May 2, 2013

The Pazant Brothers & The Beaufort Express: "Loose And Juicy"

Yeah, you read it correctly, the name of this record is “Loose And Juicy.”  Does it live up to such descriptivism?  Mostly, yes.  The Pazant Brothers had been present on the New York scene for a while by the time this (their one and only LP) came out, gigging with Pucho Brown, Sonny Phillips and others.  This album has both its supporters and its detractors; some have criticized it for not being as raw and funky as the Brothers’ earlier 45 releases, though I think that misses the point somewhat, as it’s still a good record.  There are a couple so-so tracks, sure, but they’re more than made up for by the funk burners, like “A Gritty Nitty,” “You’ve Got To Do Your Best,” “Toe Jam” and the title cut, to say nothing of the synthed-out syncopated New Orleans strut of “Spooky.”  The Brothers themselves being horn players, the truly transcendent moments of this LP are found in the horn charts and solos, which simmer and sizzle until they reach a boiling point, and spill over with all kinds of groove-drenched niceness.  This is an interesting curiosity from the NYC funk underground that, due to its rarity, is still relatively unheard.

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