Hungry/Hongry

George Duke has no time to sit still.

Flash
The Duke of Burlington
The Duke of Burlington
Signal : 1970
[Listen] [Buy]

Love to Love
1619 Bad Ass Band
Same
TSG : 1977?
[Listen]

I Am Mine
1619 Bad Ass Band
Same
TSG : 1977?
[Listen]

That's What She Said
George Duke
I Love the Blues, She Heard Me Cry
MPS Records : 1975
[Listen] [Buy]

Well, where have we been? Tying up loose ends, and creating new ones. It's the rotation, the spin of the earth, the pull of gravity, and the tip of yr tongue.

A groovy foursome again today, as I continue to dive further and further, deeper and deeper into my sizable bags of tricks for the funk, soul and jazz that the earth is forever craving. In the spirit of giving back, I'll be starting a new series within the next week or so called Midnight Snacks, in which I peek and stroll through the jazz-funk world's darkest or brightest corners.

The random smattering of tunes I select can be fun, but also, sometimes it's just fun to hunker down and tackle one band at a time. The thirst I thought I'd quenched with the Frank Zappa series is slowly coming back, which not only gave birth to the Midnight Snacks series, but a sure return to FZ in due course, maybe when June rolls around. It can safely be said that there's lots of unfinished business there.

So, without further ado, today's quartet.

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The Duke of Burlington didn't stick around on the scene for very long. The group, led by Italian pianist Marco Battaini, recorded two titles under this name in the mid-70s and then disappeared into the ether. Several weird, funky cover songs across the two LPs, including renamed versions of Pink Floyd's "Groove Me" and The Meters' "Look a Py Py" [both of which made their way onto Soul Sides.... I was sure for once that I'd beaten him to the punch on something, but alas! Must try harder next time], and this opening track from their self-titled LP is three-and-a-half minutes of punchy, spacey funk.

The bass cuts deep, surrounded by heavily-fuzzed guitars and a driving, shaker-led beat. Battaini's piano, in contrast, is relatively untouched by effects, and it slices through the mix to keep things interesting.

From what I know, the band name was a play-on-words off the little-known band The Marquis of Kensington, a side-project involving the then-manager of the Kinks, Robert Wace, and prominent producer Mike Leander [Decca in the 60s, Bell in the 70s... worked with Gary Glitter, Peter Frampton, Joe Cocker, Marc Bolan, and the Small Faces]. The Marquis of Kensington recorded 3 singles in the 60s, one of which was this track "Flash", thus bringing us full circle.

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Next, an even punchier duo from the awesomely-named, hard-to-find 1619 Bad Ass Band. I cannot find anything around the web about them, except for their appearances on a couple of new rare-funk comps [maybe I'm not looking hard enough, but I'm pretty sure I gave it a good try], but make no mistake, their sound is loud, aggressive and proud, making it a great example of the late 70s funk scene.

It is relentless from the get-go; as the crackling audio begins, a 2-second machine-gun drum roll ploughs straight into the meat and potatoes of the song, a straight-ahead drum pattern supported with classic 2-chord funk guitar and a bass line that bounces up, down and around the register.

The vocals are right in line with classic funk, almost call-and-response in their spacing and simplicity. It doesn't let up from the instant you press play, and if it doesn't get you revved enough to dance, I swear there must be something wrong with you.

To counterpoint this sandblasting opening track from the LP, I couldn't resist throwing in the 2nd track as a bonus. Much more cosmic and ethereal, but no less addictive. Vocals take more of a center stage here, as the band tones down its approach slightly and decorates the mix with in-the-pocket funk. Fuzzed bass + jazz-fusion synth = good.

The 1619 Bad Ass Band definitely earn their name, and if you can find a copy of this on vinyl anywhere, please let me know. I'd love to get my hands on a copy.

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Finally, something from a personal favourite, and one who will almost certainly make it into FmGT's Midnight Snacks: George Duke.

I've never been able to put my finger on why I enjoy his music so much; then again, I've always been fond of the jazz-fusion, as the Mahavishnu Orchestra were always high on my list of the all-time best. Throw in the Frank Zappa connection, and Duke's practically a shoe-in.

His fusion was always more out-there than most. Maybe it was the almost endless procession of frenetic, up-tempo compositions, or maybe it was his willingness to push the envelope with his piano/organ effects, finding a thoroughly extra-terrestrial sound in the process.

In this track from slap-bang in the middle of his catalog, it's the FZ influence that shines brightest. A crazy pace is set from the start, with the simple slap-bass line. When the glockenspiel and violin kick in at [0:16], fighting for supremacy and control of the main head, all hell breaks loose. Duke enters the fray for real around the minute mark, dominating with his staccato assault. From there, the track takes off, heading for the edge, never turning back. The pace never relents, with short, sweet, frantic solos from several players as the song speeds towards a catch-your-breath finale.

While the whole LP is not as strong overall, this is funky and rich enough to make waves in FmGT land. The electric funk craze was catching fire, and Duke took it and ran with it in his own unique style. I've been listening to it on repeat for what seems like an hour, head still bopping, mind still racing the groove to its conclusion.

Duke's done a lot, and despite a catalog some might think to be uneven as a whole [an opinion I disagree with], there are shining moments like this amid the madness that affirm to the listener that he was definitely on to something. His role in Zappa's "Inca Roads" already has him cemented in my affection, but tracks like this only nudge him a little higher.

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And with that, we reach the end. Over before it began, almost. Or at least that's how it seems. Tune in tomorrow; it should be another cracker.