Guilty Pleasure: Fuzak

[rcarlberg]

Manolo Badrena (percussionist from the Heavy Weather lineup of Weather Report) was on their latest album the first time I saw them, but by the time of the gig he'd left the band. Too bad as he would have probably been interesting to watch.

Manolo turned up unexpectedly on an Ahmad Jamal album I just bought, "A Quiet Time" (2009). There was already a drummer on the session, Kenny Washington, so Manolo is kept to adding just a few additional colors to the mix. There are places where it literally sounds like he dropped spoons in the studio, or kicked a cardboard box. It's the funniest thing.

[pb2015]

The Weather Report Montreux 1976 video is a good document of Manolo's antics. I remember Zawinul griped that a percussionist they tried in the 80's played "stuff you buy at toy stores." Not sure how he tolerated Manolo since he had some similar stuff.

[arturs]

A buddy and I were driving home from a Little Feat concert in Des Moines and we both fessed up how much we liked the George Benson and Earl Klugh Collaboration album. After that conversation I found this on Youtube. If there's gotta be fuzak, Lord, let it all be like this.

[Czyszy]

All Shadowfax albums released after Watercourse Way are definitely some kind of "fuzak".

[Polypet]

I believe it was Walter Becker who shared this joke: you're in a room with Hitler, Mussolini and Kenny G and you have a gun with 2 bullets...what do you do? You shoot Kenny G twice, just to be sure.

I never really connected with 80's smooth jazz. 80's new age is another story.

Not worried about hell, I have a solid arrangement with the western almighty: he doesn't smite me into the burning pits, and I don't regularly remind his followers that he doesn't exist

Classic. Don't be Metheny with that gun either - he has no love lost

[zeprogmeister]

All Shadowfax albums released after Watercourse Way are definitely some kind of "fuzak".

They are usually classified as "new age". I think with a good bit of world music and jazz influence too.