Saturday, January 16, 2021

Latin Rock Transitions To Sanctified Funk - Or Not?

Go on, admit it. You didn't know that Graham Central Station evolved out of post-Santana conga-botherers Azteca. I didn't either, until Wikipedia told me so on the Graham Central Station page: 

"Graham Central Station's origins date from when Neal Schon formed the band Azteca in 1972 along with Larry Graham ..."

However, Wiki's Azteca page, which has no mention of Graham, is having none of it:

"Azteca was formed in 1972 by Coke Escovedo and his brother Pete Escovedo ..."

Well, gee whiz.

Whatever the answer to this perplexing conundrum, there's a bunch of swell genre-fluid music coming to lovely [YOUR AREA] today!


14 comments:

  1. The Myriad Escovedos(tm)(c)(r) are, as ever, sumpthin' else...but riddle me this: Bay Area horn players? What the funk?

    So legit and they just don't quit...but the East Bay? I know, I know. War, docks, southern folx who found there way there. But still, a conundrum.

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  2. I rememebr Schon having played a few tunes with Azteca, but had never read that he was a co-founder. Only group I ever knew being credited to hiim as "founder" status was Journey (who's 1st album was great, and then they quickly went to schlock). One of the bassists that played with GCS is now with Dumpstafunk, a NO group led by Aaron Neville's son, Ivan. Dumpstafunk is damn good.

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    1. So right about Jorney - that first album is the only one I kept.

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    2. I lost my copy, but it was the only album by them that I ever purchased. Dumpstafunk is releasing a new album in a couple of months. The 2 songs they released in advance of it are the best things they have done. I really appreciated the way that Ivan kept The Meters going for a few years by providing extra back-up for Art. The Meters were by all-time favorite band, and Art was somewhat "mercurial" the last few years that he performed (mercurial being a substitute for asshole).

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    3. Dumpstaf . . . . . ire...?

      Sorta like cluster-fu¢k......

      Or the whole of 2020. And 2021, thus far...?

      A Phrase For Our Time: Merriam-Webster Adds 'Dumpster Fire' To Dictionary - NPR's "The Two-Way" (I know, I know, insert your . . . Cody & Kreem-ay line HERE...):

      https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/05/590919849/a-phrase-for-our-time-merriam-webster-adds-dumpster-fire-to-dictionary

      I do sorta like their GIF...

      https://www.npr.org/assets/news/2016/12/dumpster-fire-WEB.gif

      FMF © ® ™ Sidebar fodder...?

      You be the judge ... of whether others may find pleasure in seeing that my home is flaming...

      - B.(ack to my Van Down By The River....)(?)

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    4. FWIW, during my stint(s) at The Kingfish, the Meters in various manifestation were regulars and were always impressively kind and generous (they used to tip us!) but they could pretty much all be assholes given the time & people involved, not least to each other.

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    5. How many others here just had their immediate family &/or best friends described to a "T"?

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  3. While we're on the subject of soul/Rn'B/disco/gospel/whatever - here's a swell Norman Connors-helmed album from '77, Vitamin E's Sharing.



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  4. Thanks, Farq. I'm checking out that Journey LP as well.

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    Replies
    1. First and third Journey albums:

      https://workupload.com/file/DsLFd2kBR3S

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