A little Wednesday Funk

A while back, I was turned onto funk music.  Funkadelic, Ohio Players...stuff like that.  But I would ask around for more funk, and people didn't really know how to define it, or even what to recommend to me.  I got everything from the Isley Brothers to Barry White.  What is Funk?  Eventually I learned that Funk is more than just a musical genre; it is a way of life. It is a way you carry yourself, and of course this is reflected in the art you create.  Music is just a gateway to another realm.

The Funk is like the Twilight Zone...it is a strange journey, but you learn and grow.

So, back to the records.  I was into jazz and of course, this leads to CTI/KUDU. I had known about it for a while, but never saw any records from this label.  But one day, I stumbled upon a small cache of this label, and quickly learned that jazz is at the root of funk, most because of this track right here.

OH MY GOD!!! This track was like breathing for the first time for me.  It opened me to so many possibilities, and a new-found respect for jazz.  It is funkier than any Coltrane record, and the way it glides is just amazing.

I got a record a week or so back called Sun Goddess by Ramsey Lewis.  I had been into Ramsey Lewis for a while, but I only had his earlier work and his late 70s stuff.  So I picked up the record and I drop it on the track that stands out the most...JUNGLE STRUT

This track brought to mind Jimmy Castor immediately and it is so full of Funk and pimp-nastiness.  I love it and it bumps in every mix I make for myself. I just wanna go strut down a street, any street and just let everyone know how bad-ass I am.  And that is at the essence of Funk: Being yourself when everyone else is afraid to.

As George Clinton once said, "Funk gives you the right to do anything you want to do." And I believe that, through and through.

Hope this Funk has enlightened your life a little...it did mine.