Post by chrischile3 on Jan 23, 2007 0:56:39 GMT -5
Pop
The Funk Brothers
Some of the most inspirational Tamla Motown classics I have heard lately have had no singers on them. How so? I’m referring to the original backing tracks on the “deluxe” edition of the soundtrack to the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown. To hear the Temptations blast a path through I Can’t Get Next To You has always been an exhilarating experience, of course. To hear the immaculate rhythm playing sans Temps is every bit as fascinating. And thanks to the success of the film and album, the Funk Brothers’ contribution to the Motown sound has finally won broader recognition.
Tamla fans, of course, always knew how important a role old-fashioned musicianship played in the label’s rise to dominance. No surprise, then, that Ronnie Scott’s was crammed for the opening night of a tribute to the group that manned the engine room in the Hitsville Studio.
Strictly speaking, this evening should perhaps have been billed as the Funk Duo and Friends, since the percussionist-vibraphonist Jack Ashford and keyboard player Joe Hunter were the only surviving link with the heyday of the company. Still, the younger generation of musicians who have been recruited to the cause play with exemplary drive, and those greatest hits still sound ageless.
To judge by his opening remarks, Ashford — an avuncular, bespectacled figure who is content to allow his recruits to take the limelight — still seems less than enamoured with Berry Gordy’s hard-headed management style, yet the performances themselves were a testimony to the Gordy regime’s quest for perfectionism. While the set lacked the reckless theatricality of the Blues Brothers’ Band display at this same venue last summer, the seamless flow of classic material was, if anything, even more impressive.
The lead singer Larry Johnson provided echoes of David Ruffin and Marvin Gaye, among others. Uptight was effortlessly propelled by the three-man horn section, while another Stevie Wonder gem, Signed, Sealed, Delivered, bore all the requisite grit and swagger. Best of all, in terms of pure R&B energy, was Ain’t Too Proud To Beg, the drums and guitar snapping perfectly into synch.
The Funk Brothers
Some of the most inspirational Tamla Motown classics I have heard lately have had no singers on them. How so? I’m referring to the original backing tracks on the “deluxe” edition of the soundtrack to the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown. To hear the Temptations blast a path through I Can’t Get Next To You has always been an exhilarating experience, of course. To hear the immaculate rhythm playing sans Temps is every bit as fascinating. And thanks to the success of the film and album, the Funk Brothers’ contribution to the Motown sound has finally won broader recognition.
Tamla fans, of course, always knew how important a role old-fashioned musicianship played in the label’s rise to dominance. No surprise, then, that Ronnie Scott’s was crammed for the opening night of a tribute to the group that manned the engine room in the Hitsville Studio.
Strictly speaking, this evening should perhaps have been billed as the Funk Duo and Friends, since the percussionist-vibraphonist Jack Ashford and keyboard player Joe Hunter were the only surviving link with the heyday of the company. Still, the younger generation of musicians who have been recruited to the cause play with exemplary drive, and those greatest hits still sound ageless.
To judge by his opening remarks, Ashford — an avuncular, bespectacled figure who is content to allow his recruits to take the limelight — still seems less than enamoured with Berry Gordy’s hard-headed management style, yet the performances themselves were a testimony to the Gordy regime’s quest for perfectionism. While the set lacked the reckless theatricality of the Blues Brothers’ Band display at this same venue last summer, the seamless flow of classic material was, if anything, even more impressive.
The lead singer Larry Johnson provided echoes of David Ruffin and Marvin Gaye, among others. Uptight was effortlessly propelled by the three-man horn section, while another Stevie Wonder gem, Signed, Sealed, Delivered, bore all the requisite grit and swagger. Best of all, in terms of pure R&B energy, was Ain’t Too Proud To Beg, the drums and guitar snapping perfectly into synch.
