Bootsy’s Rubber Band was an American funk band from Detroit that released four albums between 1976 and 1979 on Warner Bros. The band was headed by namesake bassist Bootsy Collins, a Parliament mainstay who also played with James Brown, Funkadelic, and Parlet. Members: Bootsy Collins (bass, vocals, guitar, percussion), Catfish Collins (guitar, vocals), Frank Waddy […]
Bobby Williams is an American keyboardist, singer, songwriter, and producer, active for three decades in Florida. He debuted with a 1958 R&B single and led the Mar-Kings through 1973 as a song-and-dance troupe. As a solo artist, Williams made the 1974–76 solo albums Funky Superfly and Anybody Can Be a Nobody. Background Bobby Williams was […]
The Bobby Boyd Congress was an American soul-funk band from New York that moved to Paris, where they released a 1971 self-titled album on Vadim Music. After Boyd’s return to the US, the musicians made five albums as Ice and two as the Lafayette Afro Rock Band. Members: Arthur Young, Bobby Boyd, Diana Olverton, Frank […]
Birthright was an American jazz tentet from Buffalo, N.Y., that released the 1974–76 albums Free Spirits and Breath of Life on Freelance Records. Members: Joe Ford (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, electric piano), Paul Gresham (tenor saxophone), Nasar Abadey (drums, percussion), Jim Kurzdorfer (acoustic bass, electric bass), Onaje Allan Gumbs (electric piano, piano), Jimmy Manuel (piano), […]
Bernie Worrell (April 19, 1944 — June 24, 2016) was an American funk keyboardist, composer, and arranger with lengthy Seventies tenures in Funkadelic, Parliament, and Bootsy’s Rubber Band, followed by Eighties stints with Material and the Golden Palominos. As a solo artist, he made the 1978 Arista album All the Woo in the World. Background […]
Aurra was an American soul-funk band from Dayton, Ohio, that released a self-titled album on Dream Records in 1980, followed by three titles on Salsoul and a fifth on 10 Records between 1981 and 1985. The band was spawned from the original lineup of Slave and gradually slimmed down to the duo of Starleana Young […]
Amnesty was an American funk band from Indianapolis that released two singles circa 1972/73 on Lamp and 700 West. They recorded a full album that later appeared as the archival Free Your Mind on Now-Again Records. Members: Calvin Williams, Damon Malone, Herman Walker, James “Gino” Johnson, James “Red” Massie, Joseph Trotter, Kirk Alexander, Raphael Barnes […]
Harold Alexander is an American jazz-funk saxophonist and flutist who emerged from the New York soul-jazz circuit of the late Sixties. He played with Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers and organist Big John Patton, then cut the 1971 Flying Dutchman solo album Sunshine Man and the Montreux concert disc Are You Ready?, followed by […]
Hank Crawford (Dec. 12, 1934 — Jan. 29, 2009) was an American post-bop/jazz-funk alto saxophonist, arranger, and composer from Memphis. From 1958 to 1963, he served as musical director for Ray Charles. Crawford commenced his bandleader catalogue with the 1961 Atlantic release More Soul, then recorded for Kudu/CTI and Milestone with collaborators including Grant Green, […]
Gordon Parks (Nov. 30, 1912 — March 7, 2006) was an American photographer, filmmaker, writer, composer, and pianist. His music work included the score for The Learning Tree and orchestral collaborations with Henry Brant and Tom McIntosh. Parks directed the 1971 blaxploitation film Shaft with a score by Isaac Hayes, then directed and scored its […]
Eddie Harris (Oct. 20, 1934 — Nov. 5, 1996) was an American post-bop/jazz-funk tenor saxophonist, keyboardist, and composer from Chicago. He entered the national jazz market with the 1961 Vee-Jay album Exodus to Jazz and reached a wider audience through the 1969 Les McCann collaboration Swiss Movement, which included “Compared to What.” Harris extended his […]
Madhouse was an American jazz-funk project conceived by Prince and saxophonist Eric Leeds as an outgrowth of their 1985 instrumentals for The Family. They recorded an album later bootlegged as The Flesh, then created Madhouse for the 1987 albums 8 and 16 on Paisley Park. Members: Eric Leeds (saxophone), Sheila E. (drums), Dr. Fink (keyboards), […]
