One of the most full-on funk albums that Bohannon recorded for Mercury – a set done with a sextet of additional players, in a groove that's much more in the ensemble mode of other funk acts on the label! The usual Bohannon drive is still in full effect, though – and Hamilton's rhythms are as compelling as ever, served up with his usual percussive undercurrent, and plenty of extra work on bass, guitar, and keyboards. Carolyn Crawford sings ovcals on most numbers, and titles include "Groove Machine", "The Boogie Train", "Andrea", "The Time Is Now", "Love Floats", and a remake of "Stop & Go". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive amount of fast funk groovers from the mighty Hamilton Bohannon – just the kind of skittish, upbeat, and totally amazing tracks that have made him a legend for years! The sound is really stripped down – usually just bass, drums, and guitar – wrapped together in this groove that's super tight, but not slick at all – like someone had dug deep into the best resources of the funky 45 underground, then pushed them to the limit! The guitar work alone is completely amazing – razor-sharp perfection at a level that blows away any previous chicken scratch lines – and titles include "Can You Feel It", "Think Of Me", "The Funky Reggae", "The Bohannon Walk", "Bohannon's Beat Part 1", and "Gentle Breeze". LP, Vinyl record album

Easy to dance your ass off with music this great – a fast, firey form of funk that's very much in the best Bohannon mode – that unique groove that was unlike anything else to hit the American scene for years to come! The record's a locomotive right from the start – a completely tight union of guitar, bass, drums, and just about anything else that gets into the mix – served up at a fast chugging groove that's very different than either typical funk or 70s disco! A few tracks add in a bit of extra strings, but these are always subsumed by the strong strong rhythms – and titles include the cut "Zulu", which has always been a favorite here in Chitown – plus "Party People", "Dance Your Ass Off", and "Bohannon's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

A bit of a different sound than usual for Bohannon – but a great one as well! The album's got a slightly different pitch than some of Bo's more straightforward dancefloor work – and the rhythms are electric, sometimes skittish, and often a bit spooky – almost prefacing changes to come a few years later, but also showing a bit of a German progressive influence too. We might be tempted to say that the sound's a bit smoother than before, but there's actually a lot of rough edges and weird corners to the tracks – in a way that makes the record more unsettling than it is slick! The rhythms, as always, are the main focus – and they're pretty darn great, and often surprisingly complicated. Don't know who could really dance to this, but that's hardly the point – and titles include "Git On Up", "Maybe You Can Dance", "I Found My Love On A Saturday", "You & I", and "On The Weekend". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice bit of space age disco fantasy from Boney M – a set that's got a few more electronic touches than some of the group's other records, but which still continues in a straight ahead poppy vein! There's a sound here that's arguably a bit more sophisticated than before – especially on some of the rhythms, which almost hint at Bohannon like complexity at the bottom. There's almost a bit more club appeal than you might expect – although other tunes are definitely more the stuff of hotel lobby dancefloors than warehouse parties in New York. Titles include "King Of The Road", "Nightflight To Venus", "Voodoonight", "Brown Girl In the Ring", "Heart Of Gold", and the hit version of "Rivers Of Babylon". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most sophisticated albums that Bobby Hutcherson recorded with reedman Harold Land – a very hip session that features the arrangements of piano player Todd Cochran – also known as Bayete for a pair of early 70s albums on Prestige! The sound here is more farther-reaching than before for the team of Hutcherson and Land – a deepening of the soulful spirits first cooked up on their earlier collaborations, stretched out to farther-reaching territory in the hands of Cochran's arrangements and compositions. The group's got a full sound too – with trumpet and flugelhorn from Oscar Brashear, trombone from George Bohannon, and added reeds from players who include Ernie Watts, Fred Jackson, and Charles Owens. Harold Land plays tenor and flute, Hutcherson vibes and marimba, and Cochran is on acoustic piano throughout – but the record also features some electric keys from William Henderson. Titles include the 3 part suite "At The Source", plus "Many Thousands Gone", "Clockwork Of The Spirits", and "Mtume". LP, Vinyl record album

