Trax feat. Jocelyn Brown, Janice McClain, Dizzy Gillespie, Reese Project

 

 

Living without your love  –  Jocelyn Brown (There is no dispute that Jocelyn has the most unique voice however when it come to releasing a ‘gut-bucket’ Soul trak in the vein of Shirley Brown or Millie Jackson etc. –  there has been none … this trak shows that Jocelyn can be Soulful or maybe that song have never been presented to her)

Smack dab in the middle  –  Janice McClain (Released on Warner Brothers Disco label : RFC headed and named after promoter Ray Francis Caviano … mixed by Paradise Garage Dj supremo Larry Levan – Janice later made a solo album for MCA which was produced by Nick Martinelli)

Unicorn  –  Dizzy Gillespie  & Lalo Schrifrin (Dizzy is known as one of the men who invented ‘Bebop’ – an off-shot of Jazz … partnered with Lalo  known for his composition : music/theme from “Mission Impossible”)

Human  –  Reese Project featuring Rachel Kapp and Byron Stingily (Could be described as ‘Inner City part 2’ as this group was put together by & also written, arranged & produced  by Kevin Saunderson … both groups featured different vocalists)

Trax feat. Dynamic Superiors, Tuxedo Junction, Mtume, Cookie Watkins

 

 

Happy song  –  Dynamic Superiors (One of the greatest groups on Motown Records most people have never heard of – except the ‘diehard’ Soul & Motown fans … extravagant lead vocalist Tony Washington early death temporarily split the group   www.thedynamicsuperiors.com)

Volga Boatman  –  Tuxedo Junction (More famously known as ‘Song of the Volga Boatmen’ this trak was a mega hit for Glen Miller Orchestra in the early Forties … Disco producers extra-ordinaire “Rinder & Lewis” who put this studio band together for Butterfly Records)

Hip dip skipped a beat  –  Mtume (James Mtume, Reggie Lucas, Howard King, Hubert Eaves & Tawatha Agee amongst the band members – some who went on to be founders of Boogie specialists ‘D-Train'(Prelude Records) & ‘The Strangers’ (Salsoul Records))

Love can save  –  Cookie Watkins (Cookie has been plying her trade across America in a variety of revues and live performances for a number of years – hence minimal recordings … released on Strictly Rhythm Records)

Trax feat. Chaka, Mantus, 400 Blows, DJ Pope

 

 

Angel  –  Chaka Khan (Chicago’s Yvette Stevens shot to fame via the band ‘Rufus’ … she then went unto become a solo artist to critical acclaim – this trak is from her ‘Funk This’ album)

Rock it to the top – Mantus (A former Rock group who realised that the emerging musical genre named Disco was worth pursuing … their early breakout hit was remixed by John ‘JellyBean’ Benitez – a future compadre of Madonna)

Movin  –  400 Blows (Supposedly the band is named after a Francois Truffaut movie of the same name … ‘The Blows’ tackled the Brass Construction monster with gusto which was then described as “Industrial Funk” – an Illumimated Records release)

Happy  –  DJ Pope featuring Sheila Ford (First trak from Pope’s album ‘My Way’ … released on Baltimore U.S.A. based ‘Poji Records – co-owned with DJ Oji)