... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A killer bit of early funk from the great Hamilton Bohannon – and quite possibly his greatest album ever – a really unique approach to funky rhythms, with a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! The album's got a slower funk sound than Bohannon's later disco groove a few years later – and the wonderful rhythms mix together scattershot drums with funky wah wah guitar, organ, and hard-plugging basslines – all in a blend that's pretty mindblowing not just for its instrumental dexterity, but also for the way it brings complex patterns together in a really hypnotic way! All cuts are instrumentals, save for a few chorus vocals – and players on the album include Wah Wah Watson, Ray Parker, Travis Biggs, and Mose Davis. Bohannon's on drums and percussion – and titles include "The Pimp Walk", "Stop & Go", "Getting to the Other Side", "It's Time For Peace", "Save Their Souls", and "Singing a Song for My Mother". CD features two bonus tracks – "Run It On Down Mr DJ (parts 1 & 2)". CD

One of the biggest and best albums ever for Hamilton Bohannon – filled with quirky rhythms and really unusual grooves! Bohannon was one of the key forces in setting the scene for disco in the early 70s – and by the time the rest of the country was hitting the dancefloor in the middle part of decade, he was still moving forward, into a whole new realm of groove! The tracks on this set have some really mad rhythms – skittish and scattered, still with a dancefloor approach, but with lots of odd touches that set them apart from the rest of the pack. A key example of this is the great tune "Me & The Gang", which has this off-key piano loping out over chunky beats – but the whole thing's great, with a lot more of a sly edge than you'd expect from the cover. Titles include "Summertime Groove", "The Street Dance", "Let's Start The Dance", "Listen To The Children Play", and "I Wonder Why". CD

Released in 1975, this greatest hits comp of Bohannon's really does feature some of his best stuff – as it's culled from his first five albums, which are always our favorites. Loads of great up-tempo funky dancefloor tracks, including "Bohannon's Beat", "The Pimp Walk", "Stop & Go", "South African Man", "Truck Stop", and "Keep On Dancing". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendously tight grooves from Hamilton Bohannon – tunes that have this amazing way of wrapping together the bass, drums, and guitar – all in this fast-chugging style that's plenty funky all the way through! Bohannon was one of the most minimal of his 70s funk contemporaries – and has this way of really focusing in on one key rhythm, then rolling it out with incredible tightness – slowly changing things with some slight phase shifts in tone or timing, but always returning to the core of the tune. The approach is maybe even more striking here than on his previous records – and far grittier than on his later 70s work, too – and at some level, the vocals are almost thrown in as an afterthought, once Bo and the combo get things grooving! Titles include "Come Winter", "South Africa 76", "Feel Good At Midnight", "Gittin Off", and "I'm In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful early record from Bohannon – and with a very different feel than usual! Although most of Bohannon's work from the time is up-tempo and funky, side two of this album has some amazing slow spacey cuts – done with a drum sound that's still quite hard, but just slower than usual, in a style that creates some nice stepping grooves that are augmented by some wild off-beat, out-of-tune piano work! Sounds like it shouldn't work, but it does – and the ultimate moment on the album is the amazing "Thoughts And Wishes", a cool instrumental that's been a major steppers track in Chicago for years. Side one is more in the usual Bohannon funk mode – and tracks on the album include "Disco Stomp", "Foot Stompin Music", "Love Is Fading", and "Happy Feeling". 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

Tremendously tight grooves from Hamilton Bohannon – tunes that have this amazing way of wrapping together the bass, drums, and guitar – all in this fast-chugging style that's plenty funky all the way through! Bohannon was one of the most minimal of his 70s funk contemporaries – and has this way of really focusing in on one key rhythm, then rolling it out with incredible tightness – slowly changing things with some slight phase shifts in tone or timing, but always returning to the core of the tune. The approach is maybe even more striking here than on his previous records – and far grittier than on his later 70s work, too – and at some level, the vocals are almost thrown in as an afterthought, once Bo and the combo get things grooving! Titles include "Come Winter", "South Africa 76", "Feel Good At Midnight", "Gittin Off", and "I'm In Love". CD features two bonus tracks – single versions of "Gittin Off" and "Come Winter". CD

A killer bit of early funk from the great Hamilton Bohannon – and quite possibly his greatest album ever – a really unique approach to funky rhythms, with a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! The album's got a slower funk sound than Bohannon's later disco groove a few years later – and the wonderful rhythms mix together scattershot drums with funky wah wah guitar, organ, and hard-plugging basslines – all in a blend that's pretty mindblowing not just for its instrumental dexterity, but also for the way it brings complex patterns together in a really hypnotic way! All cuts are instrumentals, save for a few chorus vocals – and players on the album include Wah Wah Watson, Ray Parker, Travis Biggs, and Mose Davis. Bohannon's on drums and percussion – and titles include "The Pimp Walk", "Stop & Go", "Getting to the Other Side", "It's Time For Peace", "Save Their Souls", and "Singing a Song for My Mother". CD features two bonus tracks – "Run It On Down Mr DJ (parts 1 & 2)". CD

One of the biggest and best albums ever for Hamilton Bohannon – filled with quirky rhythms and really unusual grooves! Bohannon was one of the key forces in setting the scene for disco invy 70s – and by the time the rest of the country was hitting the dancefloor in the middle part of decade, he was still moving forward, into a whole new realm of groove! The tracks on this set have some really mad rhythms – skittish and scattered, still with a dancefloor approach, but with lots of odd touches that set them apart from the rest of the pack. A key example of this is the great tune "Me & The Gang", which has this off-key piano loping out over chunky beats – but the whole thing's great, with a lot more of a sly edge than you'd expect from the cover. Titles include "Summertime Groove", "The Street Dance", "Let's Start The Dance", "Listen To The Children Play", and "I Wonder Why". LP, Vinyl record album

Despite the name, and a concept that makes it seem like the record might be some throwaway disco set – the album's actually a good one, very much in the mode of the best uptempo soul on ABC at the time, but done without a vocalist. The album's arranged and conducted by McKinley Jackson, who was doing great work with Lamont Dozier on ABC – and the group features hip horn players like Pee Wee Ellis, George Bohannon, and Oscar Brashear, plus some ssolos by Lee Ritenour on guitar. Titles include "Funky Control", "Pressure Drop", "Dancing Machine", "Time Is Running Out", and "Boogie On Reggae Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing record – one of the best on Motown's short-lived Workshop Jazz subsidiary! The album is the first to feature Roy Brooks as a leader – and the super-hip drummer from Detroit really knows what to do with the opportunity! He's working here with a hip group that includes members of the Horace Silver quintet – including Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, and Gene Taylor on bass – as well as Detroit contemporaries George Bohannon on trombone and Hugh Lawson on piano. The overall style of the record is quite different from Brooks' work with Silver – and has a much more open-ended feeling emotionally – an early hint at the qualities that Roy would unveil on his rare indie sides at the start of the 70s. The tracks are a mix of soul jazz numbers and others with a rougher-hewn sense of modernism – almost like the excellent work coming out of Chicago during the early 60s, from artists like Gene Shaw or the MJT+3. All the players are at their best, and the album features some of the nicest tenor work we've ever heard from Cook. Titles include "Soulsphere", "Soulin", "Homestretch", "Passin The Buck", and "My Secret Passion". 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". CD

Seminal 70s work from one of the most righteous jazz musicians ever! On this set, Alice Coltrane moves past the rawer spiritual sound of her Impulse albums – working with a more focused vision and an approach to jazz that takes her way past the identity of just being "Mrs Coltrane", into territory that's a more perfect expression of her spiritual vision. The approach calls for more ambitious orchestrations, yet never in a way that overwhelms the jazz basis of the music – and Alice herself is on Fender Rhodes, organ, and harp – working with players who include Fred Jackson and Hubert Laws on reeds, Oscar Brashear on trumpet, George Bohannon on trombone, Charlie Haden on bass, Ben Riley on drums, and Armando Peraza on congas. Titles include "Spiritual Eternal", "Om Supreme", "Morning Workshop", "Wisdom Eye", and "Los Caballos". CD

A great bit of work from the hip LA scene that centered around the Nimbus label at the end of the 70s – a collective who work together here with the same spiritual jazz modes you'd find on labels like Tribe or Strata East! The group features some bigger names from the scene, including some solo Nimbus acts – plus some other overlooked players – a lineup that includes Henry Franklin on bass, George Bohannon on trombone, Wilbert Hemsley on tenor, Dadesi Komolafe on flute, Jeff Clayton on baritone, and Gary Bias on alto and soprano sax. The album's also got some beautiful vocals from BJ Crowley – who co-leads the group, and sings out with a proud righteousness that recalls some of Dee Dee Bridgewater or Jean Carn's early early soul jazz recordings. The tracks are all long and spiraling numbers – never really "out", but in a free searching mode that's a perfect platform for the piano work of the other co-leader, Kaeef Ruzadun. Titles include "One Step Out", "Flashback Of Time", "All Praises Due", and "Stars In Lightyear Time". LP, Vinyl record album

The one and only album by Exit 9 – an obscure funk combo who recorded this rare set for Brunswick in 1975! The group is extremely tight instrumentally – working at a very fast funky clip that's kind of similar to work by Bohannon or Sound Experience – both of whom shared Exit 9's pre-disco approach to dancefloor grooves – more fast-funk than the tighter club sound of later years, and proof that a funky combo could hit the dancefloor if it had the right groove! Most numbers have vocals, and instrumentation includes lots of nice guitar work that keeps a rawer edge on the tracks – choppy and gritty in a really great way. Tracks include "MFB", "Miss Funky Fox", "Fly", "Julie I Love You", "Jive Man", and "Rhapsody in Funk". CD

Later work from legendary jazz vibist Lionel Hampton – and a set that has him returning to the energy of the large group ensemble that first brought him fame in the 40s! Yet the style isn't 40s at all – and instead shows an evolved take on big band modes – similar to the great shift in the European scene of the 70s, as Hamp brings in a bit of electricity on the piano, organ, and guitar – mixing with a larger section of horns that have a surprisingly strong, screaming style – often over rhythms that are heavy in touches from funk and soul! Hamp gets to solo on the record, but the approach is often more focused on the overall sound too – in a lineup that includes Herman Riley and Paul Moen on saxes, Wild Bill Davis on organ, Walt Johnson and Oscar Brashear on trumpets, and George Bohannon, Tom McIntosh, Curtis Fuller, and Jimmy Cleveland on trombones! Tracks are nice and long, and full of colorful changes – on titles that include "Hamp & Dex", "Dr Lambchop", "Ko Ko", "Wail For The Cat", and "Tap Step". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive groover from Timmy Thomas – really hitting here on all burners, and moving with a groove that's much fuller than the drum machine fills of his early years! The sound is Miami club at its best – wickedly uptempo rhythms that are played with razor-sharp intensity – still mostly funk at the core, with lots of live instrumentation that moves at a precision that's hard to beat! Timmy still adds in some great sweet moments from time to time – reminding us of his skill with a ballad – but the groovers also push him into Bohannon territory – which is quite a compliment from us! King Sporty handled the arrangements and production – and definitely deserves credit for the grooves – and Betty Wright adds in a bit of sweet guest vocals too. Titles include "Touch To Touch", "When A House Got Music", "Game Of Life", "Africano", "Torrid Zone", "Love For The People", and "Sweet Music". CD

