Loaded with various brass and woodwind instruments, this subtle and funky piece rocks out all charkas. Charles Mingus meets Laurie Anderson meets Bootsy Collins. I keep hearing new things every time I spin this one. Give it a shot. Clarinetist/vocalist Beth Custer and friends speak truth to power:
The Empire of the United States
Sun Ra Meets Funkadelic. A group put together by modern free-jazz notables drummer Hamid Drake, bassist Nate McBride, and multi-reedist Ken Vandermark around 1999 that paid tribute to the similarities between the Arkestra and the the Funk-Mob.
Dig it:
Spaceways – “Size Large“ (play/download mp3)
Antibalas is a sizable Fela style afrobeat West African big band from Brooklyn. Great horn and organ sounds on this track. This is beyond a mere tribute band. This is its own contribution to the genre.
Antibalas – “Hypocrite“ (play/download)
Listen and buy Antibalas’ records here.