Ted Curson (June 3, 1935 — Nov. 4, 2012) was an American post-bop/jazz-funk trumpeter, composer, and bandleader from Philadelphia. Curson played with Cecil Taylor and Charles Mingus, then co-led a quintet with tenor saxophonist Bill Barron through the mid-Sixties. His leader catalog stretched from Plenty of Horn and Tears for Dolphy through Atlantic, Arista, and Inner […]
Jon Faddis (born July 24, 1953) is an American jazz-funk trumpeter, conductor, and composer from Oakland, Calif., known for his work with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra and Dizzy Gillespie, along with the solo albums Jon & Billy, Good and Plenty, and Legacy. Background Jon Faddis was born July 24, 1953, in Oakland, California, to […]
Johnny Pate (born Dec. 5, 1923) is an American jazz-funk/soul bassist, arranger, producer, and composer from Chicago Heights, Ill. He moved from 1950s jazz bandleading into Chicago soul through Major Lance and the Impressions, then arranged Curtis Mayfield projects including the 1972 Super Fly soundtrack. Pate entered film scoring with Brother on the Run and […]
Johnny Heartsman (Feb. 9, 1936 — Dec. 27, 1996) was an American jazz-funk/blues multi-instrumentalist who played guitar, keyboards, bass, and flute. He worked the Bay Area studio circuit from the early Fifties and scored a No. 13 R&B hit with the 1957 instrumental “Johnny’s House Party,” followed by session and touring work with artists including […]
John Handy (born Feb. 3, 1933) is an American post-bop/jazz-funk multireedist from Dallas who established his career in the Bay Area and New York. He recorded with Charles Mingus on Mingus Ah Um, Mingus Dynasty, Blues & Roots, and Jazz Portraits: Mingus in Wonderland, then began his leader catalog on Roulette with In the Vernacular […]
Janet Lawson (born Nov. 13, 1940) is an American jazz vocalist and quintet leader from Baltimore who made a 1981 album on Inner City, followed by the 1984 Omnisound release Dreams Can Be. Background Janet Lawson was born Janet Ann Polun on Nov. 13, 1940, in Baltimore, Md. Her father, Oscar “Jack” Polun, worked as […]
The Hastings Street Jazz Experience was an American post-bop ensemble from Detroit that recorded the 1976 album Detroit Jazz Composers Ltd. for Midnite Records, the label operated by the Detroit Jazz Composers Ltd. organization. Background Drummer Ed Nelson formed the Hastings Street Jazz Experience in Detroit in 1972 with bassist Dedrick Glover and saxophonist/flutist Charles […]
Hadley Caliman (Jan. 12, 1932 — Sept. 8, 2010) was an American post-bop tenor saxophonist whose career began in the late 1940s with drummer Roy Porter. He worked through the 1960s with Gerald Wilson, Don Ellis, and Mongo Santamaria. As a bandleader, he made the 1971/72 albums Hadley Caliman and Iapetus on Mainstream Records, followed […]
Alice Coltrane (Aug. 27, 1937 — Jan. 12, 2007) was an American spiritual-jazz pianist, organist, and harpist from Detroit who released seven albums between 1968 and 1972 on Impulse! After early work with Terry Gibbs, she joined husband John Coltrane in 1966 and played on his final recordings. Coltrane collaborated with Carlos Santana on the […]
John Betsch (born Oct. 8, 1945) is an American jazz drummer from Jacksonville, Fla., who assembled the spiritual-jazz ensemble Society for the 1974 album Earth Blossom, released on Strata-East. Background John Betsch assembled the Society in Nashville in January 1974 with multi-reedist Billy Puett, pianist Bob Holmes, guitarist Jim Bridges, bassist Ed “Lump” Williams, and […]
Horace Tapscott (April 6, 1934 — Feb. 27, 1999) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader from Houston who spent most of his career in Los Angeles. He founded the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra and built a long-running South Los Angeles network around community performance, composition, and musician development. Tapscott recorded as a leader […]
