It looks like 2009 is coming to a close, it came so fast, I really can’t believe it. It’s been a great year of digging, traveling, and making moves here at FMF. From the killer Asbury Park 45 Sessions with the AP 45 Crew, to record digging in the UK with DJ Andy Smith, drinking whiskey with the legendary Keb Darge, doing a 4 turntable, no practice, 4 hour show with DJ Un-G here in AP, opening up for the Budos Band in BK and Joss Stone here in AP, the all 45 gig at the Ace Hotel in NYC, hanging with really cool peeps like photographer Eilon Paz and one of the best collectors around Pat James Longo (who spun at the 45 Sessions and killed it!), to meeting a ton of new faces on here and out at live shows. I’m proud at what Flea Market Funk has become. It’s unbelievable that we’re approaching our third anniversary here in March, but we are. So, in honor of a good year, I figured why the hell not put out a mix as a tribute to 2009. You’ll notice that the cover is a dilapidated building. In fact, it’s one of my favorite buildings in Asbury Park. It’s been abandoned for years, and is now slated to get razed any day. It’s one of the remaining original downtown buildings in the center of town on Cookman Avenue. It’s been many things throughout the years, but has always stuck in my mind as a bar because of the giant LIQUOR sign up top. The photo reminds me of how these records can be abandoned and forgotten just like this building. It’s up the you and I to keep this music alive, ya dig? This mix has a bunch of stuff I dug up in the UK and in Asbury Park, at the Spot, and a few reissues and redits that I really enjoy and haven’t included on a mix yet. The mix starts off with a Modern Funk monster from Australia, and has everything from UK Library music, Disco Soul, Northern Soul, gritty Funk, and some Sweet Soul to round it off. You may recognize some voices on there as well in between tracks, I dug up a few oldies from some guest mixes I did years ago. Please enjoy this mix, and if you dig it, pass it on. It clocks in around 42 minutes.

FMF Vol. 35: Downtown: Raw Funk & Soul 45’s Tracklist
Intro
The Putbacks – Diamond Cutter/ Hope Street
Albert Jones – Vida Blue/ Tri-City Recording Company
Eddie Bo – If It’s Good To You (It’s Good For You)/ Scram
Jo Ann Garrett – I’m A Now Girl (Do It Now)/ Duo Records
Little Carl Carlton – Competition Ain’t Nothin’/ Back Beat
Herbie Hancock – Bringing Down the Birds (B-Boy Edit)/ MGM
Studio G’s Beat Group – Movin’/ Licorice Soul
LJ Waiters & the Electrifiers – If You Ain’t Gettin’ Your Thing/ La Shawn
Barbara St. Clair – Teacherman/ Soul 7
Willie Gresham and the Free Food Ticket – Step By Step/ Majesty
Sarah Webster Fabio – Sweet Songs/ Tramp Records
The Highlighters – Lulu/ Chess
Mayer Hawthorne and the County – Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out/ Stones Throw
The Messengers – California Soul/ Soul
Outro by Mike G of the Jungle Brothers

Download or Listen to FMF Vol. 35: Downtown: Raw Funk & Soul 45’s

Thank You for all your support of Flea Market Funk in 2009, and I’ll be back in 2010 even better. Most importantly, Keep Diggin’!

Out of the depths of this shitty weather, comes a shining light.  It was the Asbury Lanes Record Show and Garage Sale.  I had forgotten that it was going to pop up, and this one I didn’t want to miss.  I’ve missed a few over the last several times, and since Liverpool were playing Arsenal (what a shite result, let’s not speak on it), I figured I’d go after for a Sunday dig.  The weather was dreadful, and surprisingly, there were a lot of record vendors set up for business.  The usual suspects were around (DJ Prime Mundo had hung out for the first half of the L’pool match then hit the show, and DJ Jack the Ripper was also selling): Hell Bob and Silent G, plus Reggae LaMar, and bunch of new people.  For the most part, the new vendors didn’t really get me that excited (bins of Prog Rock and 80’s hits on 45 I can easily pass up).  Just when I thought it might be a dud show, I ripped into a few crates that yielded some good scores.  It was nice to catch up with some old friends, get a few bits of vinyl, as well as hook up with a Studio 1 shirt. It didn’t really help that there was some Hippy Phil Lesh fest going on at the Convention Center, but I was able to push pass the patchoili oil and get down to business. Small digging is better than NO diggin! Here are the scores for the day:

Lp’s:

Multiplication Rock – OST/ Capitol
Shirley Scott – The Soul Is Willing/ Prestige
Gil Scott-Heron – Pieces of A Man/ Flying Dutchman
Boris Gardiner – Soulful Experience/ Dynamic
Massive Attack – Any Love/ Massive Attack Record 12″

45’s

The Honey Comb – Want Ads/ Hot Wax
The Sylvers – Fool’s Paradise/ Pride
Etta James – Out On the Street Again/ Chess
The Messengers – California Soul/ Soul

Listen to or Download The Putbacks “Diamond Cutter” on Hope Recordings

After a long weekend and the beginning of an even longer week, I bring you something new. I get a lot of mail here at Flea Market Funk. A lot is putting it lightly. In fact, I get so much if I do not respond to you quickly, it’s not because I don’t like you. It’s because my mail pile (and mailbox) are more than full, and I’m trying to juggle a crazy life and this site. That being said, have no fear, I will get back to all of you. I promise. Ok, this record is a new release I like to get some Modern stuff once in a while, and I’m pretty excited about this bad boy. Let’s get into The Putbacks on Hope Street Recordings with “Diamond Cutter”.

From their MySpace page: “The PutBacks are known for their deep funky groove and their dirty, raw and melodic sound. After years as a backing band for vocalists such as Kate Ceberano and Nat Dunn, the PutBacks began peddling their own brand of raw instrumental funk in 2007.”

“The PutBacks lay down a groove exactly how I want to hear it: With super-heavy authentic tones, attitude and feel…” – Lance Ferguson (The Bamboos/Lanu)

Hope Recordings is based out of Victoria, Australia, and their studio is an abandoned textile mill and karate school in Brunswick. How cool is that? This record was a split 7″ with Chantal Mitvalsky. The Putbacks are made up of Tom Martin on guitar, Mick Meagher on bass, Rory McDouggall on drums, and Steve Teakle on organ. As if Austrailia’s Bamboos weren’t stirring up enough of the Funk pot Down under, The Putbacks “put yo’ back” into some mighty fine grooves on this one. Originally released in March ‘09, I just got a hold of this thing. Late pass! The beginning organ breaks into a JB’s-esque groove and then rips right open. If the JB’s had their own monorail, the Putbacks have a steam train that runs right from Australia directly to every record player in the world. A superb opening effort from these guys. This is exactly what FMF likes to see and hear. This is what Funk music is all about. Keep Diggin’!

The FMF world tour continues…..the photo above was from my good friend Eilon Paz, who took this shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina. That’s a FMF sticker. The Funk and Soul has no boundaries. We’re worldwide. Many Thanks Eilon!

