Cruisin' with The Sound Stylistics
Still cruisin'--here's one that I would like to be my cruising-the-nightlife song, but it has become my de facto crawling-through-traffic song. Which is perfect, because it's so upbeat it gives me the illusion of moving even when I'm not. The Sound Stylistics are a supergroup of UK funksters (though to tell the truth, the only name listed in this review that I recognize is that of Hammond organ guru James Taylor) who recorded an album called The Sound Stylistics Play Deep Funk for a film music library in 2002. But by popular demand the album was released to mere consumers this year on Freestyle Records (and iTunes). The high point of the album is track three, "The Players Theme," which demonstrates what happens when funk players turn it up to eleven, and features a generously long drum break (a category I think I'll explore in future posts). (What is it about the third track, is that the "power position" on an album? This is the fourth track three in a row that I've posted!) At just under five minutes long, it's just right for driving to the grocery store (and then starting over for the drive back):
The Sound Stylistics apparently like playing together enough to reunite for occasional live gigs; YouTube has a live version of "The Players Theme" from a June 13 performance at the Jazz Cafe:
