Billy Harper on trumpet, two names you wouldn't expect to find on a rock record.

TITLE: Compose, chante et dirige son Grand Orchestra  
ARTIST: Dany Delmin  
LABEL: Monde Melody 

Okay, it's true, this record looks like just about every record in the international/french section of the record store.  Even this guy is nothing special, even this record isn't too hard to find in America.  But this record has signifigance to me for two reasons: 
First it's got a picture of some shiftly little euro guy sitting in a Citroen in front of the Eiffell tower.  Totally funky.   
Second, it's got some ill shit that needs to be fucked with. 

The music sounds a lot like Serge Gainsborough, with some ill strings, basslines, funky grooves even and stoned out french lounge singing.  The intro's on almost every song are nice.  The strings are very dark and lush, sort of like something mobb deep would use.  Some people don't fuck with strings, I definitely do though, and this album is one I usually start out with when trying to make a string beat.

TITLE: S/T 
ARTIST: Linda Tillery  
LABEL: Olivia  

This is the lesbian chick rocker from the famed SF group Loading Zone.  This album hasn't been rocked by Souls, or Dilated Peoples like that other lp has been but this one should be.   
Lots of funky soul/jazz stuff in a sort of positive affirmation type feel.  (I found this album in a drug rehab thrift store so go figure).   

The thing I noticed about a lot of late 70's jazz records is the music, although tending to be pretty close to disco,  can also be real spare, with electronics and lots of rimshot drums.  Think RAMP (from 77) or any Uno Melodica stuff.  It's almost like the people missed out the funk in it's prime but came out with their own interpretation later with more electronics.   

Lots of Fender Rhodes stuff on here; "Womenly Way" and "Freedom Time" are straight up funk shit, despite lame connutation.  "Dont Pray For Me" even has a minimal drum breakdown.  This isn't really a producers paradise but some nice stuff to mellow out to. 

TITLE: Same 
ARTIST: Children of All Ages 
LABEL: Different Drummer 

Different Drummer is a label my man Thes 1 from People Under the Stairs put me onto recently.  I know they have a couple lps, and all are in demand with beatheads. 

This is some jazz rock shit with people like Arnie Laurence, Bill Takas, Randy Brecker, Pat Rebbilot and other session people you'd recognize in your travels.  (Also, you'll find Bob Durrough, who put out that multipication rock lp that seems to be in demand recently).   

Some of the songs are wack, but the cut "Plenty of It" has got some sick drums in it and Journey to the Center of Universe is a 15:50 minute cut with lots transitions from freeish type space jazz to more funky stuff. 

Oh yeah, on a side note if anybody has a better copy to sell, I'm here for you, as you can see mine is shot to hell !

TITLE: Macka Fat 
ARTIST: Jackie Mittoo  
LABEL: Studio One  

Since I'm not really jamacain, nor a reggae fanatic I have no idea if this record is a reissue original or whatever.  I just noticed that a lot of the previous reviews had some dub stuff on there, so I felt like joining in with what I feel is a darn good reggae lp!   

On Studio One out of Jamaica, one of the all time classic dub labels, this one comes clean with an uncredited version of "mercy mercy me"-"Division One," and loads of other organ-ized righteousness.  Most reggae to me sounds the same but this lp is very funky and minimal.  Mittoo plays organ so it has an eeiry soul affect which I think was probably influenced by either: poor equipment or too much ganja, or both.  On or off key, this is some good shit.  I've heard a lot of the cuts on here redone dubwise-Ghetto Organ, Lazy Bones etc. but I have to say I like the originals better on this lp.  That is not always the case.   

TITLE: Send Me No Flowers 
ARTIST: The Churls 
LABEL: A & M 

I know, this group sounds like some new wave rock stuff. 

It is rock but more like psych rock with some hiphop style drums.   
The singing is pretty bad on some cuts, but a lot of the songs are majority instrumental and have some nice drum/bass breakdowns (no solo breaks sorry).  My favorite cut is "Too Many Rivers" with a mellowed out breakdown with some blues guitar.  I'm don't really think this one has potential for samplitude but I'm feeling it, you know, to listen to.
Isn't that what this record thing is all about anyway ?

TITLE: Animated Egg  
ARTIST: Animated Egg 
LABEL: Somerset 

Somerset was a low budget psych label from the 60s with Hella beats. 
Check for Associated Soul Band (or T-Swift; strangely enough this is the same record), Hair Cuts and other stuff.  Real low budget sound and the packaging is super cheap, like no binder print so I have a hard time finding it in my record shelves. 

This music was described to me as David Axelrod on Acid, but I wouldn't really agree with that exactly.  It's more like some corny white dudes on acid with loads of fuzzy guitars and a little bit of funk. The good thing about this record is there is no singing.

The record musically is not very complex or even that enjoyable to listen to.  There are a couple breaks on here, the drums sound fat and the whole thing has a very spare, dream like feel to it.  Lots of fuzz tones.  The cuts that stand out are "That's How it Is" which is sort of jazzy and reminds me a little bit of Wes Montgomery (on acid) of all people!, "Sock it My Way" which is a melancholy fuzz funk cut; also "Ah Said she said, Ah Cid", and "A Love Built on Sand" which has a funky r&b feel to it.  Some of the cuts are a little too fuzzed out for my taste but this ones a winner.  I'm sure this on every psych and beat heads wantlist so it's sort of hard to find. 

BTW, don't be like me and pay 91 dollars for this record (doww !) 

TITLE: Out of the Cool 
ARTIST: Gil Evans 
LABEL: Impulse 

Nice cool jazz record from the guy who worked with Miles Davis.  This record is very similiar to Miles' cool" stuff.  Melodious horns and a real mellow vibe to the whole thing.  BTW, from 1961.  Add some drums and it's hot in 99'.