Phil Ranelin is an American jazz trombonist from Indianapolis who co-founded Detroit’s Tribe collective and recorded the 1970s albums A Message from the Tribe, The Time Is Now!, and Vibes from the Tribe. Background Phil Ranelin was born Phillip Arthur Ranelin on May 25, 1939, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He grew up in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, […]
Marvin “Hannibal” Peterson (born Nov. 11, 1948) is an American trumpeter and composer from Smithville, Tex. He established his early-1970s career through work with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Gil Evans, Roy Haynes, Elvin Jones, and Pharoah Sanders, then led the Sunrise Orchestra on Children of the Fire, Hannibal, In Antibes, and Naima. Under the name Hannibal […]
Byron Morris & Unity were an American avant-garde jazz ensemble from N.Y.C. that released two albums between 1974 and 1978 on self-press EPI Records. The project developed from a namesake 1972 album by saxist/bandleader Morris and trumpeter Gerald Wise. Members: Byron Morris (saxophone), Vincent McEwan (trumpet), Gerald Wise (trumpet), Jay Clayton (vocals), Mike Kull (piano), […]
Abrax was a French library jazz-funk unit behind three self-titled albums (1971–73) on Look For and Disc Waldberg. Background Abrax was the project of veteran studio bassist and composer Claude Albert Dauray, who also used the pseudonyms Claude Benaya and Cliff Cardwin. Dauray studied at the Conservatoire d’Alger under director Gontran Dessagnes. He played bass […]
The Abrial Stratageme Group was a French hard-rock/art-rock band that released the 1977 album Mannderly on Sonopresse. Members: Patrick Abrial (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica), Rémy Devillard (guitar, vocals), Gérard Mottée (bass, vocals), Jean-Pierre Pollet (drums, vocals) Background Abrial Stratagème Group formed in the Paris region in 1976 when singer-songwriter Patrick Abrial combined with Stratagème guitarist […]
Acintya was a French classical-rock band that released the 1978 album La Cité des Dieux Oubliés on SRC. Members: Philippe De Canck (synthesizers, keyboards), Bernard Petite (drums), Jean-Louis Tauvel (bass), Philippe Clesse (guitar, violin) Background Acintya formed in Nancy in 1976 with keyboardist Philippe De Canck, guitarist-violinist Philippe Clesse, bassist Jean-Louis Tauvel, and drummer Bernard […]
Ada le Fol is a French symphonic-folk musician who released the album Les Années D’Errance on Disques Velia in 1980. Discography: Les Années D’Errance (1980)
Philippe Cauvin (born Nov. 3, 1952) is a French classical/jazz-rock guitarist, composer, and arranger who released two albums on KI Records between 1982 and 1984. During the mid-1980s, he recorded two albums with Zeuhl combo Uppsala. Discography: Climage (1982) Momento (1984)
Subversion was a French electro/jazz-rock studio band behind a 1976 self-titled album on Pôle Records. Members: E. Bailen, Eric Mallet, J. Hurel, Jean-Luc Fauvel, M. Chiarutini, Pierre-Jean Gidon Background Subversion coalesced by April 1976 around singer-bassist Mauricio Chiarutini, drummer Patrick Smadja, cellist Eliot Bailen, saxophonist Pierre-Jean Gidon, keyboardist José Hurel, and guitarists Eric Mallet and […]
Philippe Besombes (born Jan. 21, 1946) is a French keyboardist and composer who, in 1975, released a solo soundtrack and a four-sided collaborative set in partnership with Jean-Louis Rizet, both on Pôle Records. During the late 1970s, Besombes cut two albums with the electronic combo Hydravion. Between 1979 and 1982, he cut two further albums […]
Phileas Fogg was a French avant-jazz/rock band behind the 1986 Sonart album Coma Depasse. Background Phileas Fogg emerged on the mid-1980s French scene with bassist Pierre Janin, drummer François Longuemare, guitarist Christian Berger, and keyboardist Lionel Jollivet. Longuemare studied at conservatories in Geneva, Paris, and Rueil-Malmaison. From 1986, he began teaching drums and percussion at […]
Performance were a French electro-funk/library band that released the album Hi-Fi Performance on Pathé Marconi EMI in 1976. Members: Yvon Ouazana, Jean-Pierre Festi Discography: Hi-Fi Performance (1976)
