GEORGE “FUNKY” BROWN (below) was the drummer and founding member of KOOL AND THE GANG. He sadly died last November aged 74. That passing was the more poignant given that the band (essentially Robert “Kool” Bell and Brown) were then enjoying a mini renaissance on the back of a new album.
Be that as it may, George left a wonderful legacy. His work with Kool and the Gang speaks for itself; things like ‘Too Hot’, ‘Hollywood Swinging’ and ‘Celebration’ (all co-authored by Brown) are classics – but there’s also George’s solo work to consider too. In the month of his passing his first solo album was released and ’Where I’m Coming From’ was a revelation. On it not only did he play drums but he proved himself a real multi-tasker – singing in a gritty baritone, playing keys and handling the arrangements. Musically the album was full of surprises too. Sure there were examples of the “Kool” sound but the set delivered a varied menu – R&B, pop, a touch of hip-hop attitude, a shading of country, some Latin inspired rhythms and jazzy infections.
Now we can enjoy a second George Brown album – ‘Jazz In Paris’ and again expect to be surprised. Yes, as the title says, this is a jazz album, an attempt, we’re told, to take us on a musical journey back to the smoky jazz clubs of Paris and New York in the late 1950s and early ’60s. Fans of Kool and the Gang and George in particular, might not, however, be that surprised. They’ll know that Brown grew up on jazz while the band began as a jazz outfit, the Jazziacs.
‘Jazz In Paris’ is an 11 tracker and it was produced by Brown, co-produced by Curtis F. Williams and Wolfgang Amadeus Aichholz, and with Claude Ismael as Executive Producer, It was (oddly maybe given the title) recorded (during the pandemic) in Los Angeles and after Brown’s passing, celebrated drummer Vinnie Colaiuta stepped in to finalize key tracks. In fact there are two tracks on the set on which George is absent all together. They are the soul jazz groove that is ’The Kat’ and the breezy ‘Jardin De Lapin’ – but, despite the absence of the main man, their sound sits perfectly with the rest of the album.
The set’s opener is a moody ‘Lisa’ which really does evoke the smoky jazz cellars of the 50s and 60s – smooth, muted instrumentation, brass accents, and a full-bodied bassline. George himself handles what there is of vocals – essentially a repeat of the title, ‘Lisa’ (homage to the guitar player, Andrea Lisa?). For a jazz set helmed by a drummer, there are actually plenty of vocal tracks delivered by a variety of singers – Jane Eugene, Katja Pod Korenom, Curtis F Willams and George himself amongst them. The album’s final track, and maybe the set’s most intriguing, ‘In the Land Of Allah’ features an atmospheric vocal ensemble.
In between ‘Lisa’ and ‘In the Land Of Allah’ expect bags of variety and quality – why there’s even a jazzy almost-disco workout, ‘Addicted to the Hustle’! Everything though is delivered with passion and Brown’s knowledge and love of the genre is self-evident.
GEORGE BROWN; Jazz in Pari is released on April 18 via Astana Music Inc/BFD/The Orchard