Hello FMF Family. Here’s some treats from London once again. This time it’s a good one. In fact, I wasn’t even aware it was going to happen, and I’m glad it worked out the way it did. While we were digging, Andy mentioned he had a gig at Colourful Radio. It’s been a while since I had my radio show, and honestly I do miss it. So, that being said, we headed over to Vauxhall in South London to the Studio. We went a bit early, because there was a killer Reggae show on before, Papa Face was filling in for the normal DJ who was out. He also had Soul Warrior (Big Youth’s cousin!) in the studio as well. They were playing the best Reggae, so it was an honor just to sit in on the show, and take in some of these great Reggae tunes. By the time Andy started his show, I was flying high, and in the second hour of Boogie, Northern Soul, Jump Blues and Reggae, we both played a bunch of the records we had dug up that day. Below is the MP3 version of the show.

You can hear Andy Smith every Wednesday Night at 12 Midnight (that’s 7PM for you EST people here in the US) on Colourful Radio or DAB in London , and look for the live streaming link or link to Andy’s page. This is highly recommended by FMF, and not because the guy is my friend. There are some great shows with music you don’t hear, and Wednesday nights you get a double shot! On Friday I will revisit my night at Lost and Found with Andy and the legendary Keb Darge. See you then. Keep Diggin’!

Download or Listen to Andy Smith’s Radio Show from 11 12 09 on Colourful Radio in London with Special Guest Flea Market Funk

Wall of Fame, Tottenham London

Well people, I made it back from the UK in one piece. I stayed with the Big Man over in East London, and he showed me what’s happening as far as London sights go. The first few days were spent getting my bearings, eating Full English breakfasts, drinking tea, visiting football grounds, and playing tourist. Thank you very much Big Man for that side of London. While in London, however, I knew I needed to get in some digging. I had a put a call into DJ Andy Smith before I left to try and secure a few days of digging. Andy met me in Central London and we hit up a few used record shops in that part of town. I was really surprised to see Jazz pieces and even late 70’s Lonnie Liston Smith Lps going for upwards of €35. That’s over $50 US. So to say the least, records are a bit expensive in London. We, however, went to some places that weren’t so expensive. I was able to to get some cool Funk pieces for €5 and €6, as well as a bunch for 50p each. I tried to stick to 7 inches though, because I had limited space coming home. I managed to get some great records, and am looking forward to spinning them out as well as putting them on future Flea Market Funk Mixes. I was lucky enough to get to the Soul Jazz shop, where I bought some great stuff, and got to meet Earl from the Trojan Sound System. The guy is definitely a heavy hitter in the Reggae scene. Check out the song on his page over the Classic riddim, wicked and wild man. From there we hit up a few more used spots and then went back to Andy’s house where his wife cooked us a great dinner. We played some classic Phoenix on a stand up video machine, played 45’s on his jukebox, and talked about records and music all night. I’m very pleased that I got to hook up with Andy. He is a great friend, a talented DJ and digger, and just an all around good guy. We share the same outlook on music and DJing, and it’s unbelievable how we’ve almost led parallel lives on opposite sides of the Atlantic, of course he has found more success. We both really enjoy what we do musically, and I guess that’s a great way to stay happy working. He invited me to go on his radio show on Colourful Radio , where I got to sit in, take in the great vinyl he was spinning, and play some finds I got digging that day. That is going to be a separate post though, and I’ll have audio you can download. It was a good time, great music, and I’m excited for you guys to check it out. We went out the following evening, after a day of digging ( wicked, wicked Reggae shop, that’s where the top photo was taken) to Peter Parker’s, where The Gene Drayton Unit was playing. They’re a kick ass, five piece Jazz band. Really great stuff. Their cover of “Bringing Down the Birds” was ironic, as I had just purchased a reedit (or re-lick as Andy calls it) of the tune. Highly recommended! I also spent a night with Andy and the legendary Keb Darge at their night at Madame Jo Jo’s in London, my last night in the city. It was a killer time, and when I get all the photos sorted out, I will write that up as well. I’m glad to be back, I have some new vinyl and choons to share, so let’s get it started this week shall we? Keep Diggin’!

Here’s a few photos to hold you over:

Andy’s Jukebox, with a great assortment of 45s!

Gene Drayton Unit

Jazz man, Jazz!

Robert from Zen Records. This man KNEW his Reggae.

London Scores
45s:
Tom Newton – Vida Blue/ Tri-City Recording Company ( I called him Albert Jones on the radio..oops!)
Studio G’s Beat Group – Hi, Bird/ Licorice Soul
Barbara St. Claire – Teacherman/ Soul 7
Herbie Hancock – Bringing Down the Birds (B-Boy redit)/ White Label MGM
Black Slate – Amigo/ Ensign
Rae and Christain feat. Bobby Womack – Get a Life/ Central
Jackie Beavers – Mr. Bump Man (Give Me A Hand) Part 2/ Buddah
Pig Bag – Papa’s Got A Brand New Pig Bag/ Y Records
Janet Kay – Silly Games/ Scope
LJ Waiters & the Electrifiers – If You Ain’t Getting Your Thing/ La Shawn
Dennis Brown – Money In My Pocket/ Lightning Records
Harry J Allstars – Liquidator/ Harry J

Download or Listen to Matt Robinson – Roosevelt Franklin Counts from the Sesame Street Lp My Name Is Roosevelt Franklin

I got the idea to do this post after I put up the Village Choir’s “The Switch”. Sesame Street has a long history with music and musical guests. The multicultural children’s learning show on public access has had an affiliation with music since it’s inception. With everyone ranging from Tony Bennett to Cab Calloway to Stevie Wonder to Johnny Cash to Ray Charles to Paul Simon to Herbie Hancock and beyond, Jim Henson’s creation has become a world wide sensation for kids and adults alike. Take that and add the Muppet Show into the mix (not to mention feature films, etc.), and music and entertainment guests would have been honored to be on the daily and weekly shows. I mean, who wasn’t funkier than Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem? At any rate, here’s Matt Robinson with “Roosevelt Franklin Counts” from the My Name is Roosevelt Franklin Lp on Children’s Records of America from 1974.

Now I know what you’re saying? Why the hell is he doing this goofy novelty children’s record? Why not! Just because it’s a child’s record, it can be funky! For those of you not in the know, Roosevelt Franklin was a character on Sesame Street from 1970 to 1975. Modeled after an African American child, Roosevelt Franklin was always talking about Black History, life lessons, family, and geography. He was voiced by Matt Robinson who played Gordon. He also did the voices of Roosevelt Franklin’s younger brother Baby Ray, and mush mouthed Mobity Mosely. Robinson stated “”Somewhere around four or five,” “a black kid is going to learn he’s black. He’s going to learn that’s positive or negative. What I want to project is a positive image.” And project that image he did. Robinson wrote movies and television after he left Sesame Street (most notably Sanford and Son), and is the father of actor Holly Robinson-Peete (of 21 Jump Street fame). Sesame Street was indeed ground breaking television, teaching children (and some adults) through their educational, multi-racial skits about life, and the lessons that go with it. To me, after digging deeper and finding out about the Village Soul Choir and their affiliation with Sesame Street, I thought I’d throw something out there a bit different. Children’s records are no stranger to breaks, I mean from the Brady Bunch to Zoom to The Banana Splits to Bugs Bunny to British Stuff like Ragtime, while campy, are some funky ass shit. I mean Prince Paul even sampled Harrell and Sharron Lucky when he produced Three Feet High and Rising for De La Soul. They may have been imitating Sesame Street in a low budget way, but it was so good that Stones Throw reissued it. The funkiest Sesame Street song in my opinion was done by The Pointer Sisters, ( Pinball Number Count), but I believe it was just on the show, not an Lp. I’m just saying, there’s Funk and Soul in lots of things, even kid’s albums.

“Roosevelt Franklin Counts” is a goofy, if not cool little side helping kids to know the importance of counting. The decent drum beat, horn part, and bass line are pretty good for a kid’s Lp in 1974. Franklin likes to “scat, rhyme, and sing the Blues” according to his biography, and that he does. Matt Robinson and Joe Raposo composed the lyrics and Robinson handled vocals (with help from Rosalind Cash). This is just another example of a record, that’s not necessarily a record you might pick up. I picked it up because I remember RF from when I was a kid. I was pleasantly surprised at the sampling material on it. I used to actually play this out when I DJ’d in NYC. A certain bar owner (who no longer owns the bar), tried to steal this record, claiming he just wanted to make a T-Shirt. Likely story. I got the thing back quickly. That’s your midweek treat, so enjoy it while you can. Keep Diggin’!

Pointer Sisters Meet Sesame Street Pinball Count

Download or listen to The Village Choir – The Switch from the Paramount 45

Here we are at the beginning of the week. The weather sucked until yesterday. However, this weekend, football wise was fantastic. The Red Bulls won their final game ever played at the Swamp, and Liverpool crushed Man. U 2-nil at home. I couldn’t have asked for better football. We did it without Stevie G. and Sir Alex had to go home and drink lots of wine and whiskey to get over it. But I digress, we’re here for records, and here’s something I picked up a few years ago, have definitely played live, and included on a FMF mix. Here is The Village Choir with “The Switch” from 1973 on Paramount Records.

Not a tremendous amount of info around about this band. They were a New York City band I believe, and at least one member, guitar player Edward Arrington, Jr., ex-Motown backing player, recorded with the band Village Soul Choir on their “Talk To Me Sometime” 45 in 1972. I do not know how the Village Soul Choir morphed in Village Soul Choir, but Arrington was involved with that as well. This record was produced by Sir Charles Matthews and arranged by Clip Hightower. Matthews described the band as ” a choir that sang R & B and Pop. Village denoted the sound in it’s uniqueness, Soul denoted that it was church oriented, and Choir denoted it was heavy.” I was able to find out that it was recorded in George Klabin’s 46th Street studio called Sound Ideas, with Geoff Daking engineering the sessions. The Village Soul Choir also recorded one helluva children’s record in “Soul on Sesame Street”. The players also included arranger Clip Hightower, Don Otis Parker, Pat McQueen, Dolores Cooper, and Jimmy Marshall. The released a 45 that was included on that record of “The Cat Walk” (the bass line on this thing is KILLER).

“The Switch” starts out with a stanky little bass line, and a decent little beat. Honestly, before I did any research for this record, I just chalked it up to a funky, sexy lil’ number. I didn’t take into the consideration the Church influence the band members had, and as I’m listening it to it again, I hear the Gospel influence. It almost has a traditional/ folk quality to the lyrics, like some spirituals that would be sung at home on a Sunday. Then it switches (no pun intended). The string arrangement gets pretty tough, and the chorus of “rickity rack, sock boom bah”, while kind of corny, still fits in with this Funky Soul piece. I’m definitely feeling this on a late Sunday/ early Monday morning. Hopefully you will too. Keep Diggin’!

Check Out some of this Children’s Funk Gold! (Not sure if it’s the Village Soul Choir but it’s FUNKY as hell!

All I have to say is WOW! What a great night in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We got up to Brooklyn early and hit SEA for some really great Thai food. With full bellies we proceeded to Berry Park. It was just filling up and my man Dave from Truth and Soul was dropping some really great 45’s to get the mood set. Up next came DJ Young (Old) Chris from Big City Records in Manhattan. The guy is notorious for having heat, and honestly, the shit he dropped was insane. Little by little the place filled up, and when I dropped my first 45, it was on. I couldn’t have asked for a better response, seriously. From the first record to the last, I had a lot of people coming up and asking me about sides, and generally digging my set. It felt pretty good. I haven’t spun in Williamsburg in a minute, and I got some love, which is really appreciated. After my set, Damu the Fudgemunk brought his beats and samples as the place was already jam packed. By the time the Budos got on, the place was banging. I stayed for a bit of their set, but my 16+ hour day was catching up to me, (not to mention the delicious Lambic/ Heffeviezen gigantic beers I was drinking). I’m upset I didn’t get to catch Voodoo Funk’s set (because the guy has HEAT and you know it), but there will be another time.

Huge shout out to Dave from Truth and Soul, Dan from the Budos (and all the guys as well), my NJ and PA peeps that came out, Eilon from Dust and Grooves, James for finally getting together after way too long, Tom from Belgium (yeah Belgium!) that came to the show, and everyone else who showed some love Flea Market Funk’s way. It is much appreciated people. No love to the dude who smashed my beer causing it to go over my headphones and a pile of 45’s. Looking forward to getting back to Billyburg real soon. Cheers. Keep Diggin’!

Repping Asbury Park!

DJ Prestige Set 10.22.09

The DT6 – The Baden Persuader/ Starla
Nolan – I Like What You Give/ Lizard
Don Gardner – My Baby Likes To Boogaloo/ Tru-Glo-Town
King Rubin & the Counts – Cow Peas/ Top Pop
Faye Ross – Faith, Hope, and Trust/ Round
Myron & E w/ the Soul Investigators – Cold Game/ Timmion
Panic buttons – O-Wow/ Gamble
The Interpretations – Soul Affection/ Bell
Lou Courtney – Hey Joyce/ Popside
Jackie Lee – African Boo-Ga-Loo/ Keyman
Freddie Terrell & the Soul Expedition Band – Soul Know How To Make Music/ Shout
Lavell Kamma – I Can Help You Find Yourself/ Jewel
Bill Doggett – Honky Tonk Popcorn/ King
Wee Willie Mason – Funky Funky Hot Pants/ Jay-Walking
The Fabulous Counts – Jan Jan/ Moira
TNT Band – The Meditation/ Cotique
Foxy – Trouble/ Double Shot
Shirley Brown – I Ain’t Gonna Tell/ Abet
The Johnny Otis SHow – The Watts Breakaway/ Epic
Monica – I Don’t Know Nothign Else To Tell You, But I Love You/ Toxsan
Betty Harris – Mean Man/ Sansu
Marvin Holmes & the Uptights – Ooh Ooh the Dragon/ Uni
Nina Simone – Save Me/ RCA
Paul Humphrey & His Cool Aid Chemists – Funky LA/ Lizard
Ray Barretto – Soul Drummers/ Fania
Lavell Hardy – Don’t Lose Your Groove/ Rojac
Willie & the Mighty Magnificents – Funky (8) Corners Pt. 1/ All Platinum
Sugar Billy – Super Duper Love/ Fast Track

Gotta bring some AP to the BK.

