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Real Music

The category title says it all: This is about music of high quality, from Jazz via Soul and Funk to World Music and more.

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Real Music Heroes

Nancy Wilson Dies at Age 81

Imanuel Marcus Dec 13, 2018

It might sound exaggerated, but Nancy Wilson has actually recorded 65 albums. The first one, "Like in Love" was released in 1959. The last one, "Turned to Blue", came out in 2006. This one got her one of her Grammy Awards, as "Best Jazz Vocal Album".

Aretha Franklin: How to Outperform Everyone Else

Imanuel Marcus Aug 16, 2018

It started with "Respect". When some of us were still wearing diapers, in 1967, Aretha Franklin interpreted that song by the late Otis Redding. She changed the lyrics a little, so that they became a declaration of a strong woman who demands…

Real Music Heroes

Italian Funk: ‘Change’ Deliver New, Uplifting Tune

Imanuel Marcus Aug 5, 2018

It gets better: This summer, yes, in 2018, some Change guys got back together. They teamed up with the gifted vocalist Tanya Michelle Smith and produced a brilliant and uplifting Funk tunes entitled "Hit or Miss".

Real Music Heroes

Jan Kincaid: The Liberating Feeling of Changing Horses in Midstream

Imanuel Marcus May 10, 2018

When The Brand New Heavies made landfall during the so-called Acid Jazz Revolution, the sounds they delivered were too funky and colorful to believe. They were a "Dream Come True", for both their audiences and the group itself. This band…

Real Music Heroes

Radio Show Host Paul Reuben: Funk Classics With a “Rosy Glow”

Imanuel Marcus Apr 16, 2018

Real Music in the form of sophisticated Funk and Soul, including Rare Grooves, have vanished from the radio decades ago. But there are exceptions. One of them is the "Afrodisiac Soul Movement" hosted by Paul Reuben, on New Style Radio in…

Real Music Heroes

Chaka Khan: The Limitless Voice

Imanuel Marcus Mar 23, 2018

Put 500 female Soul singers into a big hall and make them sing in front of a blindfolded person. That person will find Chaka Khan immediately. Repeat the same experiment with 5,000 Soul singers. Again, the blindfolded individual will find…

Real Music Heroes

Larry Carlton: The Guitar Magician at 70

Imanuel Marcus Mar 2, 2018

Most great Fusion, Jazz-Rock and Jazz-Funk musicians are not getting any younger. In the case of Larry Carlton his age does not show, but it is a fact. Carlton, a true string magician, has delivered killer solo albums, and he has played…

Real Music Heroes

Norman Connors: The Jazz-Funk Captain at 71

Imanuel Marcus Mar 1, 2018 1

Norman Connors. This name stands for so much. During the 50 years he has been active, especially since the late 1970-s, he should have been celebrated a lot more than he was, and he should have been more famous in Europe and Asia. "Captain…

Real Music Heroes

The Master: George Benson at 75

Imanuel Marcus Feb 27, 2018

Calling any artist "one of the greatest musicians of all time" is wrong and not recommended, unless he really is. There are very few living musicians that description might apply to, and there is one it definitely applies to. His name is…

Real Music Heroes

Peter Legat: The Mastermind Behind Count Basic Turns 60

Imanuel Marcus Feb 26, 2018

In 1996, the "Smooth Jazz" radio station 105.8 FM in Northern Virginia played a tune called "M.L. in the Sunshine", which stands for "Making Love in the Sunshine". The composition was a Contemporary Jazz tune, mixed with Jazz-Funk, which…

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