>Hello, it's great to be back on the AJ list after a long period of absence!
>I have a question I'd like to post to the list, and it concerns matters of
>taste and perceptions of "what is and what isn't" acid jazz. I'm currently
>in a band which was founded supposedly to play acid jazz - trouble is, we
>started to veer away from the concept and got too "poppy". So a call went
>out for suggestions for some new material to cover. I had just heard a copy
>of the new Quincy Jones album (Q's Jook Joint) and liked the remake of "Is
>it Love That We're Missing". This one had Gloria Estefan on vocals. I
>remembered the original version by the Brothers Johnson in a Quincy Jones
>album from the '70s, so hearing the remake had some definite good vibes. The
>new version is a lot slicker though, and programmed drums replace live drums
>on this track. But there was a good guitar solo on it.
>
>My suggestion was summarily shot down on the basis that it was just more of
>the "pop" ilk we had digressed into and was not at all "acid-jazz".
>
>I was ticked off enough by this to hunt down the original version of the
>song and found my old battered vinyl copy of Quincy Jones' "Mellow Madness"
>LP, circa 1975. After hooking up my old Technics turntable (and in the
>process rediscovering all the vinyl goodies I had in storage) I plunked the
>needle down and listened to the original version of "Is It Love That We're
>Missin'", which had the Brothers Johnson (George and Louis) playing on the
>track they co-wrote. I listened and listened, and as far as I can tell this
>funky little track recorded in 1975 could pass for what we now call "acid
>jazz" in 1995 (fair enough, most of what I hear labelled as acid jazz today
>sounds like it emerged from a 20-year time capsule).
>
>I'd like to ask opinions to anyone familiar with "Is It Love That We're
>Missin'" - whether the original 1975 recording from the "Mellow Madness"
>album or the remake on the 1995 album - and let me know if it would fit in
>an "acid-jazz" set. I need some feedback so I can push my suggestion again.
>Normally, I'd let it pass, but I've listened to funky-jazz for ages, and
>discovering the acid-jazz category was realy a rediscovery of an old
>familiar sound I had heard before. So it sorta ticks me off when my musical
>taste in this area is put in question!
>
>(personally, I'm getting sick of these labels - to me, if it's funky and has
>a good vibe, it's all good music)
>
>As an aside, for some really tasty funk drumming, check out "Trying To Find
>Out About You" from the Mellow Madness album - another song I rediscovered
>recently. This features Harvey Mason on drums - who gives a real education
>on funk drums right there.
>
>
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>jim ayson [ jra@europa.com ] ... quezon city, metro manila, philippines
>The Philippine Cyberspace Review - http://www.europa.com/~jra/ph-cyber.html
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