Old and New friends, plus some Fancy beers!

Well kids, you knew it was gonna happen again. I’ll be DJing in Brooklyn (at a rooftop bar with Bier Garden no less!), and it’s with the Budos again. Last year’s gig at S.O.B.’s in Manhattan was a trip, and this gig is going to be off the hook as the hipsters say. Not only will the Budos be bringing the heat out of Shaolin, the rest of the artists aren’t too shabby either. Voo Doo Funk (the best obscure African Funk around, PERIOD), DJ Old Chris, and Damu the Fudgemunk will also be providing the entertainment as well. Big ups to Dave over at Truth and Soul Records for getting me linked up to this colossal event (and I finally had a night off to do it). I’m going to be doing an all 45 set from 10 til 11. So if you’re in the area, come on out, have a beer, listen to some great music, and have a blast. I’ll be trying to get up early to meet some friends, get some decent food, and bring back some Stumptown coffee to the Dirty Jerz. Hope to see some of you Brooklyn/ NYC heads out. Keep Diggin’!

Download or Listen to Jorge Ben – Cuidado Com O Bulldog from the 1975 Phillips Lp Solta O Pavao

This week is gonna be kind of sparse, unfortunately. I’m DJing a bunch this week, including tonight for the Nixon after party for a surf contest in Seaside, NJ, plus preparing for the Budos Band gig in Brooklyn on Thursday the 22nd. I’ll be doing an all 45 set alongside DJ Old Chris, Voodoo Funk, and Damu the Fudgemunk. Unfortunately, this weekend was really not my weekend. Pair that with a couple of Nor’Easters here in New Jersey and the weekend was pretty bad. But, and this is a big but, I’m pressing on. I bought this record from my man over at Soul Spectrum, pretty much all things Brazilian. It’s a mighty damn fine blog, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, I suggest you do. Since the Winter really is here, I thought I’d revisit a bit of Summer to lift my spirits a little. This guy always gets me amped, and if you have no idea who this man is, I suggest you get familiar. Here’s Jorge Ben with “Cuidado Com O Bulldog” on Phillips records.

Born Jorge Duilio Lima Menezes in 1940 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1940, Jorge Ben has had a great musical career doing it all his way. He too had his start in the church and was influenced as well as encourgaed by his mother to be a musician. Originally a pandiero player (Brazilian tambourine), Jorge became quite good at bossa nova guitar. Musically, he was influenced by players such as Gilberto Gil and Joao Gilberto, but took his own path. His song “Mas Que Nada” started his career off right in 1963. From there he never looked back. Combining, traditional Brazilian music, bossa nova, rock, and even African rhythms, Jorge Ben is a tremendous musician in his own right. While “Mas Que Nada” has been covered by everyone, including Sergio Mendes and Brazil ‘66 and the Tamba Trio, the cut was one of the most popular songs of all time sung in Porteguese, even here in the United States. His self titled record in 1969, backed by Trio Mocot (who were successful in their own right after playing with Ben) gave way to more success with the sides “País Tropical and “Charles, Anjo 45″. The 70’s were Jorge Ben’s most experimental time. He would release “A Tábua de Esmeralda”, “Solta o Pavão” ( where this side comes from) and “África Brasil” ( which DJ Prime-Mundo just got a clean copy of at the Spot!). As usual, atthe time the records were met with some tepid, lukewarm feelings and reviews. Fast forward to today and people want them. I was lucky to get this record, and I paid a few bucks for it, but you never see this stuff around really (At least in my experience). Jorge Ben would change his name to Jorge Benjor in 1989. He still continues to do his thing today, and he does it well.

“Bulldog” starts off rather fast, maybe a little frantic, but then transitions right into the Jorge Ben we all know and love. Slow and steady Ben moves through this side leaving me feeling refreshed, wishing I had a caipirinha prepared by my man DJ APB. Ben takes us out fast and furious again. I love this tune. It may not be funky in the traditional Flea Market Funk funky, but it’s one helluva side. I ask all of my readers to check out Jorge Ben if you haven’t. He is one incredibly talented musician, that I feel is overlooked. My man Prime-Mundo got me into him back in the day, and I thank him for it. Even though I love the Fall/ Winter, I needed to go back to a warmer time, and this song did the trick. Keep Diggin’!

Just got this from the good folks over at Truth and Soul. I’ll be doing an all 45 set in Brooklyn on Thursday October 22nd at 10 PM along side great DJ’s and artists DJ Old Chris, Voodoo Funk, and beats provided by Damu the Fudgemunk. If you haven’t checked out any of these T&S parties, now’s your chance. It will be at Berry Park, a cool rooftop bar complete with Bier Garden. Now if you haven’t seen The Budos Band and you will be in the NYC area, I suggest you check them out. It’s gonna be a great night of live music, beats and great records. Hope to see you out. Keep Diggin’!

This weekend had it’s ups and downs. Although I did get some digging in (and got a few really great records), during my Saturday Night gig, one of my turntables crapped out. Not fun when you have a roomful of people who want to shake their collective arses. Now at this particular gig I use Serato (go ahead with the boos, I know, but as a guy who DJ’s 3 to 4 nights a week it’s a must), and was able to get through it with one turntable in tact. So today after I picked up my new turntable, I decided to add a bit of what I do live and record it. It’s no secret that I like to add in some Rock now and again, as well as 80’s and anything else that has a good beat (besides the Hip Hop, Breaks, Soul, and Funk). That’s how the Tasty Beats party came about, and that has inspired me to do this very different podcast. This mix is raw, live and far from perfect. It was done all in one take in the FMF lab. It’s got mostly Rock stuff on it, hopefully you will enjoy something a bit different here this Monday Morning. Keep Diggin’!

Download or Listen To Something Completely Different: Raw Rock Vol. 1 – FMF Bonus Mix

I have been getting a bunch of e mails regarding my digging, The Spot, and records in general. Due to my hectic work schedule (which has slowed down a bit thankfully), my digging wasn’t as much as it once was. That’s ok, because I have plenty of records that need to be reviewed, and I have been getting in mini digs when I can. I wasn’t even supposed to go digging today, but when someone suggested it, I pushed aside the shitty weather forecast and make my way to The Spot. It was later than usual, and I really didn’t expect to get anything really. My steez is too get to the place early, get the records, and get out of Dodge while I can (with my wallet and records in tact). The first crates I looked in looked pretty promising. There were a bunch of older DJ crates, with the usual 12″s, assorted Funk and Soul Lps, and some Jazz, Classic Hip Hop, and Disco. I picked through, grabbed a huge stack of goodies and inquired about the price. When the response was “$5 a piece”, I knew that things were starting to change dramatically at my local. I know it’s not a secret anymore, but $5 a pop? I’m payin’ $1-2 for these Lps at the most, and now it’s doubled and tripled? I worked out a deal and came out under that, but to start the day like that was a bit annoying. You know the deal here, good records on the cheap. I don’t dig to pay E Bay prices, I don’t come to pay record show prices, if I did I’d have to change my name. At any rate, the rest of the day was pretty fruitful. I saw some of the regs: Johnny No Change was chasing kids and selling Rock records, the Old Man was doing his thing, Half Cigar was selling junk, and the I presume since it was late, most of the other characters were off pushing people out of their way at yard sales or calling the police on each other because someone got to a box of records first. Whatever the case, I was happy with what I picked up. When you don’t spend a lot of loot either, that’s even more of a bonus. Here’s what I got my hands on.

