Funk You Very Much is a collection of live clips from the past 25 or so years of TV footage of the "Ohne Filter" concert series that was broadcast in Germany. Many of the performances here you will have seen before if you have followed the DVD series that is available, but for these purposes they decided to put together a funk theme and take some of the clips from the various concerts. What you get is a mixed bag overall, as not all of these performances qualify as "funk", but if you can handle a mixture of R&B, jazz, blues, rock, soul, fusion, and of course funk, then this might be a good DVD to pick up, as there are a few standout clips to check out.
Albert Collins and his band play a scorcher called "I Got That Feeling", although fans of the late blues master will be a little disappointed as he barely plays any lead guitar on this one, but the band itself rips. Jazz bass monster Marcus Miller lets his nimble grooves and slaps run wild on the smooth "Scoop", and a vintage performance of a young Larry Carlton and his fusion band playing "Larry's Secret" is a real treat. If you haven't heard or seen Carlton in his earlier days, the guy could really burn, and so could his band. Other highlights include guitarist Steve Lukather and Los Lobotomy's, which also included drummer Simon Phillips, crank out a mix of rock, blues, and white hot fusion on "Dismemberment", and the classy funk & soul of Tower of Power doing their tribute to the King of Funk on "Diggin' On James Brown". However, the most spirited performance here is by bass virtuoso Mark King and his band, who blister this DVD with an amazing tune called "Hot Water" that is equal parts prog rock, fusion, and funk, reminding me almost of the band Kraan. There were some amazing bass, guitar, and keyboard trade-offs happening on this one!
On the downside, you get a few lukewarm pieces from Incognito, Curtis Mayfield, and Tony Joe White, plus a totally worthless "Man & Machine" from the Go Jazz Allstars, but it was almost nostalgic seeing Terence Trent D'Arby here....where the hell has he been? The guy has some talent and all the moves, even if he is sort of a James Brown meets Prince clone.
This DVD is a worthwhile purchase if you want to get a glimpse of some of the artists that are featured on the "Ohne Filter" concert series, and chances are if you like some of what you see here you might be seeking out the full sets from some of the musicians you have witnessed.
Track & Artist Listing
1) A Real Mother For Ya-Johnny "Guitar" Watson
2) Everyday-Incognito
3) Diggin' On James Brown-Tower of Power
4) Funky Broadway-Terence Trent D'Arby
5) Hot Water-Mark King
6) Move On Up-Curtis Mayfield
7) I Got That Feeling-Albert King
8) Man & Machine-Go Jazz Allstars
9) Scoop-Marcus Miller
10) Dismemberment-Steve Lukather & Los Lobotomys
11) Larry's Secret-Larry Carlton
12) Biyo Rhythm-Tony Joe White
13) Stop Time-Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
