If we were to ask the question, "Where did funk begin?", the answer would have to be James Brown. "Out Of Sight" is the bands first real sojourn away from a doo-wop sound and towards a funky universe. The instrumentation is simple, and the horns come into play in a way never heard before. The pattern is a simple 12 bar blues pattern, and the focus falls to the rhythmic patterns. The change in style would become concrete after James Brown recorded "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", but "Out Of Sight" was the first song to head in the direction. What direction? The funky direction.
This song, written by Stevie Wonder when he was twenty-two years old, is the first song on this playlist that unequivocally deserves the distinction of being Funky. From the first moment the drums strike up the groove, there is a heavy emphasis on the one, and the beats in between each down beat are often syncopated. The distinctive clavinet solo that enters shortly thereafter also lands firmly on the one. When the horns enter, their parts are much more rhythmically complicated than we have previously heard. They are an extremely prominent voice in the ensemble, providing a countermelody for Stevie Wonder's vocal line. The bass doubles many of their phrases, providing a symmetry to the sound. With this song, we can hear the distinctive change in sound that was marked by the advent of the 1970s.
This was the first hit-single of The Ohio Players, released in 1973. This song is the first on the playlist that has the audacity to use the word "Funk" in it's title. This marked an entirely separate genre of music. The harmonic complexity is diminished- "Funky Worm" remains on the same chord for sixteen or more bars at a time. However, the rhythmic complexity is drastically increased. Again, several horns are present, along with a synthesizer solo that has been sampled by many current hip-hop artists. This song also includes a "Granny" who interpolates dialogue throughout the song, combining comedy with Funk.
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This song marked Earth Wind & Fire's first mainstream hit in the United States. This song, smack in the middle of the 70s, is fully invested in the world of funk. The song instantly begins with screaming horns, heavy bass and drums, and electric guitar. The song stays on one chord for the first forty seconds, simply expanding the tonic. After that, this song actually becomes very rhythmically complex, gaining speed as it veers away from the initial vamp. However, the farther away we get, the funkier it is when the vamp finally comes back around.
Parliament led the funk movement of the 1970s. Donning ridiculous costumes, they invented a new funk lexicon and seemed as if they lived in their own funky universe. They were heavily influenced by James Brown, and they inherited from him a clean sound, and a heavy emphasis on the downbeat. Parliament played funk music self-referentially- a large number of their songs contain the word "Funk" in the title. Some songs, like this one, choose as their subject a component of funk. Parliament was not ashamed to funk. "Make my funk the P-Funk. I want my funk un-cut."
Steely Dan is comprised of only two core members, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. To create the sounds they desired, they hired some of the top session musicians in the business to play on their albums. Aja was a departure from the funk tradition of extensively prolonging the tonic chord. Steely Dan fused funk with jazz, adding harmonically complex chord changes to a funky groove. The rhythmic horn lines, emphasis on the downbeat, and harmonious vocal lines remain, but they vary much more frequently. Following the legacy of James Brown, Aja has some of the cleanest and most defined music ever heard on a funk song.
The title of this album, 52nd Street, comes from the one of the jazz centers of the world in the middle of the 20th century. Many jazz clubs were located on 52nd street, along with Billy Joel's label. In this album, Joel allowed his piano driven songwriting sound to incorporate more elements of jazz and funk. "Stiletto" epitomizes this departure, beginning with a signature Billy Joel sound, a piano and an alto saxophone. We soon realize this is only an introduction- fifteen seconds into the song a drum set picks up where the saxophone left off. Billy Joel starts to play a fast paced groove with his right hand, high on the piano. We hear the sound of an organ in the background, hitting the downbeats and falling away. This song retains the chord progression of a more lyric song, often simply descending by thirds; however, the groove that pervades the air give focus to the rhythm and the beat.
Written by Rod Temperton, "Rock With You", is often grouped in with the disco songs of the 70's. However, upon closer inspection, one can hear definite elements of Steely Dan in the surprising chord changes. The influence of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder can also be heard in Jackson's vocal lines. This song evokes a myriad of genres, bringing back the synthesized strings a la "Heard It Through The Grapevine". The variation in instrumentation gives credence to the school of thought that places this song in the school of Disco. However, it is hard to deny that Michael Jackson, which his various yelps and shouts, is not a follower of the funky James Brown tradition.
