I don't recall the remix and I was in the clubs back in the late 90's. Is this what you're referring to?
A much needed Black Music thread.
- Thread starter Insidious Von
- Start date
I didn't frequent 108 very often. For Mississauga/Brampton our go to was Club FX
When Quincy Jones died back in November 2024 I said I'd so an instalment of my producer series dedicated to his work and legacy. I am going to highlight 4 tracks here that were produced by him that are amongst my favorites. I've excluded anything Michael Jackson, particularly 'Off the Wall' LP because that would just dominate the list. Here we go.
First up are The Brothers Johnson. QJ produced their 1st four albums, all of which went platinum. Its tough to pick a favorite track from them but this is definitely up there for me:
"Ain't We Funkin' Now" from their 3rd LP Blam! released in 1978. What I love about QJ is he always brought in top tier musical talent for his artists. Harvey Mason on percussion, Rod Temperton as songwriter/keyboardist, Steve Porcaro on synth and Lee Ritenour on electric guitar.
Next up let's go with George Benson. A jazz guitarist by trade he crossed over into the R&B side in the mid 70's with success. But it was the 1980 LP 'Give Me the Night' that made him a household name. Produced entirely by QJ the lead single "Give Me the Night" was Benson's first single to reach gold status. But it was this joint that really pressed all my buttons. I've likely posted this before but here it is again because I love it so much. It's a great example of jazz/R&B fusion.
"Love X Love"
In 1979 Jones produced Rufus and Chaka Khan's seminal album, Masterjam, which features my favorite track from them "Do You Love What You Feel". But I've posted that a few times so here's my second favorite track from that album
"Body Heat"
And finally we got a Quincy Jones written and produced track from 1978. It was the lead single from his LP "Sounds....and Stuff Like That". Featuring vocals by Chaka Khan and Ashford & Simpson. Also features the great Steve Gadd on drums.
"Stuff Like That"
Jones also wrote, produced and arranged music for a myriad of artists. Bob James debut album. Donna Summer. Ray Charles. Patti Austin. James Ingram. Aretha Franklin. Little Richard. Dizzy Gillespie. A true legend and builder in the black music category.
First up are The Brothers Johnson. QJ produced their 1st four albums, all of which went platinum. Its tough to pick a favorite track from them but this is definitely up there for me:
"Ain't We Funkin' Now" from their 3rd LP Blam! released in 1978. What I love about QJ is he always brought in top tier musical talent for his artists. Harvey Mason on percussion, Rod Temperton as songwriter/keyboardist, Steve Porcaro on synth and Lee Ritenour on electric guitar.
Next up let's go with George Benson. A jazz guitarist by trade he crossed over into the R&B side in the mid 70's with success. But it was the 1980 LP 'Give Me the Night' that made him a household name. Produced entirely by QJ the lead single "Give Me the Night" was Benson's first single to reach gold status. But it was this joint that really pressed all my buttons. I've likely posted this before but here it is again because I love it so much. It's a great example of jazz/R&B fusion.
"Love X Love"
In 1979 Jones produced Rufus and Chaka Khan's seminal album, Masterjam, which features my favorite track from them "Do You Love What You Feel". But I've posted that a few times so here's my second favorite track from that album
"Body Heat"
And finally we got a Quincy Jones written and produced track from 1978. It was the lead single from his LP "Sounds....and Stuff Like That". Featuring vocals by Chaka Khan and Ashford & Simpson. Also features the great Steve Gadd on drums.
"Stuff Like That"
Jones also wrote, produced and arranged music for a myriad of artists. Bob James debut album. Donna Summer. Ray Charles. Patti Austin. James Ingram. Aretha Franklin. Little Richard. Dizzy Gillespie. A true legend and builder in the black music category.
My all-time favourite jazz guitar song, BREEZIN, by George Benson.
I recently started listening to Olivia Dean, who won the Grammy for Best New Artist of 2025. British Black creatives seem way less represented in the biz. She's got a real breezy easy listening vibe to her sound. I'm a sucker for jazzy lounge style music.
I think this suffers a bit from the pop influence of contemporary music. Her voice sounds like so many other female singers in the business, a combo of melancholy and wailing. To be honest if I didn't see the video I would have guessed she was white. Where I agree with you is the lack of British r&b/soul representation in modern music. The last artist I can remember liking from that region was Laura Izibor (who was actually Irish).
X Montrealer and I share a love of 60,s girl groups..............sooooooo
but this i do remember....i am almost 100% sure this is the 1st 45 Single i ever bought....i 1st heard this song on Chum 1050 as a kid..fell in love with the sound..had to have the single..so i went and got it..60,s plus years later its still in my collection...a little scratchy no doubt, but i still own it...
This is the first record I bought, at Eaton's in Winnipeg, on a 78rpm 10" disc no less:
and shortly after I bought the LP shown in the YouTube clip...
another group of mixed gender from the 60,s.....best know for "Our Day Will Come"..but this one is in my "sublime" category...this is the original to the Eddie Holman smash hit who recorded his version a few years later
Ya..i admit i like sappy ballads...........bit i can also like loud raucous stuff too.. lol........kinda like the one im gonna post below
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personally for me one of the greatest blues recordings i ever heard....can never get tired of it
Elmore James and Muddy Waters are 1 and 1a in my book
Session drummer named Bernard Purdue
and a young Jimi Hendrix on guitar
It's interesting how Jimi was able to keep his wild inventive side in check, and stay within the parameters of the job at hand, while playing guitar in soul and r&b sessions...
From Wikipedia:
Hendrix began playing guitar at age 15. In 1961, he enlisted in the US Army, but was discharged the following year. Soon afterward, he moved to Clarksville, then Nashville, Tennessee, and began playing gigs on the Chitlin' Circuit, earning a place in the Isley Brothers' backing band and later with Little Richard, with whom he continued to work through mid-1965. He then played with Curtis Knight and the Squires.
I've been exploring this group recently. Nice early 80's funk.
"Get Tough" by Kleeer
"Get Tough" by Kleeer
Bernard Purdie. Great drummer. He would have been in his early 20's on this track. Purdie created a drum sequence that became known as the "Purdie shuffle". Influenced a tremendous amount of drummers including Jeff Porcaro of Toto who implemented it on several songs. For me most notably on Boz Scaggs "Lowdown" which is some of the finest groove drumming I've heard.
Purdie himself was the drummer on James Brown "Get on the Good Foot" (my ATF JB song) as well as Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady".