Perception was a French free-jazz/rock band that released two albums and a live disc between 1971 and 1974 on Futura, A.D.M.I., and Le Chant du Monde. Members: Yochk’o Seffer (sopranino saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, piccolo), Siegfried Kessler (piano, electric piano, clavinet), Didier Levallet (double bass), Jean My Truong (drums, percussion) Background Perception […]
Patrice Sciortino (born 1922) is a French pianist and composer who released a string of recordings on assorted library labels during the 1960s and ’70s. Discography: Les Cyclopes (1967) Musique Pour L’Image N° 18 / Sciences – Industrie – Bestiaire (1968) Chronoradial (1970) Gymnorythmies /1 (1976) Le Vitrail Eparpillé (1976) Espaces 1 (1978) Espaces [avec […]
Patrick Gauthier (born Feb. 27, 1953) is a French keyboardist and composer who played in Heldon, Magma, and Weidorje during the 1970s. In 1981, he released the album Bébé Godzilla on CY Records. Discography: Bébé Godzilla (1981) Sur les Flots Verticaux (1993) Le Morse (1996)
Patrice Meyer (born Dec. 18, 1957) is a French jazz-rock guitarist who released the album Racines Croisées on Müsic’Al in 1983, followed by Dromadaire Viennois on FMR in 1986. Discography: Racines Croisées (1983) Dromadaire Viennois (1986)
Patchwork was a French jazz-rock band behind the 1978 album Ouvertures on Cobra. Members: J.P. Salle, H. le Coz, J.F. Courteaux, J.P. Pestre, L. Begeue, S. Bouland, A. Aunis Profile Patchwork emerged in 1977 around bassist Hervé Le Coz, drummer Jean-Paul Pestre, guitarist Jean-Pierre Salle, keyboardist Louis Begue, and reedist Jean-François Courteaux, who juggled flute […]
Pascal Dufar — alternately spelled “Duffard” — is a French singer/songwriter who released numerous shortplayers on assorted labels between 1967 and 1972. In 1976, he released the Zeuhl album Dieu est Fou on CBS with backing by Gong, Magma, and ZAO personnel. Discography: Dieu est Fou (1976)
Pantincruel was a French jazz-rock band that self-released the 1979 album J’y Retourne Immédiatement, followed by two further albums through 1989 on Egide Concept and Accord. Members: Frédéric Frérot (guitar, keyboards, guitar synthesizer, vocals), Sylvain Frérot (bass, double bass), Bruno Delhaye (drums, percussion), Philippe Janet (electric piano), Michel Trudelle (saxophone), Philippe Cailly (drums, percussion), Paul […]
Paga Group was a French Zeuhl band headed by erstwhile Magma/Weidorje bassist Bernard Paganotti. Originally known as Paga, the band released a self-titled album on CREAM Records in 1985. Two further albums under the suffixed nameplate appeared on Bleu Citron between 1988 and 1993. Members: Bernard Paganotti, Bertrand Lajudie, Claude Salmieri, Eric Séva, François Laizeau, […]
Oniris was the French symphonic-rock band behind the 1979 Barclay album L’Homme-Voilier. Members: Alain Gallet (vocals, percussion), Joël Lebossé (guitar, vocals), Norbert Périaut (guitars, vocals), Rémy Hubert (keyboards, vocals), Gilles Hinterseber (bass), Thierry Tual (drums, percussion), Bertrand Henry (percussion, flute) Background Oniris formed in Rennes in 1978 when vocalist-percussionist Alain Gallet teamed with bassist Gilles […]
Opale were a French symphonic-rock band that released the album La Dernière Toile du Maître on self-press Podom in 1981. Members: Jean-Louis Georges (guitar, vocals), Didier Carmier (guitar, vocals), Luc Debuire (guitar, vocals) Discography: La Dernière Toile du Maître (1981)
Ométaxalia et Bucchi were a French avant-garde/chanson duo that released the 1977 double-album Lettre d’ocre on Uniteledis. Background Ométaxalia et Bucchi formed as a studio project betweenpianist Jean-Louis Bucchi and singer Hugues Ométaxalia. Bucchi joined Louis Xavier’s Synchro Rhythmic Eclectic Language at the end of 1971 on the recommendation of drummer Eddy Gaumont. During 1972, […]
Olivier Bloch-Lainé is a French composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist who recorded under his forename during the mid-1960s. In 1976, he released the album Des Mots on CBS. Background Olivier Bloch-Lainé was born in 1947 to François Bloch-Lainé, a French finance official. He played guitar as a child and built an electric-guitar amplifier with a speaker […]