A really great look at some of the coolest material issued by Motown in the early days of the label – tracks from a brief foray into jazz, from a time when the company was testing the waters with some very hip material from the Detroit scene! The cuts here have a nice sort of grit – very much in the best soul jazz styles that bigger labels that Prestige or Argo/Chess were doing at the time – and the tracks also include some great work by artists caught in the very early days of their careers. Titles include "See You Later" and "I Did" by Johnny Griffith, "El Rig" and "Bobbie" by George Bohannon, "I Did" and "Falling In Love With Love" by Paula Greer, "Exodus" and "I Remember You" by Hank & Carol Diamond, "Opus No 3" and "March Lightly" by Earl Washington, and "Late Freight" and "Mellow In Cali" by Dave Hamilton. LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal 70s work from one of the most righteous jazz musicians ever! On this set, Alice Coltrane moves past the rawer spiritual sound of her Impulse albums – working with a more focused vision and an approach to jazz that takes her way past the identity of just being "Mrs Coltrane", into territory that's a more perfect expression of her spiritual vision. The approach calls for more ambitious orchestrations, yet never in a way that overwhelms the jazz basis of the music – and Alice herself is on Fender Rhodes, organ, and harp – working with players who include Fred Jackson and Hubert Laws on reeds, Oscar Brashear on trumpet, George Bohannon on trombone, Charlie Haden on bass, Ben Riley on drums, and Armando Peraza on congas. Titles include "Spiritual Eternal", "Om Supreme", "Morning Workshop", "Wisdom Eye", and "Los Caballos". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last albums ever issued by the great Cannonball Adderley – and one of the most ambitious, too! The set's a concept album – done in close collaboration with David Axelrod, in a similar spirit to some of Cannon's projects on the zodiac or the bible – but this time turned towards the legend of John Henry! The set's got some fuller orchestrations than some of the others – a bit of strings and a chorus, which sometimes gives the record the feel of a blacksploitation album, sometimes more of a Melvin Van Peebles project. Lead vocals are by Joe Williams, Randy Crawford, and Robert Guillaume – and the core combo features work from Cannonball on alto sax, Dawili Gonga on keyboards, Airto on percussion, and George Bohannon on trombone – on titles that include "Hundred an One Year", "Poundin", "The Steamdrill", "New Star Risin", "On His Bones", "Anybody Need A Big Man", "The Broomstick Song", and "Ten Mile Of Mountain". CD

A great bit of work from the hip LA scene that centered around the Nimbus label at the end of the 70s – a collective who work together here with the same spiritual jazz modes you'd find on labels like Tribe or Strata East! The group features some bigger names from the scene, including some solo Nimbus acts – plus some other overlooked players – a lineup that includes Henry Franklin on bass, George Bohannon on trombone, Wilbert Hemsley on tenor, Dadesi Komolafe on flute, Jeff Clayton on baritone, and Gary Bias on alto and soprano sax. The album's also got some beautiful vocals from BJ Crowley – who co-leads the group, and sings out with a proud righteousness that recalls some of Dee Dee Bridgewater or Jean Carn's early early soul jazz recordings. The tracks are all long and spiraling numbers – never really "out", but in a free searching mode that's a perfect platform for the piano work of the other co-leader, Kaeef Ruzadun. Titles include "One Step Out", "Flashback Of Time", "All Praises Due", and "Stars In Lightyear Time". CD

With Tom Scott on sax, George Bohannon on trombone, Kenny Kirkland on piano, John Patitucci on bass, and William Kennedy on drums. CD

A dozen tracks that really get at the heart of the growing underground soul movement in the US! As is well known if you read these pages a lot, the past few years have seen some of the most fervent indie soul work since the 70s – as artists, producers, and small labels are doing it for themselves, saying "f-you" to the majors, and releasing their own work under their own standards. The result has been some of the greatest soul music we've ever had the pleasure of stocking – and a nice slice of it is served up on this CD, which aims to document the rich untapped market for the music growing in the US. Titles include "Jail Generation" by Rohn Shead, "Daydreamin" by Kelli Sae, "When I See Love" by Lizz Fields, "Orbit" by Maiysha, "Build A Fire" by Michael Bohannon, "Where We Goin" by Mystique, "The Spirit Lingers On" by Ellis Hall, "I Like You" by Scott Jacoby, "Everybody's Talkin" by Cee Cee Michela, and "Endlessly" by Lasonya Gunter. CD

