Song of the Week: Lansana’s Priestess
Donald Byrd
Lansana’s Priestess
I woke up with this track in my head the other night. I’ve no idea why, but its given me a fine song of the week and the opportunity to take this blog into the realm of jazz-funk. Oh yes.
I first discovered Donald Byrd in his original hard bop jazz aficionado mode through his 1963 record A New Perspective. Then I came across his jazz-funk stuff from the 70s. And unlike the jazz purists who apparently despised this new direction, I found that I liked it even more.
‘Lansana’s Priestess’ is taken from Donald Byrd’s 1973 LP Street Lady. The album was pretty much written, arranged and produced by the Mizell Brothers who were also responsible for pop classics ‘I Want You Back’ and ‘ABC’ by the Jackson 5 and maybe not so quite pop classic ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’ by A Taste of Honey. i.e. Don’t let the words ‘jazz-funk’ put you off – this track has a great pop sensibility to it (albeit 7 minutes, 36 seconds of it).
Lansana’s Priestess, Donald Byrd from Street Lady, 1973
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Tags: song of the week
March 11th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
I like it – there’s areas of Jazz Funk I don’t like Shakatak, Central Line – but this real Jazz Funk is superb – Bill Oddie – yes him from Birdiewatch, used have a great Sunday morning show and would regularly drop in nuggets like Donald Byrd and The Blackbyrds .
Have you checked out this groover in Roman Empresses blog
http://romanempress.blogspot.com/2008/03/message.html
And this keyboard Jazz Funker – Rodney Franklin ‘The Groove’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSPk7awDCd4
March 11th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
That Rodney Franklin track is pretty good – nice groove.
I assume you’ve got plenty of those Blue Note + Verve compilations? There are some top tracks on those. Mmm, must post some.