Cellar Funk by Down to the Bone

12 Jan

Written by Mark Keresman
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Down To The Bone is a UK trio+ combo who lay down some funky groove music akin to the Blackbirds, Eddie Harris, Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express and the Meters - not poppy jazz w/ funk additives, but jazz-inflected old-school/early 70s-style funk. The bass is lithe, and horn lines and grooves alike are indeed catchy and delivered with a breezy, hot-fun-in-the-summertime assurance. Brian Auger turns in a nice guest spot on "I’ll Always Hold You Close," his Hammond B-3 as rich and comforting as a hot fudge sundae on a 79 degree day, and Flora Purim adds some sweet, wordless encouragement to the percolations of "The Flow," where Neil Angilley’s organ achieves a fleet-fingered, reed instrument-like charm. "Dancing To A Samba" has a neat-o Sergio Mendez & Brazil 66-style Brazilian lilt to it that'll have you drinking pina colada on your front porch (whether you have a porch or not). Most of the soloing isn’t exactly memorable, and I think that’s the point: this is, as stated before, primarily a groove music, a soundtrack to hip housework and frolicking about the pool. That may sound like a dis, but it’s not meant to be - not every album need to be Art, and sometimes you need an album to provide easygoing, affably funky motivation on the laziest of sunny days, and Cellar Funk is just the thing for that.

Additional Info

Artist / Group Name: Down to the Bone
CD Title: Cellar Funk
Genre: Fusion
Year Released: 2004
Record Label: Narada Jazz
Musicians: Neil Angilly, Neil Cowley: keyboards; Ian Crabtree: guitar; Paul "Shilts" Weimer: sax, flute; Lee Vivian: trumpet; Andy Watson: trombone; Flora Purim: vocal; Brian Auger: Hammond B-3 organ; others.
Label Website: http://www.naradajazz.com
Rating: Three Stars