I thought Gail Anne Dorsey played bass with Bowie?Gerry D wrote:I was only aware of her playing bass with David Bowie before.
That's correct, the Funk Brothers were very fine Jazz and Blues musicians, they were the sessions musicians on the Motown soul recordings. They received no recogintion because they were instrumentalists and they helped to launch the careers of many 'stars', like Stevie Wonder et al. These guys were hidden from view and were disposed of when it was expedient to do so.Derek wrote:I thought Gail Anne Dorsey played bass with Bowie?Gerry D wrote:I was only aware of her playing bass with David Bowie before.
Anyway...
The DVD is interspersed with a concert featuring the Funk Brothers fronted by many well-known and some not so well-known guests. Chaka Khan, Bootsy Collins, Gerald Levert, Ben Harper,
Joan Osborne, Montell Jordan & Meshell Ndegeocello.
Check this from the "Snake Pit" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwxtAD3Upyw
Joan Osborne - What becomes Of The Broken Hearted http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA0GcXV2njY
According to the movie intro titles, The Funk Brothers have "played on more number-one hits than The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys, combined."
Yes. Gail Anne Dorsey played on the Reality tour etc. with Bowie.Seán wrote:Derek wrote:I thought Gail Anne Dorsey played bass with Bowie?Gerry D wrote:I was only aware of her playing bass with David Bowie before.
Anyway...
The DVD is interspersed with a concert featuring the Funk Brothers fronted by many well-known and some not so well-known guests. Chaka Khan, Bootsy Collins, Gerald Levert, Ben Harper,
Joan Osborne, Montell Jordan & Meshell Ndegeocello.
Check this from the "Snake Pit" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwxtAD3Upyw
Joan Osborne - What becomes Of The Broken Hearted http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA0GcXV2njY
According to the movie intro titles, The Funk Brothers have "played on more number-one hits than The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys, combined."
That's correct, the Funk Brothers were very fine Jazz and Blues musicians, they were the sessions musicians on the Motown soul recordings. They received no recogintion because they were instrumentalists and they helped to launch the careers of many 'stars', like Stevie Wonder et al. These guys were hidden from view and were disposed of when it was expedient to do so.
This is also available on Netflix ...
Avantgarde soul
Bass player Meshell Ndegeocello follows her own path. Besides guest appearances with David Bowie and other well known musicians, she has since her debut in 1993 released solo albums every three years, on the borderline between funk, soul and avantgarde. Most well-known is Peace Beyond Passion from ’96.
This time, she takes a big leap towards jazz and has already received considerable attention within the jazz circuit with Dance Of The Infidels. Not only because of guests like Jack DeJohnette, Mino Cinelu, Oliver Lake, Kenny Garrett etc but especially because it’s a very exciting record with a unique sound.
On many of the tracks Meshell is not playing the bass, instead this is taken care of by Matthew Garrison (Jimmy’s son) or sometimes by both of them together. But she has produced, composed, programmed, inviting this combination of musicians, thus creating her futuristic sound. Three vocalists, among them Cassandra Wilson, sing one tune each, the rest are instrumentals. For example Cooking with Gene Lake, son of Oliver but more known for his alert drumming on the borderline of funk, bop and avantgarde with, among others, Steve Coleman.
This is a wonderful example of what can happen when you open the doors between the different rooms in the large house of music. Tones and rhythms are pouring out, mixing, making all meaningless labels just blow away in the wind...
Annika Westman
Published in Lira Magazine #4/2005
