Defunkt
Encyclopedia
Defunkt is a musical group founded by trombonist/singer Joseph Bowie
1978 in New York
, United States
, and still active. Their music touches on elements of punk rock
, funk
and jazz
.
Defunkt has been active since 1978. They merge avant-garde
aesthetics with punk rock and funk, and have produced 15 recordings on various independent labels. The band has traveled throughout the world as an opening act for such artists as James Brown
, David Byrne
and Talking Heads
, The Clash
, Hans Dulfer
, Candy Dulfer
, Isaac Hayes
, Prince
, Larry Graham
, Me'Shell NdegéOcello
, Maceo Parker
.
The band has also performed at Jazz Festivals, as well as Rock & Soul venues throughout the world, gaining a small but devoted cult status.
H
Joseph Bowie
Joseph Bowie is an American bandleader, trombonist, and founder of the seminal jazz fusion band, Defunkt. The group has been blending jazz with funk and punk music for more than three consecutive decades....
1978 in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and still active. Their music touches on elements of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
.
Defunkt has been active since 1978. They merge avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
aesthetics with punk rock and funk, and have produced 15 recordings on various independent labels. The band has traveled throughout the world as an opening act for such artists as James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, David Byrne
David Byrne (musician)
David Byrne is a musician and artist, best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography,...
and Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
, The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, Hans Dulfer
Hans Dulfer
Hans Dulfer is a Dutch jazz musician who plays tenor saxophone.Hans Dulfer was born on 28 May 1940 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He began at age 17 and has been referred to as "Big boy" because of his album of the same name. At the end of the sixties he and Herbert Noord founded a quartet that...
, Candy Dulfer
Candy Dulfer
Candy Dulfer is a Dutch smooth jazz alto saxophonist who began playing at the age of six. She founded her band, Funky Stuff, when she was fourteen years old. Her debut album Saxuality received a Grammy Award nomination. Dulfer has released nine studio albums, two live albums, and one compilation...
, Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Larry Graham
Larry Graham
Larry Graham, Jr. is an African American bass guitar player, both with the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station...
, Me'Shell NdegéOcello
Me'shell Ndegeocello
Meshell Ndegeocello is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, bassist, and vocalist. Her music incorporates a wide variety of influences, including funk, soul, hip hop, reggae, R&B, rock, and jazz. She has received significant critical acclaim throughout her career, and has had ten career Grammy...
, Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown's hit recordings, and a key part of his band, playing alto, tenor and baritone saxophones...
.
The band has also performed at Jazz Festivals, as well as Rock & Soul venues throughout the world, gaining a small but devoted cult status.
Discography
- Defunkt (1980)
- Strangling me with your Love (1981)
- Thermonuclear Sweat (1982)
- The Razor’s Edge (12"-Maxi-Single, 1982)
- In America (1988)
- Avoid the Funk: a Defunkt Anthology (Compilation, 1988)
- Heroes (1990)
- Live at the Knitting Factory (Live, 1991)
- Crisis (1992)
- Cum Funky (1993)
- Live and Reunified (Live, 1993)
- A Blues Tribute to Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix (1994)
- One World (1995)
- Defunkt live in Stuttgart (Live, 1996)
- The Legend of Defunkt, Volume 1 (Compilation, 2001)
- Defunkt – The Legend Continues (2001)
- Defunkt Live in Europe (Live-Doppelalbum, 2002)
- Journey (2004)
- Defunkt + Thermonuclear Sweat ( 2005)
Current
- Joseph BowieJoseph BowieJoseph Bowie is an American bandleader, trombonist, and founder of the seminal jazz fusion band, Defunkt. The group has been blending jazz with funk and punk music for more than three consecutive decades....
– tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, vocals - Kim Clarke – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Ronnie Drayton – guitar
- Bill Bickford – guitar
- John Mulkerin – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Kenny Martin – drums
Former
- Kelvyn Bell – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Ayodele Maakheru (Martin Aubert) – guitar
- Vernon ReidVernon ReidVernon Reid is an English-born American guitarist, songwriter, composer, and bandleader. Best known as the founder and primary songwriter of the heavy metal band Living Colour, Reid was named #66 on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.Critic Steve Huey writes, "[Reid's]...
– guitar - Richard Martin – guitar
- Melvin GibbsMelvin GibbsMelvin Gibbs is an American bass guitarist, composer, and producer who has appeared on close to 200 albums in diverse genres of music. Gibbs has been called "the best bassist in the world" by Time Out New York magazine....
– bass - Ron Mac Jenkins – bass
- Reggie Washington - bass
- Lester BowieLester BowieLester Bowie was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the AACM, and cofounded the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Biography:...
– trumpet - Ted Daniels – trumpet
- Byron Bowie – saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- Luther ThomasLuther Thomasthumb|right|upright=2|Dizzazz in June 1981. From left to right : Luther Thomas , Danny Petroni , Donald Nicks , Marvin Neal , Warren Benbow , John K. Mulkerin and Billy "Spaceman" Paterson...
- saxophone - Charles Green - saxophone
- Alex Harding – baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
- Ronnie BurrageRonnie BurrageRonnie Burrage is an American jazz drummer. His style draws elements from hard bop, bebop, funk, and soul....
– drums - Rishard Lampese - guitar
- Scooter Warner – drums
- Tobias Ralph – drums
- Kahil El'ZabarKahil El'ZabarKahil EL'Zabar is a jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer. He regularly records for Delmark Records. He joined the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in the early 1970s, and became its chairman in 1975...
– percussion - Kelli Sae - vocals
- Martin Fischer – keyboards
- Marcus Persiani – keyboards
- Kevin Bents – keyboards
- Bahnamous Bowie – keyboards
- Adam Klipple – keyboards
- Cliff Branch – keyboards
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