British Jazz Funk .. anyone a fan?

Fretwired

This thread could sink like a stone ...

Was clearing out some stuff today and came across a stash of my old jazz funk albums .. this was all the rage in the late 70s and early 80s and spawned Level 42 and Incognito. Here's a classic I have on 12" vinyl from a young band called Freeez .. the guitarist is Jean-Paul 'Bluey' Maunick who formed Incognito.



Sounds great turned up loud with all the slap bass ...

axisus

I'm partial to a bit of jazz funk, but I have to admit I never differentiate between British or otherwise.

EricTheWeary

I was trying to remember the name of this lot the other day and this Discussion has spurred me into action to find them again:

although they aren't probably really jazz funk, just jazzy and funky, or from the 80's but they are British.
Anyway, 80's jazz funk is what divides the Weary household, it's what MrsTheWeary was bopping to in nightclubs with names like Barbarellas when I was sat alone in my bedroom listening to Frank Zappa. Y'know, driving off on holiday with Radio 2 on and a jazz funk hit from the 80's comes on and MrsTheWeary is all this reminds me of being a student nurse and I'm all this is what I was avoiding by being home alone.

Fretwired

axisus said:

I'm partial to a bit of jazz funk, but I have to admit I never differentiate between British or otherwise.

The British jazz movement was very different from that in the US ..

Jez6345789

Oops think I once owned a Spiro Gyra album, or never returned it to a girlfriend. Those were the days adolescent sex and free albums

bigjon

I got into jazz-funk with Running-in-the-family-era Level42, around 1987, then got into acid jazz like Corduroy and early Jamiroquai. My personal favourite from the early 90s acid jazz stuff was Beehive, saw them live a couple of times, best funk drummer I've ever seen.

bigjon

I was in a j-f band Section 7 in the early 90s, formed by bassist Karl Clews, who went on to form Harambe and now Earthship. Here's a quick guitar-solo excerpt from our demo, with Karl slapping away!

Kebabkid

I like jazz funk as a whole and still think it was a great era and I like nothing more than having one of those Trevor Nelson compilation CDs on in the car. It's pure summer driving music.
 
I used to attend the "All Dayers" at The Lyceum and once went to Caister for a weekender which was a mix of DJs and live bands. Good music, good people and a lovely, peaceful happy vibe.

I tended to prefer US stuff but the British end was held up by bands such as Freeez, Light of the World, Incognito, Linx, and even The Real Thing and The Average White Band were in there too.

I liked Level 42's "The Early Tapes" but I think they could see there wasn't much commercial value in that stuff and swiftly moved onto their brand of poppy funk. They still sound good today and I caught a concert of there's from a year or so back on YT and they've still got it.

I tended to prefer bands like Morrissey Mullen and Paz who occasionally threw in a jazz-funk song but had stronger leanings towards instrumental smooth  jazz. Shakatak were in that vein too but I didn't like them.

Corduroy. Cor, I'd forgotten about them and they were excellent live.

I've always liked Jamiroquai and PB Underground are doing well to keep the soul/funk stuff alive and if you like funk drummers, check out Pete Ray Biggin, the band leader and also the drummer in Incognito and Level 42. Ooh look, we've come full circle! Oh, and the guitarist in PB is Ben Jones and he's the most wonderful funk player (I've mentioned him a good, few times on the forum).

Fretwired

@Kebabkid .. Caister, Morrisey Mullen, Paz ... brings back memories. I'll check out PB Underground ..

Kebabkid

Ah @Fretwired - we must be of a similar vintage. Pirate station Radio Invicta too?

The is Pete Ray Biggin in the studio and that's his guitarist, Ben Jones - I love this clip


Ben Jones is also in the houseband for The Voice and he's a great talent.

menamestom

I love the New Mastersounds.  They hark back more to the early roots of Jazz Funk, Grant Green kind of Blue note era sounds.  A bit of Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff.  Probably not exactly the same but they are British working in the US.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p37y3vqP_DM 

menamestom

Wait 'till the slap bass solo comes in.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5Vt65NzOQg

mudslide73

Howard: That is electro nonsense.

rlw

No.

Absolutely hate it.  That and opera.

GuyBoden

This is classic early British Funk:

Basher

Another New Mastersounds fan here. 

Not sure if it's strictly Jazz Funk in the way I understand the term (as in Miles Davis' Decoy & Tutu LPs). Wikipedia says they're "jazz fusion and funk" so maybe that's the same, unless of course it's one of those "People's Front of Judea" things. Still, they're British (OK, Yorkshire but it's near enough) and absolute killer players doing stuff with a clear Meters influence. Love Eddie Roberts' ES330 tone - clearly a man with a few Grant Green LPs in his collection:

equalsql

Huge fan here. I think the AWB where probably the best funk/soul band on the planet. In the early 80s Morrissey Mullen where probably my favourite UK band. Their 'Life On The Wire' album featuring the young Carol Kenyon was was/is superb.