Showing posts with label Down To The Bone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Down To The Bone. Show all posts

Monday, February 24, 2020

Down to the Bone - The Urban Grooves

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1999/2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:18
Size: 183,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:46)  1. Long Way from Brooklyn
(7:51)  2. The Zodiac
(5:02)  3. To the Bone
(7:27)  4. Joy Is a Good Groove
(4:24)  5. Phat City Hustler
(7:06)  6. Urban Jazz
(5:37)  7. Fusion Food
(5:25)  8. Vinyl Junkie
(6:01)  9. Yo Man It's Herbie
(6:03) 10. Bump 'n' Hustle
(5:29) 11. Right on Baby - Yeah!
(6:18) 12. A Little Touch of Soul
(5:42) 13. Concrete Jungle (2019 Bonus Track)

Album of the week. 'One of the most eagerly anticipated and awaited jazz-groove albums of the nineties - a marvellous album' ~ Ben Mynott - Blues and Soul magazine

'DTTB prove they deserve to be in the vanguard of the new 90's jazz groove. A magnificent sophomore offering'. ~ Malcolm Prangell - Blues and Soul magazine
I have teamed up with Soul Brother Records, Putney, London to bring you a page on the site where you can buy all of my releases via their friendly shop. Just click on the 'buy now' link and it will take you to the shop's site. http://www.downtothebone.com/music/tug.htm

The Urban Grooves

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Down To The Bone - Future Boogie

Styles: Big Band
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:58
Size: 155,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:42)  1. Future Boogie
(7:52)  2. Should've Been You
(6:57)  3. Spiderlegs
(7:36)  4. Good To Me
(6:30)  5. Get On It
(5:52)  6. The Brighter Side
(5:40)  7. Gotcha!
(5:46)  8. In The Pocket
(5:01)  9. Smash And Grab
(7:58) 10. We've Always Got The Music

The problem with Down to the Bone's Future Boogie is this: what the band is doing in the present, they've done better in the past. Two years ago, Down to the Bone (DTTB) celebrated their first decade of bringing the funk with a terrific studio album, Supercharged (Narada/2007), and a well-assembled compilation, The Best of Down to the Bone (Narada/2007). The two releases provided an excellent introduction to where this British band had been and a road map to where they might be going. Future Boogie is the sound of this funk/jazz ensemble idling in place. There's a non descript feel to the album's cover art and song titles, but lackluster packaging isn't the real dilemma. What is, is how the album comes off as the less interesting little cousin to Supercharged. Two of the guest artists from that album vocalist Hilary Mwelwa of Hil Street Sou l, and vibraphonist Roy Ayers return, but the material provided by Stuart Wade and Ian Cambell isn't as strong this time around. DTTB was previously a band with a strong rhythm section augmented by a horn section, which gave it the latitude to perform songs where the horns were prominent, alternating with others featuring no horns at all. This time every track is dominated by blaring brass, and the horn arrangements by Wade and Tim Smart shift the emphasis away from the rhythm section. This imbalance of power within the band leaves DTTB sounding, for stretches, like Tower of Power having an off night.

There's no such thing as a DTTB album without something worthwhile to recommend, and when they're given space to shine, bassist Julian Crampton, guitarist Tony Remy and drummer Phil Nelson rise to the occasion, particularly on the title track, "Should've Been You," featuring Mwelwa's sassy singing, and "The Brighter Side," where keyboardist Neil Angilley's piano solo briefly breaks through before the horn section loudly barges in bleating, squealing and honking. It isn't until the final track, "We've Always Got the Music," that the horns back off somewhat and give Angilley, Remy, Crampton and Nelson some room to groove. By then it's too late; nothing more than an enticing teaser of what DTTB can do when both sides of the band play well together. It's hard to put a finger on why Future Boogie doesn't impress in the way Supercharged did. It could be there's too much similarity in many of the tracks. Perhaps it's the lack of particularly compelling material. Whatever the case, what's new here isn't all that interesting and what's interesting isn't all that new. Whatever category you want to put DTTB in soul and funk, R&B, acid jazz, or something entirely separate it does what it does very well. Unfortunately, this pleasant, but routing effort isn't the bold step forward the band might have planned. ~ Jeff Winbush https://www.allaboutjazz.com/future-boogie-down-to-the-bone-shanachie-records-review-by-jeff-winbush.php

