Product Description
Contents: A world of passionate excitement created by Soul Media during the funk craze of the '70s!! [Track Listing] 1. Painted Paradise (H. Suzuki) 2. Funky Motion 3. Breeze (H. Suzuki) 4. Scratch 5. Funky Stuff (Kool & The Gang) 6. One for Jiro (H. Suzuki) 7. Gentle Wave (H. Suzuki) 8. Four Up (H. Suzuki) Performed by: Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media + Hiromasa Suzuki (Electric Piano) J. INAGAKI & HIS SOUL MEDIA + H. SUZUKI (E.P.) Hiromasa Suzuki: Arrange & Fender Rhodes Jiro Inagaki: Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax, Flute Takashi Imai - Trombone Hiroshi Yasukawa - Guitar Akira Okazawa - Bass Hajime Ishimatsu - Drums Recording date: August 1974 Studio: Columbia 2nd Studio Producer: Jiro Inagaki Director: Yoshinori Sato Mixer: Kaoru Iida Illustration: Josuke Kubo When making this album, the first thing I thought about was making sure it didn't end up being a typical Japanese imitation. I listened to the works of pioneers of funky music that are currently booming, such as The Crusaders, Hancock, and Sly, and thought about what aspects would appeal to me the most. In particular, I think the defining characteristic of funk is, without a doubt, the rhythmic structure. However, even within funk, there are many different styles, and the funk from around Oakland is completely different from that of the New York school, and the sound is so different from that of jazz-based funk to that of pop-based funk that it's like listening to different words. One thing that they all have in common is the rhythmic pattern and beat, which are important elements of funk. The type of funk we play belongs to jazz-based black funk, and we don't use vocals. (From the liner notes) Media reviews and more: This is a funky album recorded in 1974 by Soul Media, a popular group known for reissuing rare grooves. Featuring members such as Hiromasa Suzuki and Akira Okazaki, who would later form The Players, it includes covers of The Crusaders and Kool & the Gang. A groovy work that is on par with rare groove works from overseas. (C)RS
