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Mixed Platters
July 25 2025
Afrobeat / Disco / Funk / Hip Hop / Jazz / Reggae / Salsa / Soul
A random smattering of head-nodding offerings from a broad spectrum of eras and genres. Some brand new joints and a few tried and true favorites. When I open my double secret speakeasy one day, these will be the type of joints you’ll hear as you order your third $28 bespoke manhattan.
Jack McDuff - Hunk O’Funk
Blue Note
1969
Brother Jack McDuff was a Hammond B3 monster, part of a wave of 60s/70s soul-jazz organists who could swing as hard as they could groove. This is from his 1971 Who Knows What Tomorrow’s Gonna Bring? LP, a slightly more experimental outing recorded for Blue Note, with George Benson on guitar. Recorded when Blue Note was letting its roster stretch out into more electric territory.
Ramon Morris - First Come, First Serve
Groove Merchant
1973
A short-lived but killer session sax man, Ramon Morris recorded this in 1973 after leaving Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. This track is a straight blast of electric jazz-funk, which was the new frontier in those days. Morris only recorded one solo album, which is probably why this one still feels like a hidden gem.
Islandman - Rest In Space
Music For Dreams
2017
Turkish producer Tolga Boyuk’s Islandman project is like a cosmic lounge stopover somewhere between Anatolia and Ibiza. “Rest In Space”, on the Copenhagen label Music For Dreams, is equal parts desert caravan and Balearic sunrise, with just enough dubby delay to keep it groovy. Feels like a soundtrack for a Turkish planetarium reception.
Syl Johnson - Right On
Twinight
1970
Soul survivor Syl Johnson, equal parts preacher, crooner, and street corner poet, came up alongside Chicago R&B fixtures like Otis Clay and Tyrone Davis. He grew up next to Blues guitarist Magic Sam, who he played with for years while working his day job as a truck driver. This is the last song on side B of his classic, 1970 “Is it Because I’m Black” LP. This could almost be a JB’s song, but it keeps Syl’s signature rasp up front.
Taggy Matcher - The Message
Stix Records
2014
Taggy Matcher is Bruno “Patchworks” Hovart from Lyon, France, a master of throwback funk and soul covers inna Reggae style. The original Cymande track was all rolling congas and deep bass. This is a bit more crispy and clean, leaning steadily into the groove, with a more distinct Reggae feel front and center.
TC & The Groove Family - Stand Strong
Bridge The Gap
2024
A nine-piece Leeds-based Afrobeat collective, TC & The Groove Family are keeping the faith and I’m here for it. “Stand Strong” is from their 2022 debut First Home LP. There’s a Tony Allen-era Fela vibe at work, but with noticeable strains of current UK Jazz energy. And the rap ain’t half bad either.
Betty Davis - Anti-Love Song
Just Sunshine Records
1973
The first lady of nasty, unfiltered funk, Betty Davis dropped “Anti-Love Song” on her 1973 self-titled debut, with Larry Graham on bass and her then-husband Miles Davis lurking in the background like a weirdo. He famously admitted she scared him, musically. This track sounds like an Ohio Players girl broke out her chains and recorded her own album on the DL.
Reuben Wilson - Inner City Blues
Groove Merchant
1971
Reuben Wilson’s 1971 MG cover is peak soul-jazz coolness and a foundation digging record for Tribe Called Quest fans. It’s looser than the OG version but still carries that same righteous melancholy. This was part of Blue Note’s brief but glorious period of jazz musicians covering soul hits and turning them into sample-ready grooves built for rap’s so-called Golden Era.
J Cole feat Kendrick Lamar - Forbidden Fruit
Columbia Records
2013
Speaking of Tribe samples, J Cole did a pretty straight forward lift of Ronnie Foster’s “Mystic Brew” here but I dig it nonetheless. Cole lets the bassline breathe, Kendrick drops in for the hook, and the whole thing feels like an under-produced demo they did for fun.
Peanut Butter Wolf - Run The Line (Lord Finesse instr)
Copasetik Recordings
1998
This beat is bananas and has an ethereal Pete Rock quality I quite frankly didn’t think Finesse had in him. From the Peanut Butter Wolf’s 1999 My Vinyl Weighs a Ton LP. I edited out the verse cuz the beat is that good on its own.
Manzel - Midnight Theme (Dopebrother remix)
Dopebrother Records
2004
Manzel Bush and his Kentucky crew recorded “Midnight Theme” in 1979, but it sat largely unnoticed until DJs rediscovered it for its clean drums. This Dopebrother remix sharpens the edges and beefs up the drums without losing the after hours roller-rink charm of the OG.
Deodato - September 13
CTI Records
1973
Brazilian keyboard wizard Eumir Deodato straddled jazz, funk, and orchestral pop like no one else in the 70s. From his 1973 CTI album Deodato 2, this is a sprawling electric funk jam featuring heavyweights Stanley Clarke and Billy Cobham. The title supposedly nods to the day they cut the track.
Jimmy Smith VS The Beast Boys - Root Down
Verve
1972
Jimmy Smith’s 1972 live burner “Root Down (And Get It)” was already a monster jam of jazz when the Beasties looped it for their own “Root Down” in 1994. This Reflex revision fattens everything up and seamlessly drops their vocals back on top of the original. Can’t fight this groove.
Nuyorican Soul - Habriendo el Dominante
Talkin' Loud
1997
Undisputed masters at blending Latin jazz, house, and soul, Masters at Work created Nuyorican Soul as a love letter to their Puerto Rican heritage and NYC club culture. I’ve said it often, but seeing this all-star band live for the release party at Hammerstein Ballroom reignited my love of house music and inspired me to loosen up my narrow focus on Hip Hop and Reggae. “Habriendo el Dominante” is pure percussion workout in clear tribute to Ray Barretto and other Fania staples of their youth. Wepa!
Deadbeat & Paul St. Hilaire - Peace & Love
BLKRTZ
2014
Berlin dub techno don Deadbeat teams up with Paul St. Hilaire (aka Tikiman) for this 2014 deep, rolling slice of digital roots. Half prayer, half protest song. It’s House. It’s Dub. It’s Dope.
Damedame feat Jorja Smith - Freedom
Sony Music
2025
London collective Damedame link up with Jorja Smith for a track that moves between trip hop and neo-soul with easy aplomb. Jorja’s delivery is solid as always, gliding over a beat that feels like it could have come from a late 90s Mo’ Wax 12-inch.
Allen Dennard - Hastings Street
MotorCity Wine Recordings
2025
Detroit trumpeter Allen Dennard named this tune after one of the city’s historic Black business districts, which thrived before freeway projects displaced much of the community. The track swings between straight-ahead jazz and funk shuffle, with Dennard’s horn tone evoking peak time Freddie Hubbard.
Frank Strazzeri - Cloudburst
Catalyst
1976
A West Coast pianist who worked with everyone from Lou Donaldson to Cal Tjader, Strazzeri dropped Cloudburst in 1975, fusing electric keys, tight horn arrangements, and a rhythm section that probably smoke a lot of weed while listening to Herbie Hancock’s Head Hunters.
Magic Source - Voodoo Ray