Personnel: Neil Angilley: piano, Rhodes, Hammond organ, clavinet, keyboards; Tony Remy: guitar; Julian Crampton: bass; Phil Nelson: drums; Richard Sadler: percussion; James Knight: alto saxophone; Tim Smart: trombone; Pablo Mendelssohn: trumpet (1, 3-6, 8-10); Andy Gray: trumpet (2, 7), additional trumpet (8); Hilary Mwelwa (Hil St. Soul): vocals (2, 6); Roy Ayers: vibes, vocals (4); Neil Burditt: synth (8).

Future Boogie

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Down To The Bone - From Manhattan To Staten

Styles: Big Band
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:55
Size: 165,0 MB
Art: Front

(9:03)  1. Staten Island Groove
(7:18)  2. Brooklyn Heights
(5:24)  3. Savour The Flavour
(6:43)  4. Muesli Brown
(5:01)  5. Yo Mama's So Phat
(6:43)  6. Touch Of Voodoo
(7:14)  7. 17 Mile Drive
(3:41)  8. Carlito's Way
(6:00)  9. 3 Days In Manhattan
(6:43) 10. On The Corner Of Darcy Street

Luckily for Down To The Bone, although there are literally thousands of bands out there trying to do the exact same thing, it's rare that anyone else accomplishes such a successful fusion of jazz and soul groove as From Manhattan To Staten . On tracks like "Brooklyn Heights" and "Carlito's Way," the band combine soulful grooves and light breakbeats to make music as organic sounding as a live jam session, but with an accomplished silky smoothness. While at heart a funk collective, Down To The Bone nevertheless come across as masters of many styles, from jazz, to fusion, to trip-hop. Great for dancing to or even just for setting that perfect mood (think Barry White without lyrics), From Manhattan To Staten  displays Down To The Bone's extraordinary talent and creative vision. https://www.allmusic.com/album/from-manhattan-to-staten-mw0000037087

Personnel:  US Band: Rufus Philpot - Bass and MD/band leader;  Katisse Buckingham - Sax;  Chris Bautista/Gabriel Johnson - Trumpet;  Dave Wood - Guitar;  Iahji Hampden / Gene Coye - Drums;  Quinn Johnson / Lao Tizer - Keyboards.

UK Band: Tim Smart - Trombone /MD;  Simon Allen - Sax;  Ryan Jacob - Trumpet;  Alex Bennett - Keys;  Jo Phillpotts / Chris Dodd - Bass;  Davide Giovannini - Drums;  Joe “Bongo” Becket - percussion;  Billy Adamson - Guitar.

From Manhattan To Staten

Monday, September 2, 2013

Down To The Bone - Best Of

Styles: Jazz Funk
Label: Narada
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:22
Size: 165,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:46)  1. Staten island groove
(5:20)  2. Cellar funk
(7:49)  3. The zodiac
(5:53)  4. Black choice
(5:12)  5. Gotta get back to you
(7:13)  6. Brooklyn heights
(6:57)  7. Electra glide
(5:56)  8. I'll always hold you close (ft. Brian Auger)
(6:46)  9. Carlito's way
(6:42) 10. Pure funk
(5:44) 11. Long way from Brooklyn

