So, this is a "James Brown LP" from 1969. I believe that it's the only one in my collection where the main artist is only credited with "directing and dancing". Indeed, Brown's vocal talents aren't on display here; this is an all-instrumental album featuring his band. The liner notes on the back cover praise the singer's skill as an instrumentalist, but whether he plays anything here is unclear. It's widely assumed that he plays at least some organ; what we do know is that he directs, and dances with, the band. Now, if you haven't seen James Brown directing the band you might think he doesn't do much. Nevertheless, while the band improvise on certain melodies and rhythms like jazz players often do, the length, tempo, order of solos etc is all driven by the singer, who uses certain moves to communicate with the musicians. Very few could pull it off, but the Jamed Brown band had been drilled by the singer to perfection. Unfortunately, his being such a hard drillmaster, combined with his bossiness and parsimony drove the band to quit on him soon after they recorded this LP. Undaunted, Brown he a bunch of younger guys who formed the basis for his next band, The J.B.'s. When some of the veterans heard here rejoined, The J.B.'s became one of the world's tightest bands, responsible for some of the funkiest music ever heard on this planet. Fred Wesley (trombone) and Maceo Parker (sax) were among those who returned to the fore, but not saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis who co-wrote and arranged this LP as well as many 60's hits by James Brown. Neither did Clyde Stubblefield whose funky drum breaks are a sample treasure trove for hip hop artists up to this day. These two are the true stars of the album, next to guitarist Jimmy Nolen; Nolen's may not be a household name, but he was voted at No. 12 by both Mojo and Rolling Stone in their respective 100 greatest guitarists of all time lists. He invented (I'm quoting wikipedia here) "a style of picking known as "chicken scratch," in which the guitar strings are pressed lightly against the fingerboard and then quickly released just enough to get a muted "scratching" sound that is produced by rapid rhythmic strumming of the opposite hand near the bridge". I wouldn't be able to describe it that well myself, but I can add that it's a highly distinctive style, and that he's given ample time to display it on this album. Opener "The Popcorn" is a short piece that showcases everyone at their best: funky drum breaks, great horns, that chicken scratch guitar, even -buried deep in the mix- some pretty groovy organ, which wikipedia attributes to Pee Wee Ellis. "The Middle, "Soul Pride" and "The Chicken" are also among the more danceable tracks; On the first, I'm most impressed by the drums and bass, on the second by the guitar, and on the latter, the saxophone. The rest of the LP is also very enjoyable jazz funk, with the horns at the forefront - a very solid album overall, with no weak tracks. Sometimes one forgets how good these guys backing JB were, his hyperenergetic vocal performance stealing the show from the backing musicians. So it's good that, among his countless albums, he released a number of instrumental LPs - of which this is probably the best. I'd say it's a pity that this was the original band's last - but then, the JBs who followed them were at least just as good. Say what you will for James Brown, but you can't deny that he had an unmistakeable nose for talent!
**** for The Popcorn, In the Middle Pt. 1 & 2, Soul Pride Pts. 1 & 2, The Chicken
*** for Why Am I Treated So Bad, A New Shift, Sudsy, The Chase
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