Maggie Bell is a Scottish singer who fronted soul-rockers Stone the Crows on four albums between 1970 and 1972. As a solo artist, she debuted with the 1974 Atlantic release Queen of the Night, followed by Suicide Sal on Led Zeppelin‘s Swan Song label. In 1981, she recorded one album with super-group Midnight Flyer. Background […]
The Zones were a Scottish new wave rock band that released the album Under Influence on Arista in 1979. They were an outgrowth of Slik, a mid-’70s pop quartet that served as the launching pad for singer Midge Ure (later of Ultravox). Members: Willie Gardner (vocals, guitar), Russell Webb (bass), Billy McIsaac (keyboards), Kenny Hyslop […]
Michel Ripoche is a French violinist who emerged in the brass-rock band Zoo at the turn of the 1970s. Between 1975 and 1987, he released four albums and a collaborative set on Atlantic, Spalax, and Musique-Image. Backgrounds Michel Ripoche emerged in late-1960s France as a multi-instrumentalist adept at violin, tenor saxophone, and trombone. In October […]
Offering were a French jazz-rock/Zeuhl project headed by Magma mastermind Christian Vander. The project yielded the double-album Part 1 – Part 2 on JARO in 1986, followed by two discs on Seventh during the early 1990s. Members: Christian Vander (vocals, drums, percussion, piano, flute), Stella Vander (vocals, percussion), Guy Khalifa (vocals, flute, piano), Simon Goubert […]
Noa was a French jazz-rock/Zeuhl band that self-released an eponymous album in 1980. Members: Alain Gaubert (guitar, bass), Bernard Nicolas (flute, saxophone), Claudie Nicolas (vocals), Philippe Vincendeau (saxophone), Christian Robard (drums, xylophone, vibraphone) Background Noa formed in the mid-1970s in Pont-Saint-Martin, Loire-Atlantique, where guitarist-bassist Alain Gaubert teamed with reedist Bernard Nicolas, a flutist and soprano […]
Georges Achille Teperino — aka Nino Nardini (1912–1994) — was a French composer and conductor who released numerous albums of library music on Neuilly and L’Illustration Musicale during the 1970s. Discography: Musique pour le Futur (1970) Jungle Obsession (1972 • Nino Nardini & Roger Roger) Mindbender (1972 • Stringtronics) Animals / Children (1976 • Nino Nardini […]
Nightrider were a French symphonic/hard-rock band that released a self-titled album on CBS in 1979. Members: Bob Salazar (vocals), André Roé (guitar), Christian Banet (bass), Jean-Louis Bianchina (drums), Fred Rossoni (keyboards), Hervé Guido (keyboards) Discography: Nightrider (1979)
NEO Museum was a French avant-jazz/rock combo that released the 1986 AYAA album Volume 1. Members: Antoine Gindt (guitar), Alain Casari (clarinet, saxophone), Daniel Koskowitz (drums) Background NEO Museum formed in 1985 when guitarist Antoine Gindt, saxophonist Alain Casari, and drummer Daniel Koskowitz carried their Hellebore partnership into a new trio. Gindt studied classical guitar […]
Neo was a French jazz-rock band that released a 1980 self-titled album on Prodisc Strasbourg. Members: Romain “Schlapp” Becker (string ensemble, synthesizer, electric piano), André Pelerin (guitar), Didier Erard (saxophone), André Paul (bass), Eric Haven (drums, percussion), Alfred Boetzle (percussion) Background Neo formed in 1978 in Sarreguemines, Moselle, as an instrumental quintet led by bassist […]
Nemo was a French funk-rock band behind the 1973/74 Agave albums Nemo and Doin’ Nuthin’. Members: François Bréant (keyboards, vocal), Marc Perru (guitar, vocal), Pascal Arroyo (bass, piano), Clément Bailly (drums), Emmanuel Lacordaire (percussion, guitar), Ronnie James (trumpet), Albert Marcœur (alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet), Claude Samard (dobro), Arthur Young (trumpet), José Bartel (tumbas, gong) […]
Nef was a French coldwave duo that self-released the 1983 album Mais alors !!?… C’est à l’envers. Members: Richard Lorenzi, Vincent Tronc Background Nef formed in southern France in 1975 when guitarist Richard Lorenzi teamed with guitarist Marc Alessio. Lorenzi came from Atlantide, a group he formed with guitarist Raymond Alberti (no connection to the […]
