Ronnie Foster Mystic Brew (1972/Blue Note Records) An often overlooked gem that you can typically find in the cheap bins.ĩ7. Caldera Sky Island (1977/Capitol Records)Ī personal favorite from the New York based latin-influenced jazz fusion group, who released four albums in the mid-late seventies. In my opinion, Idris Muhammad released five essential albums in a row from 1971-1978 on the CTI Records sub-label Kudu including the classic Turn This Mutha Out that includes this disco-smash “Could Heaven Ever Be Like This.” I choose this lesser discussed gem of his rendition of this often-recorded folk standard featuring soul singer Frank Floyd.ĩ8. Idris Muhammad House of The Rising Sun (1976/Kudu) When it comes to jazz-funk, The Crusaders were one of the more solid and consistent groups of the seventies.ĩ9. The Crusaders Ain’t Got’ Change A Thang (1973/Blue Thumb Records)įormerly known in the sixties as The Jazz Crusaders, this funky mid-tempo classic is featured on the group’s second album The 2nd Crusade. Here are BeatCaffeine’s 100 Best Jazz-Funk Songs.ġ00. Finally, there are a lot of amazing new jazz-funk tracks that have been released over the past decade, however I focused on tracks from the late 60s to the early 80s, basically the essentials.Įach track on this list features the album, year, and label the recording was featured on with a short 2-3 sentences about the selection. At the end of this list, enjoy a Spotify playlist featuring 90+ of the 100 tracks (Not all songs are on streaming platforms). For the most part, I also tried to include only one track from an album. If the song identified stronger with funk, disco, spiritual jazz, or early boogie, I often leaned away from including them on this list. For this list, I chose recordings that were more on the jazz end of the spectrum, meaning the overall foundation needed to still have a strong jazz backing to it. I find that “jazz-funk” is a label that can be used as a broad term to encompass a lot of music with much debate into “what is” and “what isn’t” part of this sub-genre (the exact problem with genres and labels). With the launching of BeatCaffeine, I thought it was important that one of my early posts did two things 1) compile a list of recordings that would both help set the tone for this site, and 2) create an opportunity for personal exploration into what has become my one of my favorite music genres to collect, listen to, and learn about.
This expansion of musical influences and an adaptation of more electric instrumentation helped lead to what some consider as a golden time for what has been coined “jazz-funk.”
At times written off by the genre’s purists that the 1970s were a less than remarkable time for jazz, the decade was actually an era of major exploration for many jazz musicians, incorporating elements of funk, soul, rock, and early electronic sounds into their own recordings.
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