Defunkt."Illussion"1982 Jazz Funk
- 10 years ago
Defunkt "Thermonuclear Sweat" 1982
Defunkt/Thermonuclear Sweat is the pairing of the first two albums by Joseph Bowie's all-star jazz-funk group, Defunkt, which included such luminaries as Vernon Reid, Kelvyn Bell, Kim Clarke, Kenny Martin, Melvin Gibbs, and others. Defunkt (1980) picked up an aesthetic first put forth by Miles in the mid-'70s, and Ornette Coleman's Prime Time in the late '70s, with the latter adding the hot-foot whomp of James Brown, the tune sparking the fire of Prince and the Downtown New York scene's outsider vision. The formula was refined and perfected in 1982 with the issue of Thermonuclear Sweat, where Bowie's trombone and vocals added more "song" to the groove: the effect was devastating. Defunkt was and is a place where vanguard jazz, hard funk, street savvy, soul, and assaultive rock & roll all blend together in a pool of sheer musical abandon and hedonistic glee. This double-disc package has been augmented with bonus tracks, no less. Disc one carries the 12" version of "Razor's Edge" and three live cuts from 1983 -- including a killer take of "In the Good Times," while disc two contains a live version of "Big Bird (Au Private)" from the same show. Put together, this collection is one of the reissues of the year, as the music vibe has not only not dated, but proven that Bowie and company were far ahead of their time..
"Led by trumpet player Joseph Bowie -- the son of a St. Louis-based music teacher, the brother of big band arranger Byron Bowie, and late trumpet player of the Art Ensemble of Chicago's Lester Bowie -- Defunkt created some of the most adventurous sounds of the last quarter of the 20th century. Formed in 1978, Defunkt initially took a danceable approach to jazz. Although their first three albums -- Defunkt, Razor's Edge, and Thermonuclear Sweat -- made them leaders of New York's radical underground music scene, their inability to achieve commercial expectations led them to disband in 1983, with Bowie retreating to the island of St. Croix. Reorganized after Bowie's return to New York in 1986, Defunkt recorded an additional six albums, including A Blues Tribute: Jimi Hendrix & Muddy Waters and In America, between 1988-1993. Beginning in 1996, Bowie sought a way to combine the big band jazz of the 1930s and '40s and the dance rhythms and grooves of the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Expanding Defunkt with the addition of more horn players and background vocalists, Bowie introduced the Defunkt Big Band with a six-week stint at the Knitting Factory in New York. "..
Defunkt/Thermonuclear Sweat is the pairing of the first two albums by Joseph Bowie's all-star jazz-funk group, Defunkt, which included such luminaries as Vernon Reid, Kelvyn Bell, Kim Clarke, Kenny Martin, Melvin Gibbs, and others. Defunkt (1980) picked up an aesthetic first put forth by Miles in the mid-'70s, and Ornette Coleman's Prime Time in the late '70s, with the latter adding the hot-foot whomp of James Brown, the tune sparking the fire of Prince and the Downtown New York scene's outsider vision. The formula was refined and perfected in 1982 with the issue of Thermonuclear Sweat, where Bowie's trombone and vocals added more "song" to the groove: the effect was devastating. Defunkt was and is a place where vanguard jazz, hard funk, street savvy, soul, and assaultive rock & roll all blend together in a pool of sheer musical abandon and hedonistic glee. This double-disc package has been augmented with bonus tracks, no less. Disc one carries the 12" version of "Razor's Edge" and three live cuts from 1983 -- including a killer take of "In the Good Times," while disc two contains a live version of "Big Bird (Au Private)" from the same show. Put together, this collection is one of the reissues of the year, as the music vibe has not only not dated, but proven that Bowie and company were far ahead of their time..
"Led by trumpet player Joseph Bowie -- the son of a St. Louis-based music teacher, the brother of big band arranger Byron Bowie, and late trumpet player of the Art Ensemble of Chicago's Lester Bowie -- Defunkt created some of the most adventurous sounds of the last quarter of the 20th century. Formed in 1978, Defunkt initially took a danceable approach to jazz. Although their first three albums -- Defunkt, Razor's Edge, and Thermonuclear Sweat -- made them leaders of New York's radical underground music scene, their inability to achieve commercial expectations led them to disband in 1983, with Bowie retreating to the island of St. Croix. Reorganized after Bowie's return to New York in 1986, Defunkt recorded an additional six albums, including A Blues Tribute: Jimi Hendrix & Muddy Waters and In America, between 1988-1993. Beginning in 1996, Bowie sought a way to combine the big band jazz of the 1930s and '40s and the dance rhythms and grooves of the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Expanding Defunkt with the addition of more horn players and background vocalists, Bowie introduced the Defunkt Big Band with a six-week stint at the Knitting Factory in New York. "..