J.J. Johnson - Man & Boy (1971)

1. Theme From "Man And Boy" - "Better Days" (sung by Bill Withers)
2. Slo-Mo
3. Emancipation Procrastination
4. Pull, Jubal, Pull
5. Mand And Boy (Main Title From Picture)
6. Theme From "Man And Boy" - "Better Days"
7. Country Soul
8. Rosita
9. Trekkin'
10. Hard Times. Mister (Lee Christmas Theme)
11. Man And Boy (End Title)

Blaxploitation.com
This soundtrack is one of several early 70s albums containing music 'composed and arranged by J.J. Johnson' with 'musical supervision by Quincy Jones'. A strong album from a Western film starring Bill Cosby, this LP features a great theme from Bill Withers and some good breakbeat funk cuts. 'Pull, Jubal, pull' features some fine funk drumming and harmonica.

Grant Green - The Final Comedown (1972)

1. Past, Present And Future
2. The Final Comedown
3. Father's Lament
4. Fountain Scene
5. Soul Food - African Shop
6. Slight Fear And Terror
7. Afro Party
8. Luanna's Theme
9. Battle Scene
10. Traveling To Get To Doc
11. One Second After Death


Blaxploitation.com
The jazz label Blue Note issued this one and only soundtrack from Grant Green in 1972 to accompany an obscure blaxploitation movie. The soundtrack sees Green obviously out of place trying to solo over the top of genre blaxploitation funk. One of the lesser known blaxploitation LPs, not easy to find, but worth considering for "The Battle".

Sun Ra - Space Is The Place (1974)

1. Space Is The Place
2. Images
3. Discipline
4. Sea Of Sounds
5. Rocket Number Nine

Amazon.com
Space Is The Place opens with its title track, a twenty-minute freeform freak-jazz-psychedelic-soul-funk meltdown, a thundering acid-bop meltdown full of squirming melodies, dramatically repurposed instruments, head-splittingly chaotic vocals, solos that seem to spin off in multiple directions at once, and layers of percussion that'll make you dance and have a seizure at the same time. It sounds primitive and futuristic and progressive and playful and high-minded and juvenile and logical and psychotic all at once, and it's a masterpiece. And that's just the first song on the album.

Flip the record over, and you've got four more gems. "Images" is the sound of post-bop teetering on the edge of free jazz. Led by Sun Ra's oceanic piano, the song swerves from a gorgeous theme into regions of near atonality before spiraling back into beauty again, with the kind of high-minded grace reserved for geniuses. "Discipline" is a rolling, apocalyptic drone, and "Sea Of Sounds" is sheer scorched earth freeform noise. "Rocket Number Nine" is willfully cheesy, utterly irresistible space-age jazz pop.

Classic freak jazz. Get it.

Bernard Purdie - Lialeh (1974)

1. Lialeh
2. Touch Me Again
3. Conscious
4. Easy
5. All Pink In The Inside
6. Pass Me Not
7. Hap'nin'

Seventies porn soundtracks are rarely the reservoirs of deep-cut funk that stand-up comics make them out to be (“So the girl takes off her top, and it’s like wacka-chicka-wacka-chicka— wah-WAHH!”), so it’s a real pleasure to discover that this CD is a genuine stone groove. It helps that drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, who provided the boom-bap for everyone from James Brown and Aretha Franklin to Steely Dan, composed its seven cuts, and hired the cream of jazz and soul session players to work out their languorous rhythms, including horn players Seldon Powell, Garnett Brown and Jimmy Owens, bassist Wilbur Bascomb Jr, and Ernest Hayes on organ (with Horace Ott overseeing all arrangements). The cuts have the loose, playful swing of late ‘60s funk, especially the title track and “All Pink On The Inside,” which lope along on Bascomb’s thumping bass and Purdie’s spare, tasteful beats. Lyrics sound like the scrambled-headed mutterings of popper-fueled guests at an uptown swing party (“Touch…me…again—where it FEEEELS GOOD!”), but vocalist Sandi Hewitt manages them like a trooper. Hardcore soul, funk and jazz collectors will either be horrified or ecstatic over this reissue; less uptight types might find its mellow grooves a fun and friendly soundtrack for their own personal skin shows.