Lps:

Bill Black’s Combo – Bill Black’s Beat Goes On/ Hi
Red Foxx – Foxx-A-Delic/ Loma
The Pentangles – Sweet Child/ Reprise
Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band – Evolution/ Sussex
Donny Hathaway – Everything Is Everything/ Atco
Kool and the Gang – Music Is the Message/ De-Lite
The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – Together/ Warner Bros.
The Afro Blues Quintet plus One – Introducing/ Mira
Jimmy Smith – Midnight Special/ Blue Note
Idris Muhammad – Black Rhythm Revolution/ Prestige
Cal Tjader – Soul Bird: Whiffenpoof/ Verve
The Soul Children – Friction/ Stax

45s:

Hot Sauce – I’d Kill A Brick (About My Man)/ Volt

Download or Listen to Lonnie Smith – See Saw from the Blue Note Lp Turning Point

Here we go midweek again, and I’m excited to be able to lay another All 45 Mix on the Flea Market Funk family. I’ve got a ton more in me, including some guest mixes, so stay tuned for that. This next record I picked up over the last few weeks. It’s kind of funny too, because I get records from all over, and in some particular spots, dudes are really trying to give it a go. They’ll buy whole record collections, and put every Samba, bad 80’s, and Big Band records out for sale. They will charge inflated prices for common records. They will take a major label pressing of a record and turn around and sell me the private label record (that the artist sold out of his trunk). Most of all, they will talk to me about Funk and Soul like I don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about. That’ how I got this record. There’s more in the Jazz genre than John Coltrane (although if I find them on the cheap I always buy them). I don’t claim to be an expert, I just like what I like, and know what I know. I buy records to play, and I like good music. I’m not paying a grand for a record, sorry, so I will not pay an inflated E Bay price for a record I’m gonna play out. The rant is over. But I digress, we will now get into some Lonnie Smith and “See Saw” on Blue Note Records from 1969.

Dr. Lonnie Smith was born in 1942 in Lackawanna, New York. His family was musically inclined, and Smith got involved with the church through Gospel singing, as well as in vocal groups in the 1950’s. He started out playing the trumpet, but he switched to Hammond B3. Self taught on the organ (from listening to Bill Doggett and Jimmy Smith records), he immediately became an expert at it, somewhat of a local legend on the organ. Playing at Buffalo’s famous Pine Grill, got the attention of players such as George Benson and Jack McDuff. This drove him to go to NYC (as so many Jazz cats did in that era) to play. With Benson, there was an instant connection on and off stage, and Smith became part of the George Benson Quartet in 1966. They released two records as a quartet before Smith would venture out solo. When Finger Lickin’ Good (B Boys steal that name from Check Your Head?) came out on Columbia in 1967, Smith had Benson on Guitar, Melvin Sparks on Guitar, Marion Booker on Drums, and Ronnie Cuber on Saxophone. It was his hook up with Lou Donaldson that started his long relationship with Blue Note. Check out Alligator Boogaloo, Mr. Shing-A-Ling, and Midnight Creeper if you need proof. Smith’s presence at this time at Blue Note was important, and he churned out Soul Jazz records such as Think! , this full length Turning Point . He would also put out Move Your Hand and Live! At Club Mozambique (where I first discovered him). I’d highly recommend that record if you haven’t checked it out. Smith worked with the best of the best in Jazz: Lee Morgan to Blue Mitchell to Lou Donaldson to Norman Connors to Idris Muhammad to Ron Carter to Reuben Wilson to Jimmy McGriff and beyond. His Soul Jazz sides made his East Coast presence in the Jazz community grow country and world wide. In the 70’s Smith would convert to Sikhism. This new, life changing outlook did not deter his touring. He played smaller venues with a variety of sidemen. I’m wondering if he ever played the West side of Asbury Park, NJ, which boasted up to 40 clubs back in the day. Smith went on to put out records on Kudu, Groove Merchant, and even TK among others. He is a legend on the B3 and keeps great company with Groove Holmes, Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, and Shirley Scott. He’s easily one of my top Jazz organ players, just an unmistakable sound. Still touring and playing today at the age of 67, he shows no signs of slowing down.

“See Saw” is a cover of the Don Covay/ Steve Cropper tune. From the slow moving Smith organ in the beginning to Leo Morris’s drums, this killer piece of Soul Jazz changes moods into som Jazz Funk all through out the 5 minutes and 45 seconds of the side. Lee Morgan shines on this people as well. His trumpet solo is just what the good Doctor ordered, among the blazing guitar of Melvin Sparks. Let’s not forget players such as Bernie Mauphin on Tenor Sax and Julian Preister on Trombone. These cats aren’t too shabby either. This tune is well worth the price of admission itself, but the rest of the LP is a hit too. While Aretha Franklin made her mark with this song as well as Smith, I think the Smith side is the better of the two. Not to take anything away from Lady Soul, but I have a soft spot for the Hammond B-3. This my friends, was a good score. Enjoy and I’ll see you again soon. Keep Diggin’!!

Well, it’s been a long time coming, but I finally buckled down and made a new mix. Hopefully I will be able to start churning these out on a more regular basis again. My work schedule has been hectic, and I don’t have that extra time to make the mixes like I used to. I’m going to try, I really am. I have plenty of records piled up for about 10 mixes, so at least here’s a start. For this one I combined a really great group of Deep Funk, Sister Soul, and even a Reggae tune that I had dug up in the field and in various trades/ purchases to make this All 45 mix work. I brought out this children’s educational record as well to bring the theme together. It’s all about saying “NO!”. This particular record I sampled had a creepy, fuzzy Funk side that I might review in the near future. Who says the dangers of strangers can’t produce a Funky side? Thanks to all who were patient, and thanks to Mike G from the Jungle Brothers for giving me the shout out. So like the J. Beez Comin’ Through, here’s the latest FMF Podcast:

Number 34, It’s Ok To Say No! Tracklist

Mike G of the Jungle Brothers Intro
Nolan – I Like What You Give/ Lizard
Bill Doggett – Honky Tonk Popcorn/ King
Earnest Jackson – Hogwash/ Stone Records
Bo Diddly – I’m High Again/ Checker
King Rubin and the Counts – Cow Peas/ Top Pop
Betty Harris – Mean Man/ Sansu
Willie West & The high Society Brothers – The Devil Gives Me Everything Pt. 1/ Timmion
Lavell Kamma – I Can’t Help You Find Yoursel/ Jewel
Marva Whitney – Ball of Fire/ King
Reynaldo Domino – Don’t Go Away/ Blue Rock
Etta James – All The Way Down/ Chess
Faye Ross – Faith, Hope, & Trust/ Round
Delroy Wilson – Cool Operator/ White Label JA

Download or Listen to It’s Ok To Say No – FMF Vol. 34 Podcast

Keep Diggin’!!

