Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'funky'

Richard Bona Makes You Sing At Basel Jazz Festival

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 11:50:00 EST

In a concert recorded by Swiss Radio DRS2, the charismatic Richard Bona has a heavenly voice and plays a funky bass. His newest CD is Bona Makes You Sweat, and at the 2008 Basel Jazz Festival, he goes further than that. Bona makes you swoon, sing, stand up and boogie with his band from Africa, the Caribbean and the U.S.

Hercules And Love Affair: First Time On-Air

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:40:00 EDT

It was quite a feat for KEXP to get the whole Hercules and Love Affair crew on the air. But even early in the morning, the band sported funky, Stevie Wonder-style keyboard, over four-on-the-floor beats and a lively horn section to get people moving at the Gibson Showroom during New York City's CMJ Music Festival.

Giovanni Finds Funky Beats To Teach Poetry To Kids

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:20:00 EDT

Poet Nikki Giovanni says her new book, Hip Hop Speaks To Children, aims to teach children poetry, history and culture through cadence. Poems by such greats as Langston Hughes are set to blues, jazz or gospel music.

TV On The Radio: Complicated 'Science'

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:08:00 EDT

Brooklyn's TV on the Radio has always been a forward-thinking rock band. Its new album, Dear Science, is its funkiest, but in a typically complicated way. Sick of living with pessimism, the band has brightened its tunes and beats.

Reviewing Grupo Fantasma

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EDT

The 10-piece funky Latin ensemble from Austin, Texas got a big boost last year when Prince chose them to headline Latin night at his Las Vegas club. Does their new CD meet expectations?

Dr. John in Concert

Fri, 30 May 2008 21:23:00 EDT

Dr. John's funky takes on jazz standards, his original blues, and his unstoppable stage persona (deer antlers and robes figure prominently) have made him a legend well beyond his hometown of New Orleans. Hear a concert by good doctor and his band, The Lower 911.

Funky and Free: Sex in the Real World

Fri, 23 May 2008 11:30:00 EDT

The Sex and the City movie is almost here, but some women feel left out of the fun. That's where FunkyBrownChick.com comes in. Creator Tawanna Hines gives us an idea of what it's really like to be black, sexy, and single in the city.

What's 'Go-Go'... A 'BPP' Assisted Listen

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 07:00:00 EDT

Robert Reed, keyboardist for go-go pioneers Trouble Funk, died last week of pancreatic cancer. He helped pioneer a kind of music that anyone who hasn't lived in Washington D.C. might never have had the funky pleasure of encountering.

Maceo Parker Shouts Out 'Roots & Grooves'

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:00:00 EST

When James Brown's funky horn section got cooking, the Godfather of Soul would call up Maceo Parker for a solo. The saxophonist has since launched his own solo career: His new double album is packed with funky jams and a tribute to Ray Charles.

Refugee All Stars: Straight Outta Sierra Leone

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:33:00 EST

The funky afro-beat/reggae band, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, formed while in West African refugee camps filled with Sierra Leoneans who fled the nation's brutal civil war. Farai Chideya talks with two members of the group -- Reuben and Black Nature -- about the healing power of West African reggae and soul.

John Scofield: Funk Finds Its Swing

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 10:00:00 EST

Guitarist John Scofield is largely known for playing over funky grooves. But he developed his chops playing with jazz legends, and a new album with his trio and a four-piece horn section finds him back in the swing of things.

Funky 'Pimps' Gain Traction in Indie Circles

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:37:00 EST

Hailing from Brooklyn and New Orleans, The Pimps of Joytime's members traffic in a funk style laden with elements of soul, punk, Afro-Caribbean, afrobeat and rap. Independent music producer Derek Rath is addicted.

Mocean Worker: Quintessential Feel-Good Songs

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:34:00 EDT

Philadelphia native Adam Dorn, a.k.a. Mocean Worker, has assembled a collection of Manhattan's most revered underground soul, jazz and funk players to perform blissfully funky jazz rave-ups on his new album, Cinco de MoWo! Hear an interview and in-studio performance.

