Talk about buried treasure. Catalyst's The Funkiest Band You Never Heard, a two-disc reissue, is a long-overdue reintroduction to a mostly forgotten Philadelphia quartet whose four early-'70s albums bridged the gap between avant-garde jazz and funk and soul with delicious ease. Containing the albums Catalyst, Unity, A Tear and A Smile, and Perception, the two-disc set does have occasional moments when things sound a bit old-fashioned--like on the set's very first track, "Ain't It the Truth," or the very last, a forgettable cover of the Jackson Five's "Got to Be There". But in between, things mostly sound dated in the best way: this is the '70s, sure, but it's the '70s of the far-out electrified funk of Miles Davis, the avant-groove of Herbie Hancock's Sextant, the experimentalism of early Weather Report, the Eastern leanings of Yusef Lateef (especially on Odean Pope's oboe solo on "East"), and the funky soul of Stevie Wonder. Saxophonist Pope and pianist Eddie Green were both standout players, but what comes across on lengthy jams like "Celestial Bodies" and "Perception" is an unshakable feeling of group chemistry and adventurous risk-taking that makes the music here sound remarkably fresh and farsighted. --Ezra Gale
Funkiest Band You Never Heard,Catalyst,32. Jazz Records,Avant-Garde Jazz,Free Funk,Fusion,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop
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