RhoDeo 1842 Grooves

Hello,

Tonight's Artists are an American Collective formed in 1990 In 2007 they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year for the release People People Music Music. . .....N'Joy

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The acid jazz outfit Groove Collective was formed in downtown New York City in 1990 by flutist Richard Worth, DJ Smash, and rapper Nappy G, all three staples of a nomadic dance club called Giant Step. In time, the trio was joined by keyboardist Itaal Shur, drummer Gengi Siraisi, and bassist Jonathan Maron, earning a growing cult following and eventually attracting the attention of Steely Dan vibist Bill Ware, who soon signed on along with saxophonist Jay Rodriguez, trombonist Josh Roseman, trumpeter Fabio Morgera, and percussionist Chris Theberge. After witnessing an early show, producer Gary Katz negotiated the band's signing to Reprise Records, and produced their eponymous debut album in 1993.

In 1994, they appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool, alongside other prominent jazz artists, Herbie Hancock and Roy Ayers. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by Time Magazine. They scored two minor dance instrumental and adult contemporary hits in 1996 with a cover of The Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and "Lift Off".

Groove Collective's musical style reflects the wide-ranging backgrounds and interests of its individual members. Commenting on the group's 1996 release, We the People, critic Michael Casey referred to the numerous influences at work in Groove Collective's sound, specifically the presence of Afro-pop, Latin jazz, hip-hop, and traditional jazz stylings. This mix is born of the members' varying influences, including bebop, funk, old-school hip-hop and classic soul. Bassist and co-founder Jonathan Maron has acknowledged the importance of a DJ aesthetic in the music, stating that "(Groove Collective's) goal has always been to emulate the range of music a DJ plays during the course of the night at a packed club....A great DJ knows the songs that can ignite the room and fill the dance floor. Some of my favorite musical experiences have been in clubs, where you listen and realize how well all of these styles blend together into one big idiom of its own." Central to the group's ethic is its insistence on live instrumentation and its ability to create and sustain grooves for a dance floor audience.

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In the mid-'90s there have been many attempts to combine jazz with dance music in hopes of making creative music more accessible to younger listeners. Most of these projects have flopped due to the jazz being watered down but this effort from the ten-piece Groove Collective is one of the more successful hybirds. Not counting a pair of juvenile raps, the music is strong from the jazz standpoint and the funky rhythms are generally infectious, resulting in a set of intelligent jazz-oriented dance music.

Groove Collective - Groove Collective   (flac  374mb)

01 Rentstrike 6:07
02 Balimka 3:57
03 Nerd 6:29
04 Rahsaanasong 5:03
05 Ms. Grier 4:36
06 Whatchugot 6:10
07 El' Golpé Avisa 9:52
08 Genji Monogatari 6:49
09 Buddha Head 3:59
10 Saturday Afternoon 10:29

Groove Collective - Groove Collective (ogg   150mb)

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In the late '90s, it looked like the concept of "acid jazz" was going to catch on. The idea was to create jazz so funky and rhythmic that it would be danced to in clubs and perhaps even catch on big commercially. Most groups that became involved in acid jazz de-emphasized the jazz in favor of mundane rhythms, going for the potential money at the expense of the music. Groove Collective struck a better balance, keeping the funk going much of the time (when they were not playing Afro-Cuban jazz), but also having some sound explorations and some strong solos. The lineup of musicians featured on We the People includes such notables as trombonist Josh Roseman, trumpeter Fabio Morgera, and vibraphonist Bill Ware III. The problem with We the People, other than the throwaway rap on "I Am," is that none of the pieces is particularly worthy. The playing is stronger than the writing and, while one can enjoy the grooves and some of the more colorful moments, there is nothing about this music that is particularly memorable. It probably worked much better in dance clubs but, even then, if the songs had been more distinctive and catchy, it might have resulted in acid jazz becoming a significant style of music instead of just a nice try.

Groove Collective - We The People (flac  454mb)

01 Jay Wrestles The Bari Constrictor Pt.1 1:20
02 Loisaida 5:41
03 Lift Off 4:25
04 Everybody (We The People) 5:10
05 Fly 7:50
06 Sneaky 6:45
07 I Am 4:25
08 Caterpillar 4:15
09 Hide It 4:51
10 Anthem 5:06
11 Sedate 5:16
12 Jay Wrestles The Bari Constrictor Pt.2 4:28
13 Nightwaves 0:58

Groove Collective - We The People (ogg  164mb)

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With their brand of acid jazz, the Groove Collective mix the spirit of horn bands like Earth, Wind & Fire with the snap of hip-hop and the edge of hard bop on Dance of the Drunken Master. While jazz purists might wince at the gurgling rhythms, most will find it hard to keep still with the thick funk on these tracks. This is music with a sense of fun.

Groove Collective - Dance of the Drunken Master (flac  431mb)

01 Out The Door 6:49
02 Deal With It 3:41
03 Floating 4:48
04 Bionic 4:42
05 St. Gallen 5:39
06 Peep Show 6:28
07 Que Te Pasa'ti 3:39
08 Anna Christina 6:19
09 Drunken Master 4:20
10 Tangenziale 4:42
11 Runaway Child 5:00
12 Sending 5:07
13 World Bank 5:20
14 Hey 4:18

Groove Collective - Dance of the Drunken Master (ogg  157mb)

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