Mocean Worker in Concert

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:30:00 EDT

Adam Dorn, a.k.a. Mocean Worker, has assembled a collection of Manhattan's most revered underground soul, jazz and funk players to perform blissfully funky jazz rave-ups on his new album. Hear Mocean Worker play a concert from WXPN and World CafÃ© Live in Philadelphia.

Vintage Highlife and Afrobeat on 'Bokoor Beats'

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 14:40:00 EDT

In Ghana, the '70s was a time of political repression, high inflation, and funky pop music. A young British emigre named John Collins formed the Bokoor Band with locals in 1971. The Bokoor Beats retrospective captures a band full of pride and confidence from Ghana's then-recent independence.

Gourmet Housewares Show: Fun, and Funky

Sun, 13 May 2007 08:00:00 EDT

Weekend Edition food commentator Bonnie Wolf gives listeners the details on her visit to a housewares show.

'Ojos Negros': A Mix of Highbrow and Funky

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 13:06:00 EDT

Two musicians -- Argentinian accordion player Dino Saluzzi and German cellist Anja Lechner -- have teamed up for the new album Ojos Negros. They begin their first U.S. tour on April 18.

Gospel Funk: Good for the Body, Good for the Spirit

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:23:00 EST

Mighty Voices of Wonder's "I Thank the Lord" melds genres in raw, funky fashion. The opening drums hit with a jagged, ragged edge, and the shouts and hollers push the energy level higher, as the group testifies with a fervor that would impress James Brown or Jackie Wilson.

A Funky Sleeper Favorite Gets Its Due

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 17:37:00 EST

It was never quite as popular as the Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache," or even Kool and the Gang's "Jungle Boogie," but as a distinctive mix of Afro-Latin rhythm and Motor City psyche, it's hard to imagine a more impeccably matched creation than Dennis Coffey's "Scorpio."

Dennen's Earnest Message Eased by Funky Groove

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 11:27:00 EST

The songs on Brett Dennen's new CD, So Much More are mostly delicate '70s folk tunes with sensitive, earnest lyrics. But Dennen's soulful vocal delivery and some sly, understated funky grooves keep the whole thing from turning into Dan Fogelberg or Bread.

A Young Jazzman's Funky Throwdown

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 17:44:00 EDT

It's funny how the best track on Do the Boomerang, Don Byron's tribute to legendary R&B saxophonist Junior Walker, gives James Brown's "There It Is" a makeover. Byron, arguably his generation's premier jazz clarinetist, covers James Brown on one of the year's zestiest jazz discs.

Chef Offers New, Funky Ways to Eat Your Greens

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 12:34:00 EDT

Who needs spinach? There are plenty of other interesting, tasty and healthful greens for your dinner table. Chef Patrick O'Connell offers up some spinach alternatives. He is the executive chef at the award-winning Inn at Little Washington in Virginia.

For Chico Hamilton, the Beat Goes On

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 16:40:00 EDT

Today is the 85th birthday of jazz drummer and legendary bandleader Chico Hamilton. He has spent seventy years behind the drum kit, performing in a wide variety of styles and jazz flavors: from big band and R&B, to funky and experimental.

WXPN's All About the Music Festival

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 15:23:00 EDT

From the funky New Orleans soul of Allen Toussaint to the harrowing acoustic rock of My Morning Jacket's Jim James, a wide variety of exciting sounds emanated from WXPN's annual All About the Music Festival July 21-23. The event spawned many memorable performances, several of which will be highlighted in this special edition of World Cafe.

John Hiatt & North Mississippi Allstars: Americana

Thu, 24 Aug 2006 13:39:00 EDT

Hiatt's newest album, Master of Disaster, features an edgy, funky sound, thanks largely to the assistance of The North Mississippi Allstars. Together, they assemble a collection of gritty country, blues, rock and jazz in an attempt to represent a cross-section of American music.