As we’re on a roll call, not only have the Haggis Horns worked with these chart toppers but also some FLY favourites like Nightmare On Wax, Roots Manuva, Mark Ronson and The Cinematic Orchestra and released their debut album, Hot Damn!  in 2006 when they were well on their way as the British Dap-Kings.

All was going so well and then founder member and Corinne Bailey-Rae’s husband, the band’s saxophonist Jason Rae tragically died passed away 2008. So, second guessing, this album is formulated on the theme of album title, Keep On Movin’.

Teaming up with Nia Saw on vocals (who has performed around the world with Zap Mama and DJs alongside funk, soul, jazz, northern soul and mate of Paul Weller and legend Keb Darge), the 10 piece band is as horny as funk.

Original from Scotland (hence the name) Malcolm Strachan (trumpet), Atholl Ransome (tenor saxophone and flute) and Ben Barker (guitar) form the core of the band that’s now has expanded to include two more horns (Jim Correy and Rob Mitchell) and Morgan Pugh (bass), Luke Flowers (drums), Sam Bell (percussion) and Joe Tatton (keyboards, guitar)

Whilst this album is coming out on First Word (can you believe Jonny Trunk hadn’t hard of them? This is catalogue number FW55 after all!), the groove is real Freestyle Records, Mr. Finewine and Keb Darge so to speak.

Kicking off with the opening track, ‘Way Of The Haggis’, the Haggis Horns are in full front line blowing action (with funky guitar and strings!). This instrumental sets a high standard but certainly gets us in the groove.

As long time lovers of Alice Russell, Nia certainly has the same funky soul when she joins in on tracks ‘Pass It On’, ‘On The Edge’ and the title track ‘Movin’ On’.

She also features on ‘Too Blind’ and ‘The Cockroach Grind’ which may remind those with good memories of the groove of Scotland’s Average White Band whose’s ‘Pick Up The Pieces’ was so influential back in the day. The Haggis Horns take on this period/classic/style is ‘Putting On The Beef’. Sounds like a euphemism I know, but this is meaty funky soul jazz and comes into the Jazz Chronicles category of “future classics”.

‘Love Gets You High’ probably even more so as the Donald Byrd/Frizzell Brothers influence is all too clear to hear. For rare soul 45 b-sides from New Jersey/West Orange, check out ‘The Snarf Dance’ (what’s Snarf?) and the instrumental ‘The Jerk’.

Whilst label mates The Simonsound are completely different to The Haggis Horns, there is a lineage from funk to soul to hip hop, breaks and beyond.

Ending on a track called ‘Keep On Dancing’, dancing is definitely what you’ll want to do when you’re listening to this album as The Haggis Horns have some of the hardest funk, soul and jazz around town - keep on movin’ people to the sound of The Haggis Horns.

by Gerry Hectic
permaink

Tracklist :
1. Way Of The Haggis (4:29)
2. Pass It On (4:50)
3. The Jerk (2:51)
4. On The Edge (5:37)
5. Movin’ On (4:13)
6. Too Blind (4:41)
7. The Cockroach Grind (4:57)
8. Putting On The Beef (3:51)
9. The Snarf Dance (4:33)
10. Love Gets You High (4:48)
11. Keep On Dancing (4:15)

Sharon Jones et ses Dap-Kings n’ont jamais fait 2 fois le même album, et si 100 Days, 100 Nights lorgnait vers Motown et une production moins brute, I Learned The Hard Way confirme la tendance : la Géorgienne nucléaire et les Dap ont définitivement laissé leur funk primal derrière eux pour se concentrer désormais sur des titres plus léchés et moins frontaux, préférant aller draguer du côté de Curtis Mayfield et de ses Impressions, de Ray Charles et plus largement du Rhythm And Blues cuvée fin 60’s. Plus sophistiqué, plus arrangé et principalement axé sur des ballades (hormis Money, la seule grenade funk de l’album sur laquelle Sharon lâche la bête), I Learned The Hard Way ne sombre pourtant jamais dans la mièvrerie des ballades sur-arrangées. Qualité Daptone oblige, il n’y met d’ailleurs pas le moindre orteil et Gabe Roth, en enrichissant les titres de cordes gracieuses, de cuivres solennels et de backing vocals, affirme du même coup un talent de producteur bien plus étendu que son habituelle patte funk ne le laissait supposer.
Grande chanteuse.
Grand groupe.
Grand producteur.
Grand album.
Indispensable.

par Muzul pour wegofunk.com
permalink

Tracklist :
01. The Game Gets Old [03:55]
02. I Learned The Hard Way [03:47]
03. Better Things [03:39]
04. Give It Back [03:22]
05. Money [03:21]
06. The Reason [02:20]
07. Window Shopping [04:34]
08. She Ain\'t A Child No More [02:35]
09. I\'ll Still Be True [03:48]
10. Without A Heart [02:44]
11. If You Call [02:59]
12. Mama Don\'t Like My Man [02:30]

FUNKESSENCIA, uma banda de deep funk. O Funkessencia lança em Setembro um single chamado "Urbanismo", que conta com duas faixas bônus. Uma versão de "Chameleon", clássico de Herbie Hancock e Headhunters, e uma versão para "Music is Rulling My World", de Kutiman.

por DNA
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Tracklist :
01. Urbanismo
02. Chameleon
03. MIRMW

 A lost bit of modern soul from New Jersey -- sweet, mellow, and with a groove that's very much in the Philly indie mode of the late 70s! Not much is known about Lee, but the album's got that laidback, late nite groove that makes indie soul so great -- professional in intent, but handled with an honest simplicity that makes the record a bit more compelling than most of its contemporaries. Contains a version of "We've Only Just Begun" that's so great it's got to be heard to be believed -- completely different than the original, done with jazzy conga flourishes that really open up the groove. Other tracks include the great Northern Soul track "I'll do anything for you", "Gotta Get Home", "Sweet Magic", "Slow Down", "Let's Play Luck", and "Show Me".
Enjoy it!

by Greg
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Tracklist :
01 - Sweet Magic
02 - Slow Down
03 - We've Only Just Begun
04 - Let's Play Luck
05 - I'll Do Anything for You
06 - Show Me
07 - Gotta Get Home
08 - Sweet Magic [Instrumental]