Kool And The Gang originally began playing in the style of jazz, before traversing over to the sounds of funk and R&B. "Get Down On It" became an international hit, achieved by simply repeating the the title phrase over and over again. The clean syncopation of the bass and synthesizers contrasts with the sharp, aggressive horn hits. The vocals contrasted smooth lead lines with more "stanky" phrases sung or yelled by a chorus of men.
It's true, Donald Fagen comprises half of Steely Dan, who already has one spot on this playlist. If I'm honest with myself, I may be making a mistake- simply looking for any reason at all to include more Steely Dan songs. However, to overlook this album would be an even bigger mistake. After the release of Gaucho in 1980, Donald Fagen recorded this solo effort in 1982. This track, "I.G.Y." reflects a sonic optimism that is given lyric manifestation in the chorus, saying, "What a beautiful world this will be. What a glorious time to be free". The sound is incredibly specific and defined, alowing harmonic stagnancy without losing any musical complexity. Though the chords may remain the same, the instrumental patterns and countermelodies are always changing.
As the 1980s became the 1990s, funk became a much more subjective concept. Many musical groups would move in and out of the style of funk within a single year, single album, or even within a single song. Emergency on Planet Earth was Jamiroqui's debut album, conclusively proving that Britain had heard about the funk. This song utilizes an intro of strings, doubled by a wurlitzer keyboard. At twenty seconds in, the drums pick up the groove, along with a shaker, bass, keyboard, and vocal line. These instruments comprise the core of the sound, with horns coming into play as the song goes along.
Béla Fleck is one of the most highly regarded musicians in the business today. He is well known for his highly inventive and technical banjo playing. Béla Fleck and the Flecktones cover the gamut in terms of style, ranging from country to blues to jazz to funk. "The Message" is one such song in the funky style. Lyrically, it preaches a message of world peace, combining funk with activism. The playing is incredibly intricate and technical, and the orchestration is diverse and varied.
In this Live album by Erykah Badu, she brings the passion of funk to the foreground. The song builds slowly, repeating phrases in the traditional funk style. However, with Badu there is a flowing linear progression to the whole song, building in intensity. Erykah Badu gives the impression of improvisation, sounding as though the sound is simply coming through her, giving voice to the feelings inside. Her funk is an attempt at connection to the real (a la Passing Strange), and she brings her audience along on her journey.
Phish lies in the realm of subjective funk. They are an extremely influential jam-band whose career has spanned through the 1990s and into a 2010 summer tour. They have cultivated an incredibly devoted following of "Phans", following in the tradition of The Grateful Dead. Story Of The Ghost is considered Phish's funkiest album, and this song is a perfect example of their fusion of style. "Birds Of A Feather" is a solid, modernized funk song which dissolves into ambient horns as the players jam dissonance after dissonance into the groove. Phish's Jon Fishman proves incredibly adept as a funk drummer, flawlessly carrying this upbeat groove for 4:15.
Currently grooving around the campus of the University of Michigan, Groove Spoon has already developed a devoted following of students. The band is lead by drummer Jack Stratton, who composed this song along with guitarist Justin Douglas and vocalist Antwan Stanley. This band lies firmly within the world of funk music. There is a lead singer, two back-up singers, a pianist, a drummer, a bassist, and three horns. "Simple Step" also includes the jazz tradition of soloing, lending features to the pianist and guitarist.
The very title of this playlist is intriguing to me. I came to your site for the blues, but I left with jazz. I really like the tracks you included for the jazz portion and this just may open some new audiotopic doors for me. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI liked this detailing of funk a lot. I didn't really consider myself very familiar with the genre, but after exploring this playlist I found that a lot of artists I'm familiar with (Steely Dan, Billy Joel, Donald Fagen) definitely have some funky elements. I enjoyed a lot of the music and really appreciated how you walked my through the sound of each song in your commentary on things like beats and accents.
ReplyDeleteI am citing your playlist "Development of Funk" for #2. I am very unfamiliar with the funk genre. I knew most of the artists on the playlist, though had listened to few of them. I found the commentary extremely helpful with both history and genre of funk. I would definitely explore this genre further.
ReplyDeleteI am citing this list for question #2. I probably wouldn’t have thought of Ray Charles or Marvin Gaye as “funk” until I read your commentary on this list. You helped me see songs I was already familiar with in a new light, and introduced me to some awesome new tracks (especially Groove Spoon). Awesome list!
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