Far from your run-of-the-mill contemporary jazz chart-toppers, the duo of Stuart Wade and Chris Morgans come from a long line of British advocates of jazz including the Brand New Heavies and Us3. Their first album as Down to the Bone, 1997's From Manhattan to Staten, did predictably well around their base in Chobham, Surrey, but also transferred to American smooth jazz charts. Their second album, The Urban Grooves, featured a track recorded with one of Wade and Morgans' original inspirations, organist Reuben Wilson, and topped jazz charts in America after its 1998 release date. Spread the Word: Album III followed in early 2001, with Crazy Vibes and Things coming the next year. After moving to Narada, the group released Cellar Funk and Spread Love Like Wildfire in 2004 and 2005, respectively. The label celebrated the band's ten years in the game by issuing the greatest-hits album The Best of Down to the Bone in early 2007. The group’s tenth album, The Main Ingredients, released in 2011, found Down to the Bone taking their signature funk and groove sound to the Trippin 'N' Rhythm label.~ Bio https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/down-to-the-bone/id417709#fullText .

Celebrating a decade of making music, The Best of Down to the Bone collects 11 of the soul-jazz/fusion band's biggest songs -- at least one from each of their six albums -- into one neatly compiled collection. Released by Narada, who Down to the Bone has been with since 2004's Cellar Funk, this best-of is a superfluous addition to anyone who has most, or many, of the group's records, but for someone who just wants to learn what Down to the Bone is about, this hits the spot.~ Marisa Brown  http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-down-to-the-bone-mw0000569826 .

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Down To The Bone - Cellar Funk

Styles: Jam Band
Label: Narada Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:06
Size: 176,5 MB
Scans: Front

(5:33)  1. Back In Business
(5:18)  2. Cellar Funk
(5:56)  3. I'll Always Hold You Close
(5:53)  4. Timeless
(6:59)  5. The Flow
(5:20)  6. Crossing Boundaries
(6:49)  7. You're The Only Reason
(7:00)  8. Dancing To A Samba
(5:43)  9. Global Village
(5:45) 10. L.A. Shakedown
(5:02) 11. Little Smile
(4:57) 12. Down In The Basement
(6:44) 13. Back In Business (The Business Mix)

In 1996, when Down to the Bone’s From Manhattan to Staten shook the doldrums off smooth jazz, this new sound was fresh, funky and just plain fun. It still is. DTTB, led by British producer Stuart Wade, is now a veteran of the groove-jazz genre, whose dance staples are hip enough to be packaged into many smooth jazz discs.

DTTB works like this: Wade hums a melody, hears what instruments might come into play, and, along with his mates in his regular band, recruits session musicians who help fine-tune melodies and rhythms. Guests include Hammond B-3 player Brian Auger and Brazilian jazz vocalists Flora Purim and Guida de Palma. The creative process works for Wade, who will admit to anyone that he can’t play a lick of music. Scoff, but the proof is in the jam.

As a true jam band, DTTB’s music often dulls the senses with its repetition, as on “I’ll Always Hold You Close.” But wait, that’s a good thing. Your mind wanders for a few minutes, then flits back to the groove when Auger’s Hammond work tears through the speakers. Same with “Timeless,” which offers a tasty acoustic guitar lick, something the band hasn’t tried before. Elsewhere, Purim’s Carioca vocalese is perfectly suited for “The Flow,” where a horn riff blows over a festival-like rhythm. “Crossing Boundaries” and “Dancing to a Samba” also have a Brazilian flavor, and are driven by percussion that shakes like dancers at Rio’s carnaval.

Although most of DTTB’s songs are fairly busy (“LA Shakedown” is inspired by Blaxplotation movies and has a great Chic-like guitar riff), once in a while the band shows it can make a tight single as well. Exhibit A is “You’re the Only Reason,” an in-the-pocket groove with some tasty Hammond work and simply stated bass-and-drum line. ~Brian Soergel  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=13119#.Uhz-t1cucv4

Personnel: Stuart Wade (programming); Neil Angilley (keyboards); Neil Cowley (keyboards); Richard Sadler (bass); Shilts (tenor saxophone, flute); Ian Crabtree (guitar); Andy Watson (trombone); Lee Vivian (trumpet); Martin Gray (saxophone); Brian Auger (Hammond B3); Flora Purim (vocals); Guida De Palma (backing vocals); Matt Coldrick (guitar); Martin Shaw (trumpet); Julian Crampton (bass)