Moving were a French jazz-rock band that released a self-titled album on Amo in 1980. The band was formed by two ex-members of the Moving Gelatine Plates, which issued two albums on CBS circa 1971/72. Members: Didier Thibault, Dominique Godin, Jean Rubert, Jean-Jacques Hertz, Marc Profichet Discography: Moving (1980)
M.O.T.U.S was a French jazz-rock band that released the 1972 album Machine of the Universal Space on Connection. Members: Philippe Combelle (drums, percussion), Gilles Papiri (bass, percussion), Michel Coeuriot (organ, keyboards, vocals, percussion), Ian Jelfs (guitar, lead vocals) Background M.O.T.U.S. formed in Paris in 1972 with singer-guitarist Ian Jelfs, bassist Gilles Papiri, keyboardist-vocalist Michel Coeuriot, […]
Mosaic was a French jazz-rock band that released the 1978 album Ultimatum on self-press Ekimoz. Members: Hubert Brebion [aka Hubert De Nampcel] (drums, percussion), Yves Brebion (guitar, piano, vocals, 1972-78), Jean-Yves Escoffier [aka Jye Esko] (keyboards, guitar, 1974-79), Philippe Lemongne [aka P.L.M.G.] (bass, double bass, cello, acoustic guitar, percussion, synthesizer, vocals, 1974-79) Background Mosaïc formed […]
Moravagine were a French jazz-rock band that released a self-titled album on Promophone in 1976. Most of the members continued as Chute Libre, which released two albums in a similar vein during the late 1970s. Members: Denis Barbier (flute), Mino Cinelu (percussion), Jacques Ferschitt (accordion), Pierre-Jean Gidon (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone), Olivier Hutman (piano), Jean-Marie […]
Morange & Fertier were a French electronic/space-rock combo that released the album Love Spirale on Gratte-Ciel in 1978. Members: André Fertier, Armand Lemal, Jean Querlier, Mahmoud Tabrizi-Zadeh, Patricio Villaroel Discography: Love Spirale (1978)
MOR were a French folk-rock band that released the album Stations on Thélème in 1973. Members: Daniel Le Bras [aka Dan Ar Braz] (acoustic guitar, Celtic harp, bombarde, vocals), Serge Derrien (acoustic guitar, flute, vocals), Jean Nin (guitar, vocals) Discography: Stations (1973)
Moderne was a French eletronic new wave band that released two albums in 1980/81 on Arabella. Members: Thierry Teyssou, Gérard Lévy, Bernard Guimond, Patrick Millérioux, Dominique Marchetti Background Moderne formed in 1979 in Tours when lyricist Thierry Teyssou and composer Gérard Lévy launched an electronic studio project from the ashes of Rouge Baiser, and RCA-contract rock […]
Minimum Vital are a French symphonic/art-rock band that debuted with the album Envol Triangles, self-released on cassette in 1986. The following year, a second album was issued on Musea, the band’s home for all releases henceforth. Members: Thierry Payssan (keyboards, accordion, synthesizer, bass pedals, tambourine, piano, Hammond organ), Eric Rebeyrol (bass), Christophe Godet (drums, 1990-93), […]
Michel Zacha is a French chanson-folk singer/songwriter who released three albums and assorted singles on Pathé Marconi EMI between 1972 and 1977. Discography: La Nuit des Cigales (1972) Le vol d’Icare (1974) Inutile (1977)
Nat Adderley (November 25, 1931 — January 2, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer who spent much of his career performing with his brother, alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley. He first recorded as a leader on That’s Nat (Savoy, 1955) after a notable appearance at New York’s Café Bohemia. The brothers formed the Cannonball […]
Monk Montgomery (Oct. 10, 1921 — May 20, 1982) was an American jazz-funk bassist from Indianapolis. Montgomery joined the Lionel Hampton Orchestra in the early 1950s and became one of the first jazz musicians to record on Fender electric bass, followed by extensive work with Buddy Montgomery in the Mastersounds and with Buddy and Wes Montgomery […]
Mike Longo (March 19, 1937 — March 22, 2020) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader from Cincinnati. He served as pianist and musical director for Dizzy Gillespie from 1966 through 1975, with appearances on Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac, The Dizzy Gillespie Reunion Big Band, The Real Thing, and Portrait of Jenny. Longo […]
