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Rest in the Funk

Bob Davis of Soul-Patrol.com: This has been one heck of a week (if you are a F-U-N-K-A-T-E-E-R)

Belita WoodsNote from Nadir: Earlier this week I posted about the passing of bass master Donald “Duck” Dunn of Booker T and the MGs. Well, wouldn’t you know it, before the virtual ink of my blog had dried, we heard that Detroit’s own, P-Funk and Brainstorm vocalist Belita Woods also left us. The very next day we got the news that Chuck Brown, the Godfather of DC Go-Go, made his transition. UPDATED: And right after I posted this, we learned that Donna Summer passed away. What a week!

Our good friend, Bob Davis of Soul-Patrol.com, by virtue of his esteemed role as connector between artists and fans in the worlds of soul and funk, sometimes holds the unenviable position as bearer of bad news. He laments that too often his weekly Soul-Patrol newsletters function as a black music obituary column. As you could expect, this has been a trying week for him in that regard. Yet, in his late night email, he comments on these deaths with his usual eloquence and poise. I can’t say it any better, so we’ll let Bob do the talking.

This has been one heck of a week (if you are a F-U-N-K-A-T-E-E-R)
Originally posted by Bob Davis of Soul-Patrol.com
May 17, 2012

There has certainly been a whole lot going on in my world and the world around me over the past week, that has absolutely nothing to do with music. I won’t bore you all with the details, but I will tell you that it has all been quite good.

All of that good stuff is somewhat tempered by all of the bad stuff that has been happening in the neighborhood of the world that Soul-Patrol lives in.

This has been one of the worst weeks that I can recall. (and the week is not yet even 1/2 over yet)

We lost 3 soldiers this week. FUNK soldiers that is:
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Rest in the Funk – Donald “Duck” Dunn

While Motown bassist, James Jamerson, revolutionized the bass guitar by applying his jazz training to 60s pop music, the great Stax bass god Donald “Duck” Dunn melded gut bucket blues with good old-fashioned southern soul. The result was a rugged blue-collar groove that shines on dozens of timeless recordings.

On May 13, 2012 the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer passed away in his sleep after a hit at the Blue Note in Tokyo. His music, like the two classic cuts below, will live on forever. Rest in the Funk, Duck Dunn.

Jimmy Castor: Rest in the Funk

I was honored to meet Jimmy Castor at the 2007 Soul-Patrol Convention. After that brief conversation, I was compelled to go back and listen to his music which I had loved as a kid.

As Soul-Patrol’s Bob Davis said to me when we were talking about the man later, Jimmy Castor’s genius is often overlooked. He’s dismissed as a “parody” artist. But when you really get into the music, you’ll feel the depths of the grooves. You’ll be impressed by the musicality and the arrangements. And you will laugh your behind off.

I was really sad to hear that Mr. Castor passed away on January 16, 2012, at the age of 71. I hope there will be a long line of tributes for this man, though he deserved so much more attention during his life.

Here are a couple of my favorite Jimmy Castor joints.

Rest In The Funk – Gil Scott-Heron

“You will not be able to stay home, brother. You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out. You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip out for beer during commercials, Because the revolution will not be televised.”

Gil Scott-Heron made his transition on Friday afternoon, May 27. He was 62 years old.

He is a Godfather of Hip Hop, and the father of socially, politically conscious and revolutionary minded poets, singers and musicians.

“Home is where I live inside my white powder dreams. Home was once an empty vacuum that’s filled now with my silent screams. Home is where the needle marks try to heal my broken heart, and it might not be such a bad idea if I never, if I never went home again.”

His best work challenged an often superficial, materialistic, uncaring America, while turning a light on the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of regular people.

“A rat done bit my sister, Nell, and whitey’s on the moon. Her face and arms began to swell, and whitey’s on the moon.”

Gil Scott-Heron is inspirational. His poetry, his songs are important because of his ability to frame complex political questions in simple everyday language.

Rest in the Funk, Gil Scott-Heron.

http://www.youtube.com/v/f3hCQcrfg28?fs=1&hl=en_US

Rest In The Funk – Gil Scott-Heron

“You will not be able to stay home, brother. You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out. You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip out for beer during commercials, Because the revolution will not be televised.”

Gil Scott-Heron made his transition on Friday afternoon, May 27. He was 62 years old.

He is a Godfather of Hip Hop, and the father of socially, politically conscious and revolutionary minded poets, singers and musicians.

“Home is where I live inside my white powder dreams. Home was once an empty vacuum that’s filled now with my silent screams. Home is where the needle marks try to heal my broken heart, and it might not be such a bad idea if I never, if I never went home again.”

His best work challenged an often superficial, materialistic, uncaring America, while turning a light on the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of regular people.

“A rat done bit my sister, Nell, and whitey’s on the moon. Her face and arms began to swell, and whitey’s on the moon.”

Gil Scott-Heron is inspirational. His poetry, his songs are important because of his ability to frame complex political questions in simple everyday language.

Rest in the Funk, Gil Scott-Heron.

© Nadir Omowale