Download or Listen To Pat Kelly – Cool Operator from a White Label JA 7″

**Thanks Charles who pointed out that the Pat Kelly record was really Delroy Wilson! The white label/ record sleeve was really wrong! This does happen, and hopefully I can dig up some Pat Kelly for all of you. A huge thanks to a guy who’s been listening to Reggae for 40 year! Sorry for the confusion folks!

As Fatboy Slim once said: “The weekend starts here……” Here we are folks at the end of another grinding week. I hope you all enjoyed the Funky Soul of Miss Betty Harris mid week. Before I get into an extremely cool record from Jamaica, I wanted to shout my man Devil Dick out for his birthday. The old dog has made it through another year, and hopefully got himself a pair of new Pop Pop shoes for the digging season. I hope your day was great my brother, many more to you! As I was writing this I got a call from the Old Dog and we hit up the best sushi restaurant around with the JJB. There was some company missing, but there will be a next time. Before I go on and on about good friends some more, let’s jump into this record. I’m really excited about this side. Here’s Pat Kelly with “Cool Operator” on a white label 7″ from Montego Bay.

Born in 1949 in Kingston, Jamaica, Kelly was a notable Rocksteady artist of his time. He was known as the Curtis Mayfield of Jamaica, and soon went on to front The Techniques, who formed in 1966. Consequently, this Curtis Mayfield sound alike and his new band liked to do Impression covers, and they did them well. He split from the Techniques in 1968, only to reunite with them again and have a series of Soul covers done Reggae that were hits in JA. From Mayfield to The Impressions to The Temptations to James Carr to George Harrison, Kelly has really covered a lot of Soul in his own way. He’d go on to work with Hopeton Lewis and Winston Riley among others, while also recording for Lee Perry and Bunny Lee, who I believe this side was recorded for. Kelly continued to make music on Pama Records and it’s subsidiary Gas Records. He collaborated with Phil Pratt on the Cool Breezing Lp, and remained in the game until the late 70’s.

“Cool Operator” is a great Rocksteady side, where Kelly professes his infatuation and love to a certain woman. I don’t have a lot of information on this side, other than it’s hand stamped label that reads: Record City, 26 James street, Montego Bay, and a hand written “Cool Operator” on the label with pen. This side is definitely associated with Bunny Lee, as there is a B.L. etched into the vinyl. I’ve got not much more to say, except this goes out to a real Cool Operator, you know who you are. I’ll be back Monday with more goodness. Keep Diggin’!

Download or listen to Betty Harris – Mean Man from the Sansu 45

I wanted to apologize to all who checked in on Monday for a new post. Unfortunately I had to make some real world moves, and until I start to get paid for FMF, I might be missing a beat now and again during the week for a while. My Friday night party got canceled due to circumstances that were out of my control (bar closing), so I’ve been hustling a bit to try and make some extra dough for the moment. I’m gonna do my best to really get to three posts a week, but until things get straightened out, they may be only 1 or 2 until then. Got it? This record was one I scored on the infamous $1 “Hey Joyce” day. It was a side that I needed to have as well, so it took me until then to really dig it out to review. Here’s Betty Harris with “Mean Man” on Allen Toussaint’s Sansu Records.

Born in Orlando, Florida in 1941, Betty Harris was raised in Alabama. Like so many of these great Soul singers, her start to this music game was deep rooted in the church. Her similarity to these singers was that they all left their roots to sing secular music. Some return eventually, some don’t. At age 17 Betty Harris would be taken under the wing of singer Big Maybelle. This resulted in some experience before eventually relocating to California, where she’d cut the side “Taking Care of Business” on Douglass Records in 1960. As many musicians in general did in the 1960’s, she was prodded to relocate once again. This time to New York City. She hooked up with Bert Berns for her rendition of Solomon Burke’s hit “Cry to Me” on Jubilee. This was her first taste of a Top 40 song. Her next two records did not fare as well (“His Kiss” and Mo Jo Hannah”) and she was soon off Jubille, but relocated once again to New Orleans after meeting Allen Toussaint. He scooped her up for the Sansu label. Here her Gospel filled Blues type ballads would give way to edgier Rhythm and Blues filled funkier sides. This relationship with Toussaint would finally give way to another Top 40, actually Top 20, in 1967 with “Nearer To You”, after she released a handful of Toussaint produced goodness. A duet with Lee Dorsey would follow. Harris’s career started to forge ahead, and she was slated to be a support act for Otis Redding before he was killed in the famous plane crash in 1967, and the bad luck started again. However, it as she moved ahead, she cut this very record with some studio musicians, you might have heard of them, members that would eventually become the Meters. Her relationship with Toussaint ended, but not without leaving us with a killer tune : “There’s A Break In the Road”. A Classic! She remained undercover until the 90’s, raising a family, her career forgotten (even to her) until some compilations in the UK were released, and finally Soul fans and diggers weren’t the only people who knew about Betty Harris.

This side is killer! From the horns, to the harmonizing, Betty Harris sure lives up to her potential in this Toussaint written number. The drums are all New Orleans on this dance floor smasher (in my opinion that is). Even though this guy is mean, there has got to be a reason she’s staying with him, and I can only say it’s her great voice (not to mention the backing band). If you don’t know who this backing band is, it’s members of the Meters like I said earlier. Get your groove on with this people and pay tribute to one of the best funky Soul music has to offer. Keep Diggin’!

Download or Listen to Moments – Sexy Mama from the All Platinum 45

Here we are back to midweek once again. Thanks to all who came out to Tasty Beats on Saturday night. It was indeed a blast. The Get Down! is on hiatus until further notice, the bar has some issues to work out. Until then, I will be searching for another permanent Friday night, which means I’ll be bouncing around a bit. That being said, I wanted to get into some New Jersey musicians, inspired by the crowd on Saturday night. I have stacks of today’s group’s records, but sadly have never reviewed one. Today they are going to shine. Here’s to the ladies from Saturday night, and here’s The Moments with “Sexy Mama” from All Platinum Records from 1973.

Formed in the l 60’s out in Washington, DC, the original members were Mark Greene, Eric Olfus, Sr., Richard Gross, and John Morgan. They released a side on the Era label in 1963 called “Walk Right In”. The members stayed in the band until 1969, when William Brown, Harry Ray, and AI Goodman came from a bunch of different bands to form like Voltron to perform as one of the smoothest Soul bands out of the Garden State. These bands they were in were the Vipers, The Uniques, the Broadways, Sounds of Soul, the Corvettes, and others. That’s some pretty good experience before morphing into The Moments. Signed to Stang, a subsidiary of Sylvia and Joe Robinson’s All Platinum label, the original members left a mark with “Love On a Two Way Street” (originally recorded by All Platinum artist Lezli Valentine). They also put out sides such as “Not On The Outside” and “My Confession of Love”. The new line up would produce hits such as this very side, “If I Didn’t Care”, “All I Have”, “Sho Nuff Boogie” (with Sylvia Robinson” and a collaboration on “Girls” with the Whatnots. Ray and Goodman took part in a lot of songwriting for All Platinum, and the back up band was Willie and the mighty Magnificents. That’s some good stuff right there. Eventually the Whatnots became Ray Goodman and Brown after moving to Polydor. Their biggest hit was “Special Lady” in 1980, and after deaths, line up changes and other assorted music biz hijinks, they continued on as RG&B, and eventually The Whatnots featuring Mark Greene would also emerge after Greene got the Whatnots name legally.