Mark Colby (born 1949) is an American jazz-funk tenor and soprano saxophonist from Brooklyn. He spent 1975–78 with Maynard Ferguson, then joined Bob James, who signed him to Columbia for the albums Serpentine Fire and One Good Turn. Colby later worked with Jaco Pastorius, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, and Charlie Haden while maintaining a Chicago-based […]
The Lyman Woodard Organization was an American jazz-funk ensemble from Detroit led by Hammond organist Lyman Woodard, who formed the group after his 1970–73 tenure as musical director for Martha and the Vandellas. In 1975, the Organization debuted on Strata with Saturday Night Special, followed by the live Don’t Stop the Groove and the 1985 […]
Leroy Vinnegar (July 13, 1928 — Aug. 3, 1999) was an American post-bop/jazz standup bassist on the LA studio scene. He recorded extensively with Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Shelly Manne, Hampton Hawes, and Les McCann while also contributing to film and television sessions. Vinnegar led albums from Leroy Walks! in 1957 through later releases for […]
Leon Thomas (Oct. 4, 1937 — May 8, 1999) was an American jazz, blues, and soul vocalist, percussionist, and songwriter who sang with Count Basie in the early 1960s and reemerged through collaborations with Pharoah Sanders, including “The Creator Has a Master Plan” on Karma. His solo career on Flying Dutchman produced Spirits Known and […]
Leon Spencer (Nov. 1, 1945 — March 11, 2012) was an American jazz-funk pianist and organist from Houstonwho cut four early-Seventies albums for Prestige and recorded with Lou Donaldson, Melvin Sparks, Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, and Rusty Bryant. Background Leon Spencer Jr. was born Nov. 1, 1945, in Houston, Texas. He began piano lessons as […]
Larry Willis (Dec. 20, 1940 — Sept. 29, 2019) was an American jazz-funk pianist and composer from Harlem. He emerged with Jackie McLean and Hugh Masekela, then spent 1972–78 on keyboards with Blood, Sweat & Tears. Willis later worked with Woody Shaw, Jerry González’s Fort Apache Band, and Roy Hargrove while maintaining a leader catalog across […]
Stuff was an American jazz-funk supergroup that released three albums and two live discs between 1976 and 1980 on Warner Bros. Bassist Gordon Edwards assembled the New York session players Cornell Dupree, Eric Gale, Richard Tee, Steve Gadd, and Chris Parker around a standing engagement at Mikell’s in Manhattan. Stuff played the 1976 Montreux Jazz […]
Reggie Lucas (Feb. 25, 1953 — May 19, 2018) was an American jazz-funk guitarist and producer from Queens who played with Miles Davis and recorded the solo album Survival Themes. He later formed a songwriting and production partnership with James Mtume and produced early recordings by Madonna. Background Reggie Lucas was born Reginald Grant Lucas […]
Ray Bryant (Dec. 24, 1931 — June 2, 2011) is an American post-bop/jazz-funk pianist from Philadelphia. He backed Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Carmen McRae, Sonny Rollins, and Aretha Franklin while building a parallel trio and solo career from the mid-Fifties onward. Bryant scored crossover singles with “Little Susie,” “The Madison Time,” and “Ode to Billie […]
Paul Jackson (March 28, 1947 — March 18, 2021) was an American jazz-funk bassist from Oakland, best known for his work with Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters. He also recorded the 1978 solo album Black Octopus. Background Paul Jerome Jackson Jr. was born March 28, 1947, in Oakland, California. Jackson started double-bass lessons at age […]
Oliver Nelson (June 4, 1932 — Oct. 28, 1975) was an American post-bop/jazz-funk saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader from St. Louis. He began recording as a leader on Prestige in 1959 and established his best-known composition, “Stolen Moments,” on the 1961 Impulse! album The Blues and the Abstract Truth. Nelson arranged Sixties sessions for Jimmy […]
