Back catalogue: Funk/Reissues

Review: More '70s boogie and club soul from Jazzman! Nobody digs deeper and nobody does it better! Two tracks originally on the Florida-based Gladeslabel (best known for Timmy Thomas' classic "Why Can't We Live Together", offering some top soulful boogie for the dancefloor. Jerry Washington's anthemic "Don't Waste My Time" has been in red hot demand on the Northern scene for donkeys years and is a perfect slice of upbeat Southern soul with a sweet guitar line and all-important pounding beat, guaranteed to get the floor moving! The enigmatic Jerry Washington also released some tough funk on the Excello label and wrote the deep funk classic "How Long Shall I Wait" with James Lewis Fields. Stony Island is a bumping boogie track from 1978 with call and response vocals and a choppy rhythm. The track was originally on the soundtrack of the film "My Main Man" from Stony Island about legendary Chicago musician and producer Gene Barge (Chess Records in-house arranger and producer for most of the '60s).

Review: The hushed-tone discussions and bleeding-knuckle crate digging lengths people have endured to own this super-rare $1500 LP are commendable. It's not hard to hear why; early 70s funk doesn't come much more extensive or exciting; fusing jazz with gospel, soul and funk, it's a timeless adventure into the most emotion-stirring sounds. From the honey-coated harmonies and muted sax on "Come On & Stay" to the unique sung-spoken word sermon of "Babylon", it's a stunning album that should've enjoyed much more exposure. Complete with the story behind this unique Bronx band, an interview with the producer Mario Sprouse and the tax-evading nature of its original label Tiger Lilly, copies of this 1000-pressed vinyl-only album are likely to end up as a rare as the original artefact itself!

Review: Over the last few weeks, Jazzman's ongoing "Holy Grail" reissue series has focused on obscure but in-demand albums from the Fable Records catalogue. The latest to get the deluxe reissue treatment is Steamheat's "Austin Funk", a 1975 set that's notably harder and funkier than the Texan label's usual jazz-funk fare. Of course, there are still plenty of jazz-funk flourishes to be found amongst the soulful vocals, crunchy clavinet lines, fast-tempo grooves and heady horn lines. Our picks include the low-down deep funk headiness of "Radiator", the fizzing brilliance of "Body Talk", the harmonic jazz guitar, horn and electronic piano solos of "Ghetto Tool" and the eyes-closed, in-the-zone madness of closing cut "Frozen Tundra Lady".