Funky Soul-Jazz Guitar & Steel

Guitar gets little more daily respect in the jazz world than Bob Dylan's historic first appearance with an electric. Fortunately funk has fewer of the taste and anti-commercial hang-ups of jazz and even soul jazz. Wild, psychedelic, "waka-waka" guitar riffs are everywhere in the funk period, particularly once the soundtracks from hard action films changed things. Guitar (rhythm or lead) had always been a key element in funky singles and the early instrumentals of acts like the Meters, James Brown, etc. Guitar, a natural instrument in blues music, was right at home in funk, which was entirely dependant on blues rhythm. Jazz was a little more complicated.

Jazz guitarists have long tried to sound unlike blues, pop, and especially rock guitarists. The early greats of jazz guitar may have been stylistic pioneers, but few guitarists of the funk period made great records as leaders. There were some surprises, such as Bo Diddley. The accepted jazz master, Grant Green, seemed to have burned out during a prolific but overrated spurt throughout the early 1960s. Melvin Sparks more than filled his shoes. Dennis Coffey's great "Scorpio" was not even guitar so much as a percussion smash. Many of the best funky-guitar records are one-offs by fairly obscure artists. The great Funk, Inc. was not particularly a guitar band, yet it had some of the most memorable tunes and licks.

The 1960s arguably was the decade of the guitar, and hip LPs occassionally spilled out of the rock world and other places. Sandy Bull, John Berberian, Pat Martino, and others explored exoticism with use of the oud, tabla, and sitar. Sly Stone knew how effective the guitar could be in making funk more broadly appealing. Blues guitarists such as Freddie King and Mel Brown found fresh ground in funk. But the name of Dennis Coffey's "Detroit Guitar Band," guitars never took over the stage as they did with rock. Funky guitar never really had a full-on grunge period, perhaps because of the solo nature and stigma of the blues guitarist. But licks abound.

Buying: As with the more ubiquitous drum break, a "psychedelic" guitar solo can save a basic, funky single from utter tedium. On the other hand, Grant Green vamping Isley Brothers and Steppenwolf hits for eleven minutes is about as ponderous as it gets. Look for wild, funky guitar in short, sharp bursts.