The Brothers Funk (Rare New York City Funk 1969 - 1975)

Though the Pazant Brothers were a respectable, predominantly instrumental funk outfit of the late '60s and early '70s, they never got the chance to record much. This 22-track compilation rounds up most of their releases, including four 1969 singles (one of them released under the name the Chili Peppers), a couple songs that only appeared on a compilation LP, a 1973 single, and their 1975 album Loose and Juicy (which like the 1973 single was billed to the Pazant Brothers & the Beaufort Express). The Pazant Brothers were a good though not great outfit, putting New York Latinized rhythms, James Brown-influenced chicken scratch guitar, and New Orleans-tinged wailing horns to admirable use on pleasant upbeat dance funk. As time went on, they added some female vocals that were more decorative cheer-the-musicians-onward ambience than true leads, though they were fairly effective. The early singles sound fresher than their 1975 LP, which includes a bunch of remakes of songs they'd first issued on their earlier 45s, though that album was a respectable effort that resisted the oncoming disco trend with an earthier funk sound. ~ Richie Unterberger