The Band: Rock Candy Funk Party
They wanted groove. So they brought it to the world.
Rock Candy Funk Party is the jazz-funk brainchild of veteran multi-genre drummer Tal Bergman (Joe Bonamassa, Josh Groban, Rod Stewart) and funk guitarist Ron DeJesus (Tito Puente, The Emotions), who went in search of one thing and one-thing only: hard-hitting groove funk that’s incredibly fun.
Bergman and DeJesus began their project with an album they recorded together called Grooove Vol. 1, an album that launched the duo into playing a series of gigs at the famed Los Angeles jazz club The Baked Potato (the same club mentioned in the Oscar-nominated film La La Land).
Not content to let the funk project end there, Bergman and DeJesus sought more like-minded musicians to come out and party with them at their shows. In their quest for groove, they were able to enlist low-end master of the bass Mr. Mike Merritt, a longtime member of Conan O’Brien’s house band The Basic Cable Band. They also hooked up with synth & keys wizard Renato Neto (Prince, Rod Stewart, Dave Mason) who added his jazz-futuro-space-age grooves to the mix.
One more piece was needed to make the project feel complete. Another master musician on the guitar.
They found one in Blues Rock Titan Joe Bonamassa.
And with that, Rock Candy Funk Party was truly born.
The Influence: The Soundscape of Jazz Funk
The wild musical world of jazz funk grew out of the jazz fusion and soul jazz of the late 1960’s and the 1970’s. Unlike traditional jazz played by greats from Louis Armstrong to John Coltrane and myriad others, jazz funk was heavily influenced by the funk lineage of artists like Mr. James Brown, Sly Stone, and George Clinton.
Not only did the jazz funk sub-genre feature a change in the feel of the rhythmic groove, but it also emphasized the sounds of electric instruments like the Fender Rhodes piano and the Moog Synthesizer incorporated into the jazz brew.
If there is one pioneer to point to in jazz funk beyond all others, as it so often is with jazz, that man is Miles Davis. Another major influencer is the legend Herbie Hancock, whose space-operatic grooves lead to a legacy that can be traced to the types of sounds Renato Neto is drawing out with Rock Candy.
The Album: We Want Groove
The virtuosic jazz funk combo Rock Candy Funk Party released their debut album We Want Groove (J&R Adventures) on January 29th, 2013. The album consists of 9 thick-cut, juicy funk grooves with names like “Dope on a Rope”, “Octopus-e”, and “The Best Ten Minutes of Your Life”. In addition to being cutting-edge musicians, the members of Rock Candy Funk Party also happen to be stellar songwriters. 8 of the record’s 9 cuts are all-original compositions. The lone cover is “(Root Down) and Get It” originally by the jazz organ player Jimmy Smith. In addition to a delectable plate of tasty funk grooves, We Want Groove also contains a DVD with behind-the-scenes documentary footage about the band and the recording of the album.
We Want Groove is a conscious nod to another classic album in the jazz funk tradition, We Want Miles by the aforementioned jazz pioneer and icon Miles Davis. But Miles Davis is far from the sole influence of the album: The music touches on a variety of jazz, funk, rock, R&B, soul, and blues icons. The specter of everyone from fusion-funk master Herbie Hancock to blues rock demigods Led Zeppelin to soul funk sorcerer Mr. James Brown to wizard of blues rock axe Jeff Beck are touchstones drawn upon by the Rock Candy instrumentalists.
We Want Groove was a first-time venture for Rock Candy Funk Party, but it was also a glimpse of more incredible groove-oriented funk that was to come down the pike later. And rumor has it, the band has been spending some time in the studio again…
But in the meanwhile, now is a great time to spin a copy of We Want Groove and get down with your funky self.
At the end of the day, we all could use some groove.
© All Rights Reserved | Joe Bonamassa | Shop | Contact | Subscribe to Joe's Newsletter