Julius Brockington - Sophisticated Funk
Description
Next up in the Perception/Today records series of BBE Music re-issues is the keyboardist, producer and arranger’s 1972 album Sophisticated Funk. Released initially on the Today Records imprint headed by future ‘Godfather of Disco’ and Universal Robot Band member, Patrick Adams.
Co-produced by Adams and Dizzy Gillespie’s cousin Boo Frazier, Sophisticated Funk is an album that combines cover versions of tracks from Stevie Wonder (If You Really Love Me), Al Green (Let’s Stay Together), Aretha Franklin (Rock Steady) and Isaac Hayes (Do Your Thing) along with his own composition Cold Water.
Brockington’s musical pedigree goes beyond Sophisticated Funk, and it’s Today Records 1973 follow-up release The United Chair, both as being a member of Larry Young’s Fuel, founder of the gospel outfit The Julius Brockington Ensemble and in his work being sampled by Hip-Hop royalty Jurassic 5 and, more recently, Madlib.
Further pedigree on this organ fuelled funk masterpiece can be found in the production values of Boo Frazier who also produced Dizzy Gillespie, Chuck berry, Astrud Gilberto, Johnny Hartman, Shirley Horn, Black Ivory and Tyrone Washington. Sophisticated Funk represents one of those genuine moments in the history of creative, Black music. You do need this!