Forest folk and fusion funk
Folk Is Not a Four Letter Word (Delay 68 2005)
Andy Votel has been working overtime to resurrect music that fell through the cracks between genres, whether it's prog, funky psych rock, or this collection of "acid folk music" from the late '60s and '70s. Take the golden apples of the sun and pair them with funky free spirits like Jeremy Steig and Jan Hammer -- both of whom play on Kathy Smith's "It's Taking So Long" -- and you've got an album full of beautiful musical freaks, never sure of where they should fit in.
Jeremy Steig, Energy (Capitol 1969)
With Steig on flute, Hammer on Rhodes and the awesome rhythm section of Gene Perla and Don Alias, there's no way this LP could fail to be funky. Steig even does some wild vocalizing as he overblows his instrument, Rahsaan Roland Kirk-style.
Jan Hammer Group, Oh, Yeah? (Nemperor 1976)
As the '70s roll on, Hammer's sound creeps closer to the slickness of his Miami Vice days to come, but I think Oh, Yeah? still has its moments. If you can't handle the fusion, skip to the end of the track -- after a few seconds of silence, a nasty bonus breakbeat ushers out side 1 of the LP.
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