Jazz Funk

[Ian Parker]

Listening to local radio last night, the presenter played "movin" by Brass Construction.  This was a general pop music show by the way

  my point is: has anyone, or would any one play this kind off thing at a 'soul' event?

      When you listen to some of the dreadful stuff played, surely this has a lot more soul (mostly) than many records given air time ?

   I've not explained myself too well I suppose, but what are your thoughts?

 

 

[Barry]

Depends what soul event it is I suppose Ian.

 

I've been playing a right mixture for a good while now and I find it works better for me and for getting a crowd to accept what you are doing.

 

I have just re-done my poster for one night in particular - it had 'NORTHERN SOUL FUNK LATIN SIXTIES RARE GROOVE' on it, giving me the option to play across the board - or so I thought - I've found increasingly that over the last few months that if you put 'NORTHERN SOUL' on your advertising, even though it is amongst a group of other styles, you get groups of Soulies turning up moaning every time you play anything else other than Northern.

 

No other group of black music lovers who attend do.

 

My poster is now void of any genre, just stating 'THE FUNK SOUL BROTHER', make your own mind up what I play.

 

Of course there is a place for stuff like that....keeps it fresh.

[Kjw]

John Manship often used to play Ha Cha Cha by them at Cleethorpes

[Mark S]

Ritz alldayers in the mid seventies tons of the stuff Hamilton Bohannan - Foot stomping music , Issac Hayes - Disco Connection , Brass Constuction - Van Mc Coy  etc . 

 

Never hear this sort of stuff played out nowadays yet it was commonplace back then and very much a part of the NS Scene

[Liamgp]

Depends what soul event it is I suppose Ian.

 

I've been playing a right mixture for a good while now and I find it works better for me and for getting a crowd to accept what you are doing.

 

I have just re-done my poster for one night in particular - it had 'NORTHERN SOUL FUNK LATIN SIXTIES RARE GROOVE' on it, giving me the option to play across the board - or so I thought - I've found increasingly that over the last few months that if you put 'NORTHERN SOUL' on your advertising, even though it is amongst a group of other styles, you get groups of Soulies turning up moaning every time you play anything else other than Northern.

 

No other group of black music lovers who attend do.

 

My poster is now void of any genre, just stating 'THE FUNK SOUL BROTHER', make your own mind up what I play.

 

Of course there is a place for stuff like that....keeps it fresh.

 

 

I always liked a bit of jazz funk, good for practising my shuffle. As for moaners...

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2014 by ElGeePee

[Lovemusic]

There's two yearly events that encompass that style of music.

 

The Mecca reunion at The Swallow in Salmesbury later on in the year (playing anything that was played at the Mecca- from sixties northern soul early on to the brand new releases of the day and all points in between. Apart from Colin Curtis playing requests, no record has been repeated over it's four years, by the other three djs.

 

Also there's a Cassinelli's reunion. 2nd one next month at its original venue now called The Almond Brook Hotel, Standish, near Wigan. New releases from 78 to 83.

 

Both highly recommended. Not missed one yet!

[Mike Lofthouse]

All these things as new releases were massive back in the day - by 76/77 exclusively so at the Blackpool Mecca.   There was a far more eclectic mix back then with far less navel gazing and worrying about or emphasis on rareness.  But there again it was a very young crowd out to enjoy themselves!

[Podge]

Well played at an all out northern night then no, but played at a general 'soul' night then yes, Brass Construction were a funk band more than anything else, jazz funk is something completely different, my taste in soul is totally across the board, from ballads through to soulful funky house, so if I was out and heard Movin or Ha Cha Cha then it would be great, but I think it would be played at a soul night as opposed to a northern night.

I saw Brass Construction at the California ballroom in Dunstable during the disco heyday along with most of the soul/motown/funk bands of the 70's and back then everything was played, bit of motown, bit of northern and of course disco,,,,,,,, good times.

[Lovemusic]

The Ritz was the melting pot that brought all the musical strands together in one room. Plus the baggy trousers mixed with the peg tops and all was good with the world. I favoured jodhpurs and a tom mix check cowboy shirt around Mikes 1977 timeline, before moving on to my Dads wedding suit with white shoes. All nighters though needed something less dressy. 

