Funk Inc. - Funk Inc.

Funk Inc. is the debut studio album by American funk soul and jazz group Funk Inc., originally released in 1971 via Prestige Records.

Funk Inc. was founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA in 1969 by Bobby Watley, Eugene Barr, Steve Weakley, Jimmy Munford and Cecil Hunt. During the 1970s they were signed to the Prestige Records label for whom they recorded five albums, though they later disbanded in 1976.

Of interest to “The Captain” is a very interesting cover of the B.B. King song “The Thrill Is Gone”.

Here is a review of this album by RJ Frometa at ventsmagazine.com:

“…Despite their collaborations with legendary producers Rudy Van Gelder and David Axelrod during their five-album run with the label, jazz critics at the time hated the idea of combining jazz with funk and soul and gave their records negative reviews; however, the truth of the matter is that their material is some of the most infectious, captivating and hard-swinging music ever committed to tape. Funk, Inc. realized that jazz didn’t have to be extremely intellectual to be worthwhile, and its mission, which they succeeded mightily in carrying out, was to hook R&B fans with knockout grooves but expose them to the improvisational freedom of jazz.

An impressive, addictive brew of soul and funky jazz, their self-titled debut comes out of the gate swinging with the eight-minute organ groove-a-thon, “Kool Is Back” and never lets up. Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, this unparalleled set in the soul-jazz canon, recalls classic 1960s Blue Note sounds by the likes of Grant Green, Lou Donaldson, and Brother Jack McDuff, but with added grit, guts and groove that combines the deep-pocket, hypnotic moments of The Meters with unparalleled improvisational passages that recall the best of modern-day practitioners Galactic, Robert Walter, and the Greyboy Allstars. Unvarnished, raw, and unabashedly funky, Funk Incis a relentlessly infectious record dripping with charm that remains worthy of exploration by anyone with passing interest in the primal power of blues, soul, jazz, or funk…”

Check out the tracks:  “Kool Is Back”; “Sister Janie”; “The Thrill Is Gone”; and “The Whipper”.

This LP record is a 2017 reissue on 180 gram audiophile vinyl with remastered audio and replicated artwork, limited to 1,000 copies, pressed in the US.

 

Release Notes:

• First time available on vinyl in more than 20 years.
• The album has been remastered from the original analogue tapes.
• Pressed on 180-gram audiophile-quality vinyl at Quality Record Pressings (QRP)
• Housed in faithfully reproduced, old-school style replica jacket.
• The LP has a limited-edition worldwide run of 1,000 copies, complete with a Jazz Dispensary “Authorized Dealer” window cling.