Smoking work from Donald Byrd – post-Blue Note, post-Larry Mizell, and with a modern funk groove that's still pretty darn tasty! Not one to rest on his laurels – which he could have easily done with endless Mizell-based recordings – Donald shifts his groove here towards more of a boogie-styled 80s approach – one that's got the same sort of loping funk that was showing up in the work of Tom Browne and some of the younger players on the scene at the time. There's a fuller, richer, more soul-based approach to the set – but still some strands of the Mizell years – especially in the album's great keyboard work by Clare Fischer, and its use of chorus vocals on a number of tracks. Wade Marcus and George Bohannon helped with arrangements – and titles include a great funky remake of Fischer's "Morning" – plus "Veronica", "Gold The Moon, White The Sun", "Marilyn", "Pretty Baby", and "People Suppose To Be Free". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual bit of club from Lee Garrett – a singer who's got a relatively rootsy sound overall, but who's working here with a set of smooth and and jazzy backings! Arrangements on the set are by Tom Sellers, who plays piano at the hed of a combo that includes Dave Grusin on synth, Tom Scott on saxes, Ernie Watts on flute and alto, George Bohannon on trombone, Lee Ritenour on guitar, and Harvey Mason on drums – all top-shelf fusion players who help bring a bit of polish to the set, in stark contrast to Lee's rougher vocals. The approach is almost a bit like some of Swamp Dogg's work for the clubs at the time – and titles include "How Can I Be A Man", "Heart Be Still", "You're My Everything", "Sad Sad Story", and "Stop That Wrong". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from one of Chico Hamilton's greatest groups! The record features Chico's quintet with Charles Lloyd on tenor and flute, Gabor Szabo on guitar, the great (and under-recorded) Al Stinson on bass and George Bohannon on trombone – and the tracks have that spaced out, slightly-Spanish tinge that Chico was crafting during his trippier years at Impulse. Szabo's guitar is a key element of this sound – but you can't discount Chico's amazingly open approach to the drums, and his freewheeling manner of spinning out a lively dancing rhythm. Titles include "Lady Gabor", "El Toro", "Passin Thru", and "Lonesome Child". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky organ and plenty of vamping – a really tight little set from the mighty Charles Kynard – who's working here with a really wide-ranging command of the keyboard! As with some of the other Mainstream Records sessions of the time, the backings here are somewhat full – arranged and conducted by Richard Fritz with a style that's almost soundtrack funk at points, but which still has a more jazzy feel overall – thanks to the space given to Kynard's organ solos, and to backings from players who include George Bohannon on trombone, Arthur Adams on guitar, and Paul Humphrey on drums. The set features a surprising cover of Joe Quarterman's classic "I Got So Much Trouble On My Mind" – one that's almost as funky as the vocal original – plus "The World Is A Ghetto", "Superstition", "Zambezi", "Summer Breeze", "Momma Jive", and "You've Got It Bad Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

Born in Mississippi, raised in Tennessee, but recorded in California with some mighty great grooves! The album's a great mix of the rootsy blues of John Lee Hooker and some of the best production modes ABC Records was using at the time – no hoke or attempt to dampen the energy of the core music – but just the key addition of fresh elements from players who include Clifford Coulter on piano, Sugarcane Harris on violin, Oscar Brashear on trumpet, Mel Brown on bass, George Bohannon on trombone, and John Klemmer on electrified sax with effects! These players all have a great ear for messing up jazz, blues, soul, and funk – and help Hooker to make the set one of his hippest ever – a record that nods strongly at the new generation, yet never panders to it at all. Titles include "Younger Stud", "King Of The World", "Tell Me You Love Me", and "Going Down". LP, Vinyl record album

Do yourself a favor, and splurge on this album – you won't be disappointed! The record is a gem all the way through – a really unique mixture of LA soul jazz and African rhythms, with a sound that's almost like Hugh Masekela sitting in with the Jazz Crusaders! Of course, there's a lot of Jazz Crusaders in the set – as Wilton Felder plays electric bass on the album, giving it a fantastic loping groove – but there's also plenty of unique albums on the record, especially its way of approaching the rhythms with a sly, syncopated groove that's immediately infectious! Duke's trumpet solos are great, and they're augmented by tenor work by Chester Washington and trombone by George Bohannon – all nicely grooving on the album's brilliant blend of jazzy tracks. Titles include "Jungle Funk", "Afrikaloo", "Akagruge", "Like It Is", "Mafam", and "Peace Brother". Somebody put this one on CD – and do us all a treat! LP, Vinyl record album

A great track from early disco maestro Tony Valor – mixed by Tom Moulton with incredible sound! The tune has an almost Bohannon-ish approach – with stomping beats at the bottom, and lots of warm instrumental twists and turns on the top – a bit more strings than guitar, but in a way that sweetens the groove nicely! Really tribal – and with a nice chanting of the title, too! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great set of west coast soulful fusion – filled with instrumental contributions from key Fantasy Records and soul session musicians who include George Bohannon, Ernie Watts, and Oscar Brashear – and also served up with some vocals by singers Syreeta and Deniece Williams! Titles include "Suite Syreeta", "Kwanzaa", "Well", and "Funk De Mambo". LP, Vinyl record album