Me and my mates would try and go everywhere whatever they played, as long as it was good.

 

Nowadays I can chin stroke with the best of them, not to mention boogie and shuffle, but stomping less so thanks to 57 yr old lungs and a sore left heel.

 

Andrew Love

[Codfromderby]

1975, cream kickers with red stitching, slim fit lois denim jacket, 28waist trousers, 30p a pint, palais revolving dancefloor, jumpers for goal posts, seems like yesterday

[Codfromderby]

,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rFLUz0Cv8U

 

 

im in the mood now, used to able to dance to this frantically all the way through, not a bead of sweat in sight, would this tune be allowed these days

 

 

 

 

[Mark S]

,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rFLUz0Cv8U

 

 

im in the mood now, used to able to dance to this frantically all the way through, not a bead of sweat in sight, would this tune be allowed these days

 

Its a crime that these great records dont get an airing they were an important part of the  scene,s development in the mid seventies a fact that the timewarp soulies seem to be in denial about

[Codfromderby]

i reckon this one would push boundaries at a northern night, was massive at the time

 

[Stateside]

I used to dj in Birkenhead in the mid 70's and played the same stuff that was being played at the Ritz along with a mix of funk such as Brass Construction, Brother to Brother etc. But if I so much as put a northern record of any description on it would clear the floor. Funny really, northern soul never took off in the clubs in Liverpool or Wirral and yet it was so close geographically to Blackpool and Wigan. Has anyone ever been able to explain that.

Kev

[Guest Dave Ward]

Someone once had a right go at me when I posted that something was as rare as a Scouser at Wigan Casino. I still believe that, Yet I knew people from Southport, Formby and Skelmersdale, who were really into Northern. There was an all-nighter in Toxteth L8, 'The Timepiece' which a friend and I decided to go to, but we bottled it before we got within 50 yards !

[Stateside]

Someone once had a right go at me when I posted that something was as rare as a Scouser at Wigan Casino. I still believe that, Yet I knew people from Southport, Formby and Skelmersdale, who were really into Northern. There was an all-nighter in Toxteth L8, 'The Timepiece' which a friend and I decided to go to, but we bottled it before we got within 50 yards !

Les Spaine was the dj at The Timepiece and they did all nighters, but solid funk. There were a few scousers who did the rounds at various northern venues, but there weren't any venues in Liverpool other than maybe Skem Formby or Southport/Ormskirk, which really are on the periphery of Liverpool.

[Guest Dave Ward]

i reckon this one would push boundaries at a northern night, was massive at the time

 

The stuff that was played at Casino All-nighters after Russ had gone for a Kip would surprise a lot of people - Brass Construction, Movin' and Changin' - Weather Report, Mr Gone - George Benson, On Broadway-Nina Simone, My baby cares for me,  Candido - Jingo, AND stuff like the Bang-Gang-Honkies and Life-Cats Eyes. These aren't the best, by any means' just a few I remember, mixed with modern Northern Soul (at the time) and a few popular floor fillers. 4:00 am until 7:00 am was great, in the main hall. We weren't all dinosaurs.

[Codfromderby]

The stuff that was played at Casino All-nighters after Russ had gone for a Kip would surprise a lot of people - Brass Construction, Movin' and Changin' - Weather Report, Mr Gone - George Benson, On Broadway-Nina Simone, My baby cares for me,  Candido - Jingo, AND stuff like the Bang-Gang-Honkies and Life-Cats Eyes. These aren't the best, by any means' just a few I remember, mixed with modern Northern Soul (at the time) and a few popular floor fillers. 4:00 am until 7:00 am was great, in the main hall. We weren't all dinosaurs.

cats eyes was surely in a different league than brass construction, at the time it was a total floor filler, brass construction, car wash and others were just new releases that were played, as for being a dinosaur a bloke i used to work with said that soul became mainstream and pop when motown became popular in the mid 60,s 

 

no matter what these sounds were all part of the soul boy culture, love it all myself

Edited April 26, 2014 by codfromderby

[Guest Dave Ward]

No excuse for Waterbed, Herbie Mann, Cream of the Crop, Andre Maurice etc. but The Flasher, Lloyd Mistura, took some beating as a leg breaker, If the Wheel boys can have 'Scratchy' I'm having that bastard !

