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Funk is ending up like the Blues

#321
Max Bogosity said:
It's funny, I was born in the early 70s but was never exposed to any funk until relatively recently. It just wasn't ever a thing around here. Now I'm hearing the early funk and the new funk at the same time without any of the historical context, and I have to say I'm not hearing a great degradation over time. Sure it's different, but to me not obviously worse.

Maybe I'm just not getting it, that's cool. But I suspect there's more than a little nostalgia going on. Just like people of my generation consider the original Star Wars movies to be obviously much better than any of the later ones, but kids who've seen them all around the same age don't see much difference.

We've also got the benefit of the historical filter. I can probably name five or six modern funk bands that are active right now and compare them against an equal number of classic funk acts and say the old bands were better. But that's cherry picking from the best of hundreds of bands across decades, and discarding thousands that sucked and have been justly forgotten.

In any genre of music today you're not just competing against your contemporaries; you're competing against the best of the best across a century of recorded music. It's a wonder we don't all give up immediately.
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Well said. Probably the best post in this thread...
 
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#322
bass12 said:
That's not a funk thing, that's what happens when players either aren't well enough versed in other styles or they simply don't have the discipline/respect to adjust their playing to suit the context. The same thing happens with players in jazz, blues, reggae, rock - you name it.
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:thumbsup:
I think it was the great Willie Weeks who said he had a problem when he first started with the Nashville sessions scene.
 
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#327
jerry said:
Eddie Hazel too.

I’m not sure funk is always known for its deep message.;)
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Exactly. "More Bounce..."was about shaking that ___. Not exactly waxing poetic on the subject. Funk was about funk.

I don't think I'm being nostalgic, there's a distinct difference between old school funk and the stuff it inspired down the road. I just don't hear the same type of compositional skills or depth. Just repeats of earlier works. And compositional skills doesn't mean cramming as many notes into a measure as possible of faking a P-funk groove.

I guess one of the problems is knowing the music before it got overanalyzed and became plastic.

It is hard to make what seems to be a relatively simple song that kills. OTOH pyrotechnics is easy.
 
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#328
Brad Johnson said:
Exactly. "More Bounce..."was about shaking that ___. Not exactly waxing poetic on the subject. Funk was about funk.

I don't think I'm being nostalgic, there's a distinct difference between old school funk and the stuff it inspired down the road. I just don't hear the same type of compositional skills or depth. Just repeats of earlier works. And compositional skills doesn't mean cramming as many notes into a measure as possible of faking a P-funk groove.

I guess one of the problems is knowing the music before it got overanalyzed and became plastic.

It is hard to make what seems to be a relatively simple song that kills. OTOH pyrotechnics is easy.
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Well stated, this time ...
 
#331
10cc said:
Funky noodling at a high level. But still shy of “The Funk”. No lyrics no message.
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That tune may easily follow the action part of a ‘70s police movie, where there’s nobody talking, but the message is conveyed by the images displayed themselves .. I’d say, then, a sung part is not always compulsory IMO ... The issue with this tune may rely on its length ... it is too long for being a hit as it was not conceived as such.

What about this then?

 
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#332
Brad Johnson said:
Who has the patience or restraint to come up with something like "Groove Me" nowadays? We have so many fill in the blank Academy players who aspire to a higher skill level that simplicity and space is a forgotten art. Where a simple fill stood out because it wasn't surrounded by a sonic barrage.
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I'm reminded of an exchange between myself and Gatemouth Brown's old musical director.


Him- "How come you're the only guy in town that plays the middle part of Pick Up The Pieces without putting a bunch of extra stuff in?"


Me- "Because I want to." :)
 
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#340
Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati said:
That tune may easily follow the action part of a ‘70s police movie, where there’s nobody talking, but the message is conveyed by the images displayed themselves .. I’d say, then, a sung part is not always compulsory IMO ... The issue with this tune may rely on its length ... it is too long for being a hit as it was not conceived as such.

What about this then?

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Now we’re talking.
 
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