“Sexy Mama” is some sexy ass wall grinding music. These brothers are smooth folks, and if you don’t have any Barry White lying around, I’d suggest grabbing some Moments, because they will do in a pinch. These guys were definitely some talented cats, who had a great past in their own right, and went on to put out some of the smoooooothest Soul records East of the Mississippi. I’m wondering if there wasn’t a baby boom in the Tri State area during the late 60’s and early 70’s due to the Moments 45. There are tons of All Platinum records all over New Jersey. They must have been in every juke box from Philly to Newark to Patterson to NYC. Seriously. All I know is that I dig this record, and I hope you do too. Keep Diggin’

Check Out the Moments on the Soul Train Scramble!

Download or Listen to Etta James – All The Way Down from the Chess Records 45

About two or 3 Summers ago I bought a box of unsleeved 45’s at The Spot. It had hundreds of 45’s in it. It was the infamous box that I pulled out Mickey and the Soul Generation’s “Iron Leg” out of. I kept all the good 45’s. They sit in a bin, still unsleeved, with all the ones piled up I’m eventually gonna do something with. Today I decided to go through it. I pulled this very record out. It is a scorcher. This woman, for some reason, generates a lot of traffic to Flea Market Funk. At one time it had to do with Cadillac Records, but now it has more to do with the woman herself. That woman is Etta James. We close out the week with a great side from Chess Records in 1973, “All the Way Down”.

Jamesetta Hawkins, aka Etta James was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1938. Allegedly the offspring of her pool hustler father Minnesota Fats (or so claimed by her mother), James started singing at an early age. After starting out in the church, and relocating to San Francisco, she joined a female Doo Wop group. Discovered by Johnny Otis, the group eventually renamed the Peaches put out a side called “The Wallflower” (a reworking of a Hank Ballard tune) out on Modern Records in 1955. There was some success with the side which led to tours with Little Richard, Johnny “Guitar” Watson and Otis Redding. Her 50’s releases never made a large impact like “Wallflower”, but she release a good amount of singles none the less. James would go on to sign with Chess Records and it’s subsidiaries (Argo, Cadet), releasing sides such as “If I Can’t Have You” (with husband Harvey Fuqua), “My Dearest Darling”, and a song that still gets played at weddings from 93 til infinity: “At Last”. The 60’s proved fruitful for Etta, as she released a string of hits such as “Pushover”, “Pay Back”, “Loving You More Each Day”, and others. This decade would also be a dark period as well, her heroin addiction wasn’t a secret, and stays at a Psychiatric Hospital went until the end of the decade. As the 60’s came to a close and the 70’s started, James, while still making records (not so many hits), still was a great draw on the road. Her Muscle Shoals recorded record Tell Mama garnished some attention, but as a whole James kept busy recording on Chess until 1978 (even after the death of it’s founder). Later on in her carreer, James has recorded for Island, Elektra, collaborated with Def Jef on Delicious Vinyl, reunited with Jerry Wrexler, earned a Grammy, and has been inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her road to success (with many bumps along the way including being arrested for drugs) has shaped her carreer, adding fuel to the fire that burns when she performs. She is a legend that is still going strong today.

“All The Way Down” could be a soundtrack to a Blaxploitation film. It’s horn work in the intro is superb. But wait, there’s more. You get the horn arrangements, the strings, lots of chucky wah-wah guitar, and we’ll thrown in the funky drums and bass line (in the pocket) for FREE! Recorded is Los Angeles, and apparently for some imaginary soundtrack to a film ( I’d like to think that), the record features work on keyboards from William D Smith, percussion from King Errisson, and bass from Chuck Rainey. This is one bad ass side from one bad ass woman. If you have any doubts that Etta James wasn’t living the life, making records, living hard, and doing it to the death, then this record should change your mind. I’ll be back after the weekend with more dusty goodness. I’ve gotten a few questions about my digging: do I still do it, and when will I publish more stories. The answer is yes and yes. I’m just DJing quite a bit, making some moves, and getting things done. I still dig every chance I get. Stay tuned. Keep Diggin’!

Download or Listen to Bill Doggett – Honky Tonk Popcorn from the King 45

I hope everyone was excited as I was to get an e mail from the one and only Dick Hyman here in the Flea Market Funk mailbox. He isn’t the first to do so, and I’m hoping to get some great info from members of the Reggie Sadler Revue among others. Stay tuned for that. For now, I’m gonna get to a record that I have had a hard time finding in the field. I managed to dig up the original on several occasions, but never saw this in the crates, unfortunately. When I saw a VG copy show up on a set sale list, well I had to jump quick and get it. Here’s Bill Doggett and “Honky Tonk Popcorn” on King Records from 1969.

William Ballard Dogget aka Bill Doggett was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1916. The son of a church pianist, Doggett originally wanted to play the trumpet. His family couldn’t afford one, and since his mother played piano in the church, he switched over to that. Heralded as a child prodigy at 13, by 15 he had his own band the Five Majors. Moving on to the Jimmy Gorman Orchestra, he would eventually become the band leader with the orchestra. It was very short lived, as financial burdens came calling. He sold it to Lucky Millender, then went on to join him as a player. From here he joined the Ink Spots (my grandfather’s favorite band by far), before going on the back musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Otis, and Lionel Hampton among others on piano. He cut his teeth for real on the live circuit with Louis Jordan, recording such classics as “Saturday Night Fish Fry” and “Blue Light Boogie”. This was around 1949 or so. In the early 50’s he formed another combo and switched over to King Records. His swinging sound produced a number of sides for the Cincinatti label. However, it wasn’t until 1956 when he released “Honky Tonk”, that he would find luck. The side sold over 4 million copies. His follow up records “Leaps and Bounds” and “Slow Walk” touched upon lighter Jazz and R & B, but were not even close success wise. He stayed with King Records until 1960, and went on to record for Sue, Warner Brothers, Columbia, and ABC Paramount. His popularity (and success of Honky Tonk) helped him get on the festival circuit, a place where he played until his death after a heart attack in 1996.

Honky Tonk Popcorn is a reworking of Doggett’s classic by the Godfather of Soul. Don’t get it twisted people, the old one is ok, but this reworking is THE BOMB. It’s heavy, has plenty of Hammond, and when James breaks it down to scream a bit, all hell breaks loose. By the time this record was out, Doggett was in his his sixties, still killing it. This is by far the funkiest cut the man ever put out in his career, and with help from James Brown and company, this 45 rates high on the FMF scale. Even if you didn’t know it was Doggett, it has the signature JB production, the heavy, heavy, drums, and of course the JB style. Go grab yourself a copy kids, because this one is never going to get old. Most notably, the Beatnuts copped this sample for “Are You Ready?” And why wouldn’t they, this side is red hot. I’ll see you Friday. Keep Diggin’!