A second helping of new underground soul from the folks at Glory Records – an even better, and larger set of tracks than volume one! Neo Soul United 2 features a number of largely below-the-radar artists Dusty Groove has followed and adored for the last couple of years (Latanya Lockett, Michael Bohannon, Lisala, Mia Miata. . .), but there's also a number of artists we've only now come across, or haven't heard from in a while (like Ladybug Mecca, formally of Digable Planets!) All of which is to say that this one's a real joy to put in our racks – furthering our devotion to the many worthy soon-to-be soul stars in the underground, and serving as a healthy sign post for things we can look forward to in the coming months and years! 16 tracks: "Little Things" by Dan Metreyeon, "High Time" by Maisha, "Make Love Last Forever" by Michael Bohannon, "If I Need To Move On" by Ladybug, "Round And Round" by Latonya Lockett, "Bud" by Delia Harris, "Utopia" by Keith Robinson, "Come Talk To Me" by Harmon'e, "Music Is" by Mia Miata and more! CD

Excellent 2nd volume in this great series from BBE! 15 killer tracks of rare 70's soul and funk, with a special focus on tracks that have been used for hip hop samples, and those that have a nice moody mellow jazzy tip. Just about every cut's a winner, and the whole thing's a perfect blend of deep tracks that sound great together. Highlights include "Magic Ride" by Bobby Lyle, "Heart's Desire" by Don Blackman, "Save Their Souls" by Bohannon, "Keep It Up" by Milton Wright, "Can't Hide Love" by Creative Source, "Life Is Just A Moment (parts 1 & 2)" by Roy Ayers, "Wind Parade" by Donald Byrd, and lots lots more! Great tracks, heavy soul, and a very massive vibe! CD

Excellent stuff! This 3CD-only set features 1 full disc of funky classics from BBE's Strange Games & Things series, all mixed together by DJ Spinna, plus 2 more discs that feature the songs in unmixed versions! The whole thing's a beautiful batch of funky and jazzy cuts that have been sampled for hip hop tracks – with a total of 27 unmixed tracks, and one super-long mix! Titles include "Strange Games & Things" by Love Unlimited Orchestra, "Reasons" by Minnie Riperton, "Can't Hide Love" by Creative Source, "Lucky Fellow" by Leroy Hutson, "It's A Desperate Situation" by Marvin Gaye, "Wind Parade" by Donald Byrd, "Magic Ride" by Bobby Lyle, "Easy Money" by Dee Dee Sharp Gamble, "Secret Rendezvous" by Rene & Angela, "Save Their Souls" by Bohannon, "Elevate Your Mind" by Linda Williams, "Hunk Of Heaven" by Lemuria, "You Can't Run Away" by The Barkays, and "Bring Your Sweet Loving Back" by Starpoint. CD

Music from Jimmy Ruffin, Crown Heights Affair, the Joneses, Bohannon, Four Below Zero, the Tymes, Lyn Collins, Al Downing, Poison, Don Downing, the Glitter Band, and more. CD

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

Killer groovers from trumpeter Bobby Bryant – with more than enough force in the rhythms to make the entire earth dance! The mighty Wayne Henderson's along for the set, helping Bobby out – making one of his first steps away from the Jazz Crusaders to produce another artist – and really pointing the way towards some of his best jazz funk sessions of the 70s! The group is large, but mighty tight – and sports players like Ernie Watts on tenor, Joe Sample on keyboards, Herman Riley on saxes, Freddie Hill on trumpet, and George Bohannon on trombone – a wicked lineup that bounces nicely on electric basslines from Wilton Felder! There's a great crisp edge to all cuts – and titles include "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Happiness Is A Warm Gun", "Cristo Redentor", and Freddie Hubbard's "Crisis". LP, Vinyl record album