Everything I Play Is Funky

Everything I Play is Funky
Studio album by Lou Donaldson
Released	June 1970 [1]
Recorded	August 22, 1969 & January 9, 1970
Studio	Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Genre	Jazz, funk
Length	38:51
Label	Blue Note BST 84337
Producer	Francis Wolff
Lou Donaldson chronology
Hot Dog (1969) Everything I Play is Funky (1970) Pretty Things (1970)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[3]

Everything I Play is Funky is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Blue Note label featuring Donaldson with Blue Mitchell, Lonnie Smith, Melvin Sparks, Jimmy Lewis and Idris Muhammad and two tracks with Eddie Williams and Charles Earland replacing Mitchell and Smith. ^[4]

Reception

The album was awarded 3 stars in an Allmusic review by Steve Huey who states "Everything I Play Is Funky is easily one of the best examples of Lou Donaldson's commercially accessible period of the late '60s and early '70s. Donaldson's forays into funk and R&B-driven soul-jazz could sometimes sound stiff, but the grooves here — which feature many of the same players — are consistently limber and unforced. And, typical of the style, the grooves (not adventurous improvisation) are what make the album tick... This is the sort of record that modern-day Donaldson disciples like the Sugarman Three cherish, and one of his few truly consistent efforts in this style. Recommended wholeheartedly to funk and rare-groove fans". ^[5]

Track listing

All compositions by Lou Donaldson except as noted

1. "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" (Allen Toussaint) - 5:31
2. "Hamp's Hump" (Paul Hampton) - 6:40
3. "Over the Rainbow" (Harold Arlen, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg) - 7:11
4. "Donkey Walk" - 6:44
5. "West Indian Daddy" - 6:30
6. "Minor Bash" - 6:15

Recorded on August 22, 1969 (4–5) and January 9, 1970 (1–3 & 6).

Personnel

Musicians ^[6]

• Lou Donaldson – varitone alto saxophone, voice
• Blue Mitchell (tracks 1–3 & 6), Eddie Williams (tracks 4 & 5) – trumpet
• Lonnie Smith (tracks 1–3 & 6), Charles Earland (tracks 4 & 5) – Hammond organ
• Melvin Sparks – guitar
• Jimmy Lewis – Fender bass (tracks 1–3 & 6)
• Idris Muhammad – drums

Production

• Francis Wolff – producer
• Rudy Van Gelder – recording
• Bob Venosa/ Havona – cover design
• Patrick Roques – cover design (reissue)
• Charles Keddie – photography

References

1. "Album Reviews". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. June 20, 1970. p. 57. Retrieved January 24, 2023– via Google Books.
2. "Everything I Play Is Funky - Lou Donaldson". allmusic.com. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
3. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 390. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
4. Lou Donaldson discography accessed December 14, 2009.
5. Huey, S. Allmusic Review accessed December 14, 2009.
6. "Lou Donaldson Everything I Play Is Funky". funkmysoul.gr. September 16, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2016.