[Codfromderby]

No excuse for Waterbed, Herbie Mann, Cream of the Crop, Andre Maurice etc. but The Flasher, Lloyd Mistura, took some beating as a leg breaker, If the Wheel boys can have 'Scratchy' I'm having that bastard !

if your having the flasher i,m having control tower, and falbala

[Codfromderby]

remember this, same label as "your gone" i think although a little cheaper to buy

 

[AlanB]

No excuse for Waterbed, Herbie Mann, Cream of the Crop, Andre Maurice etc. but The Flasher, Lloyd Mistura, took some beating as a leg breaker, If the Wheel boys can have 'Scratchy' I'm having that bastard !

 

Haha, very funny way of putting it.

 

Personally, I quite like Waterbed on hearing it now, had filed it away as rubbish many years ago,,

[Mark S]

pure class

[Shawky]

Played loads of this type of music at The Ritz revival in Manchester last week. It was great to spin all the old 12" classics 

[AlanB]

I liked Hubert Laws - Chicago Theme from that era.  Probably a lead balloon now,

 

[Epic]

I liked Hubert Laws - Chicago Theme from that era.  Probably a lead balloon now,

 

 

Hubert Laws is still a classic tune - one of the records that typified where The Mecca was in 1975.

[Sjclement]

Colin Curtis used to play Open Sesame and not long after bands like Kenni Dhelt with Prhana, the Kay Gees, Mass Production & Slave got plays Brass Construction was just the tip of the iceberg!

 Love to have heard Hudson People or Alphonse Mouzon in that setting (a bit too late methinks)

[Sjclement]

[Mark S]

Used to love the Blue rooms in Sale on a thursday night Levine and Curtis on the decks great sounds played , allways got the impression that they tried the new sounds out on us before the saturday night at the Mecca .

[Kev Cane]

Can't imagine people at a "soul do" marching up and down the dancefloor line dance fashion in unison to "Movin on" and doing human pyramids etc

 

Kev

[Sjclement]

^ Why Not ?

 

They do the Hokey Cokey

[Epic]

^ Why Not ?

 

They do the Hokey Cokey

 Is that the dance they do at the end of  "corporate weekenders" - believe it is known as the Okeh Cokeh" !!

[Guest Dave Ward]

Can't imagine people at a "soul do" marching up and down the dancefloor line dance fashion in unison to "Movin on" and doing human pyramids etc

 

Kev

 

Don't think we did that organised dance routine stuff up t'north, It was more of a southern thing, Goldmine Canvey Chris Hill etc. There was a group of lads from Preston who did some group stuff though.

[Kev Cane]

Don't think we did that organised dance routine stuff up t'north, It was more of a southern thing, Goldmine Canvey Chris Hill etc. There was a group of lads from Preston who did some group stuff though.

Believe me Dave, there was plenty of that going on in the North East in the late 70,s through the mid 80,s, whistles, toga's basket ball get up, ey up, I,m off to be sick  

 

Kev

Edited April 27, 2014 by kev cane

[Steve S 60]

Don't think we did that organised dance routine stuff up t'north, It was more of a southern thing, Goldmine Canvey Chris Hill etc. There was a group of lads from Preston who did some group stuff though.

 

Can remember going to the All Dayers at Blackpool Mecca and all those shenanigans used to go on in the main room.

[Lucky One]

I have always enjoyed hearing jazz-funk,  takes me back to the Birmingham Lacarno alldayers in the small room 1978/79.It was a welcome break from the non stop oldies in the main room, this is from a life long northern fan.

[Barry]

remember this, same label as "your gone" i think although a little cheaper to buy

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgtdGeXKKA

 

Always loved it and bought from Madalaine's three for a quid box @ Wigan - Kenny Dope was all over it not long back bumping it's price up somewhat.