Plunky & Oneness – I’ll Be There Deep House & Drill Jazz Remixes
Plunky & Oneness strike out in surprising new directions, taking their progressive jazz-funk sensibilities into the dance club environment with a deep house and other remixes of their “I’ll Be There” single.
Music critics have hailed legendary saxophonist-vocalist James “Plunky” Branch as a vanguard of Afro-centric jazz – curating a myriad of musical forms from funk and R&B to house and go-go into a progressive message of empowerment, positivity, and cultural awareness. Plunky continues his innovative approach to transcending genre constraints with the release of his new I’ll Be There EP which contains four versions of his love song: 1. Deep House, 2. Drill Jazz, 3. Hip-Hop, and 4. Original Reggae mixes. The Deep House Remix was produced by DJ Axel Bampton & View of Paris, France; the Drill Jazz and the Hip-Hop Remixes were done with the assistance of Web 3 hip hop creator, Rasul The Knowbody; and the original track was produced with Fire and DJ Diallo.
Stream this EP here.
Paris born guitar virtuoso Emmanuel “U-Nam” Abiteboul continues to follow his passion for funk. This year he presents Volume 3 with an exquisite collection of hits.
Recognized for his high-speed improvisational skills, fun-loving performance spirit, and a flexible right wrist, guitarist Cory Wong had a multifaceted music career in his base of Minneapolis, Minnesota before becoming better known for regular guest spots as rhythm guitarist for R&B/funk outfit Vulfpeck in the mid-2010s. In 2016 Wong released the solo EP MSP, Pt. 1. He made his official full-length solo debut in September 2017 with the eclectic Cory Wong and the Green Screen Band, a playful fusion of funk. His next release in 2018 was The Optimist featuring long-distance contributions from Stanley, Marti Fischer, and KATIS, as well as the horn section Hornheads, followed by The Paisley Park Session (2021) and The Lucky One (2023).
The eighth studio album by the Swedish funk band Beat Funktion was released on September 15. This sextet stunned global audiences in 2014 when three of their albums, ‘Voodooland’, ‘Mandy’s Secret’ and ‘Olympus’ peaked at No. 1 on the US and Canadian jazz charts.
I have been following African-American trumpet player Bill McGee (my friend) for many years, and this year this veteran celebrates his 50+ years in the music business.
In October last year the 13th album of the Dutch super saxophonist Candy Dulfer was released. I saw Candy perform live many years ago, and have been following her since her debut album ‘Saxuality’.
On December 9 of last year, the debut album of the Italian Groove Collective (IGC) was released. This Italian national collective combines groove with jazz and funk. The album has been released both digitally and on CD, and was recently handed to me.
David started out his musical career as an MC/DJ during the iconic era of Sugar Hill Gang, Kurtis Blow, and Grandmaster Flash. Having spent many of his early years producing rap acts, like all producers from the era, Williams sampled soul, jazz, and funk records from the 70s.
Jeremy Green started playing the electric guitar when he was twelve, when he snuck into his brother’s room to strum his Ibanez Roadstar Custom. Three years later he was already playing semi-professionally in Southern Ontario, Canada in small clubs and at parties.
From a young age, sisters Dominique, Annick and Véronique Clarisse sang from the small island of Mauritius. Now 30 years later they still do. They have already appeared on stage or in the studio with Erasure, Basia, Incognito, Howard Jones, Matt Bianco and Chris de Burgh.
Smooth Jazz Daily 