Lil Lavair and the Fabulous Jades – I’ll Be So Happy

Listen: ““I’ll Be So Happy”

When I first went to reissue Lil Lavair and the Fabulous Jade’s funk masterpiece “Cold Heat,” I was forced to grab my master from a CD-R that the DJ Keb Darge had given me in lieu of a copy of his compilation on which the song was to be featured (the comp he was working on – one of his Deep Funk issues for BBE Records – never saw the light of day). I’d only ever heard the group’s A-side, “I’ll Be So Happy,” once, at Keb’s Deep Funk night in London. He played it to me as a favor: “I never really liked this song, the vocals were too Mexican,” he growled. Or something like that.

I remember the way that those Northern Soul boys complained when our reissue hit the stores. They couldn’t believe I’d forsaken the reason they want-listed this rare slice of So-Cal soul in the first place! “But I don’t have the damn record, just the license,” I feebly argued. “And none of the band members have a copy either!”

A year or so after our reissue came out, and after our anthology of the same name followed up my Funky 16 Corners compilation, I received a call from “Polka” Leonard Wojtowicz, the owner of the Lennan label and the man from whom I licensed “Cold Heat” in the first place. “I’m moving to Texas,” he told me. “And I’ve found some of my records at my house. Come get them, they’re yours if you want them.”

A few hours later and my girl and I were standing in the Upland, California home that Leonard had built forty years prior, looking at stacks of 45s (mostly Polka) and LPs (ditto) and, there amongst the Ukrainian school boy cum polka jamboree band issues, was a small stack of Lennan 45s. The Chocolate Light Bulbs. Flames Ltd. And Lil Lavair and the Fabulous Jades “I’ll Be So Happy/Cold Heat.”

That was one hell of an evening. Leonard even gave my girl a heart shaped box of chocolates and gave me a polka 45 pressed and issued in my hometown of Seymour, Connecticut. Man, I miss that dude. Last time I tried to find him in Texas and I got no where.

Posted in Picks

Mr. Chop – For Pete’s Sake

Tracklist:

1. FOR PETES SAKE 6:19
2. GOOD LIFE 4:26
3. INTERMEZZO 1 1:49 (COZ LITTLER / MIKE BURNHAM)
4. T.R.O.Y 4:49
5. INTERMEZZO 2 2:38 (COZ LITTLER / MIKE BURNHAM / GLYN WILLIAMS)
6. MAIN INGREDIENT 4:26
7. INTERMEZZO 3 4:36 (COZ LITTLER / BURNHAM / GLYN WILLIAMS)
8. MECCA AND THE SOUL BROTHER 4:51
9. GET ON THE MIC 4:11
10. INTERMEZZO 4 1:21 (COZ LITTLER / GLYN WILLIAMS)
11. STRAIGHTEN IT OUT 3.32
12. INTERMEZZO 5 2:13 (COZ LITTLER / MIKE BURNHAM / STEVE PARRY / GLYN WILLIAMS)
13. SHUT EM DOWN 3:49
14. INTERMEZZO 6 4:03 (COZ LITTLER / GLYN WILLIAMS)
15. I GOT A LOVE 5:19
16. THE WORLD IS YOURS 4:25
17. INTERMEZZO 7 2:14 (COZ LITTLER / MIKE BURNHAM / GLYN WILLIAMS)

Personnel:

Mike Burnham – Drums, Bass, Guiar, Percussion
Coz Littler – Bass, Guitar, VCS3, Modular Synth, Mellotron
Glyn Williams – Clavinet, Fender Rhodes, Hammond Organ, Piano
Steve Parry – Brass
Floot Bob – Tenor Sax, Colin Lamont – Drums, Dave Spencer – Bass on “T.R.O.Y”

Credits:
Produced by: Mr. Chop, Executive Produced by: Joe Mansfield and Egon
Recorded by: Mr. Chop at Ape Studios, Cheshire, UK 2009.
Mastered by Sean C.
Art direction by Matthew Boyd for Way Shape Form

2 12″ LP, CD. 2009. Released in conjunction with Five Day Weekend (there is no NA catalog number for this release).

Myron & E – Cold Game Video

Our friends at Timmion Records in Helsinki just released this video for the superb Myron & E song “Cold Game.” Yes, it’s low budget and obviously hand made. But that’s the aesthetic we dig most.

Pick up the limited Now-Again version of the 7″ single while we still have stock at Rappcats webstore.

Posted in News

Triorganico – Convivencia

Tracklist:

01. Mario “El Commendante” (Pablo Calogero)
02. Correndo (Fabiano Do Nascimento)
03. Kathy (Moacir Santos)
04. Ginga Carioca (Hermeto Pascoal)
05. Tempo De Amor (Baden Powell, Vinicius de Moraes)
06. Amphibious (Moacir Santos)
07. Cidade Vazia (Fabiano Do Nascimento)
08. Tiki’s Take (Tiki Pasillas)
09. January 11th (Hermeto Pascoal)
10. December 23rd (Hermeto Pascoal)
11. Nana (Moacir Santos)
12. After Thought (Pablo Calogero)
13. Balloons (Pablo Calogero)
14. Cosita One (Calogero/Do Nascimento/Pasillas)
15. Cosita Two (Calogero/Do Nascimento/Pasillas)
16. Cosita Three (Calogero/Do Nascimento/Pasillas)
17. Cosita Four (Calogero/Do Nascimento/Pasillas)
18. Cosita Five (Calogero/Do Nascimento/Pasillas)

Personnel:

Fabiano Do Nascimento – Seven String Guitar
Ricardo “Tiki” Pasillas – Drums, Percussion
Pablo Calogero – Bass Flute, Soprano Saxophone, Bass Clarinet.

Credits:

Produced by: TriOrganico
Executive Producer: Egon
Recorded by: Mike Glyns and Kerry Loeshen at Compound Studios, Long Beach, CA.
01/06/08 and 01/07/08.
Mastered by Kelly Hibbert for Sumosound, Los Angeles, CA.
Art direction by Stephen Serato.
Produced for Reissue by Egon.

2LP, CD. 2009. NA 5037.