Download or Listen To Eddie Hazel – California Dreamin’ from the Warner Brothers Lp

After a few days off (due to some gigs), I’m back. Did you miss the Funk people? While i was away, I managed to pick this record up at my local for cheap. While the owner wasn’t giving up some Philly Soul (said it was for his personal collection), I managed to grab this Lp for a mere buck. It’s kind of a shame he had no idea who this artist was, but his loss is certainly my gain. I want to shout out Mr. and Mrs. David and Patti Herschel, who were married on Sept. 12th. I had the distinct pleasure of actually DJing their reception/ party at the swanky Watermark here in AP, and it was a great time. They like my DJ style and apparently so did their guests. I don’t normally do a wedding, but since they were such cool people, I couldn’t refuse. Big ups to them. Let’s get back into the swing of things with Eddie Hazel and “California Dreaming” from the Warner Brothers LP Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs from 1977.

Eddie Hazel was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1950, but spent his childhood growing up in Plainfield, NJ. Self taught to play the guitar at age 12, by 17 he was being courted to play with George Clinton and his band The Parliaments. As the Parliaments morphed into Funkadelic when players came and went, Hazel would become a very important player. He would lend his Hendrixesque acid style guitar playing, while mixing in some Funk and well to the Funkadelic sound. His greatest accomplishment and most memorable performance (one he is often remembered for) is “Maggot Brain”. Here he was at the pinnacle of his career, but Hazel started to move down hill quickly. His chronic drug use and abuse would catch up to him. It was no secret that his drug problems caused pay docking and what not from George Clinton. After Maggot Brain, his use in the studio and on record declined. He even went to Detroit to do some side work with the Temptations in ‘72-3. He didn’t learn his lesson, and in 1974 was involved in some sort of fight with an airline attendant which caused an arrest and more trouble. Clinton replaced him as a guitar player, and even though he was featured on Standing On The Verge of Getting It On , his days were numbered in Parliament/ Funkadelic. He stayed close to Clinto though, who gave him work and recorded his solo stuff. Eddie Hazel, tragically died in 1992. His fast living caught up to him, but his talent and legacy live on.

It is no secret that Eddie Hazel could have been the next Jimi Hendrix. He followed in the footsteps of Jimi, but the fast life and drug problems got in the way of a really great musician’s progress. His version of “California Dreamin’ “, in my opinion is one of the best versions. You’re not gonna beat the original, but Hazel’s version of fuzzed out, trippy, and down right nasty guitar work throughout does it for me. I like the addition of the choir, and the piano riff as well. I’m glad to be back, and I hope you enjoyed this little bit of goodness on your Monday morning. Keep Diggin’!

Download or listen to Foxy – Trouble from the Double Shot 45

Well, we all knew the end of the Summer was coming, and here it is. Lots of rain this year, not as much digging as I’d liked to have gotten in, but I got a fair amount in though. I took a small vacation from writing for a week. It’s not that that I don’t have anything to write about, it’s that I work 6 days a week and 3 or four of them are days and nights, so I needed to relax. I’ve got a private function this weekend to DJ, so I’m excited and a little anxious to get all my music ready, so I might keep it a little short. Big ups to Larry over at Funky 16 Corners for getting a shout out from Nick Hornby (yeah, High Fidelity Nick Hornby). I wanted to share a side that I dug up this year sometime and had featured on a previous mix. I was really curious about this record, so I figured it would be a great way to end the Summer. Here is Foxy with “Trouble” on Double Shot Records.

While I couldn’t dig up a tremendous amount on the band Foxy, I was able to get some info on Double Shot Records. It was an independent label based out of Hollywood, CA, run by Hal Winn and Joe Hooven. The label itself was known for putting out bands like the Count Five, Soul singer Brenton Wood, who they had quite a bit of success with, and early Senor Soul sides. (no relation to Oliver Wang). Their first single was released in 1966 ans they released records until 1972, where the label was sold to Original Sound. As far as this side goes, I dug it up in a private sale. The moment I dropped the needle on this monster I knew it was a keeper. The drums in the beginning and organ really got me. I’m not even talking about the girl vocals and the fuzzed out guitars that keep up with the percussion until the end. If anyone has any info about this record, feel free to pass it along. Until then, Keep Diggin’!

Download or Listen to The Village Callers – Hector from the Rampart Records 45

Today is a record that I had known about for quite a while, but didn’t end up getting a copy of it until earlier this year. Jack the Ripper always had this in his bag, and Larry from F16 always raved about it. It really is a great record, and if you’re not familiar with it, get familiar. Here’s The Village Callers with “Hector” on Rampart Records from 1968.

The Village Callers would come out of a band called Marcy and the Imperials. MATI would grown into the Village Callers (allegedly taken from a Willie Bobo record), who fused a Latin sound into their music, and were one of the first bands in the LA area to do so. Their sound was a mix of Latin percussion, Jimmy Smith style organ, some R & B, and Mongo Santamaria and Wille Bobo sounds thrown in to round it out. The original line up featured Ernie Hernandez on guitar, Joe Espinoza and Manny Fernandez, on bass and drums respectively, Angie Bell on vocals, “Fuzzy” Martinez on the saxophone, and Chuck Masten on percussion. The Village Callers had a few other singers as well: Ersi Arvisu and Al Anaya, who came in and out of as band members often do. This line up was the lineup that recorded the live record, and the Callers did go through many other musicians in their time, some from Marcy and the Imperials, some not. The band played in many of the hot venues in LA and through California, when they were introduced to Eddie Davis of Rampart Records by their manager Hector Riviera. Get the correlation? The Callers would play gigs with the Watts 103rd Street band in some of the hippest venues in LA. There was a sort of battle for these young, hot musicians, and when they were offered some money (I believe $10,000), they took it and jumped ship from Rampart. This was a bad move in the long run, as even though the Village Callers got air play on the radio, the band would soon move into another direction. With personnel changes, the band would soon change it’s name to Silvanus and become a Rock band. The Latin flavor was gone. Many of the former VC musicians would go on to play with other bands, such as Poverty Train, Orange Colored Sky, and the Sal Chico Band.

This record is something. Recorded live at the Plush Bunny, the groove is, unfuckable with. The organ is the main focus, but when the groove locks in, and the horns start to blow, it’s a full blown freak out. Allegedly they were going for a “Tequila” sound, but this side is much,. much better. It has been said that bass was tripled in the studio and the original was so long that they had to divide it into two parts. Now there was much fooling around and busting of chops of their manager throughout, in English and in Spanish. This is a record that any good 45 DJ should own. You can get it under $20 and I highly recommend it. Ask any of the 45 Session guys and I think they’d say the same. I’ll see you Friday with some treats before the Holiday weekend here in the States. Keep Diggin’!

Ok kids, here’s what’s going down. Originally this benefit show was going to be at the Stone Pony, but due to the expected bad weather, it’s moved to Convention Hall, which is 1300 Ocean Ave. between Asbury and Sunset Ave. This is a benefit celebrating 25 years of the Surfrider Foundation, and it’s put on by Barefoot Wine. Get more information, and sign up for free tickets here. The line up is as follows: Joss Stone, Gavin DeGraw, Cold War Kids, and Mason Jennings. I will be spinning from 5 to 6 PM and then in between acts until the headliner, Joss Stone goes on. It looks to be a great concert for a great cause. If you’re in the area, please stop by. Keep Diggin’!