In the Jungle Groove
was one of the first (and still one of the best) collections of
James Brown
's transitional and hard-hitting soul/funk workouts from 1969-1971. While the first few numbers here feature
Brown
sidemen who were in on his mid-'60s hits, the majority feature the original
J.B.'s
outfit that helped the singer forge several extended and funk-defining sides during 1970. Faced with a walkout by his old band,
partially formed the
out of the
New Dapps
from Cincinnati, taking aboard brothers
Phelps "Catfish" Collins
on guitar and
William "Bootsy" Collins
on bass; many of those ex-band members, namely drummer
Clyde Stubblefield
, guitarist
Clair St. Pinckney
, and trombonist
Fred Wesley
, would eventually return to flesh out the
lineup. The one constant was vocalist and organist
Bobby Byrd
, who had been with
since the singer's start in 1956. The incredible grooves
Bootsy Collins
and
Stubblefield
laid down here would become manna for hip-hop DJs over 15 years later, with the album's
"Funky Drummer (Bonus Beat Reprise)"
becoming one of the supreme breakbeats of all time. Filling out the collection are the very soulful pre-
tracks
"It's a Brand New Day"
(tenor saxophonist
Maceo Parker
's only appearance on the disc) and the original
"Funky Drummer,"
as well as the post-
Bootsy
cut
"Hot Pants (She's Got to Use What She's Got to Get What She Wants)."
All the numbers here are as in the pocket as you will ever hear in soul and funk. And while many of these tracks are found on various packages like
Polydor
's
Funk Power
Foundations of Funk
,
has the upper hand with its unequaled coverage of
's transformation from soul brother number one to funk originator. ~ Stephen Cook