The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown: “Volume 1” (2012) Vinyl Review

I’ve been seriously digging Repurpose Purpose Vol. 1, the most recent release from the great funky beast The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown, a group founded by bass player John Heintz and featuring all sorts of accomplished musicians. And now I have the opportunity to go back to the beginning of this project and enjoy the first release, 2012’s Volume 1. This record features the talent of George Clinton, Robert Mercurio, and members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, among others. The music here will lift you up and get you moving, just the sort of thing you probably need in these days when all joy and humanity have been driven out of politics and social discourse.

Side A

The album kicks off with “The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown,” thus putting this project in that category of bands who have recorded songs sharing their names, along with Bad Company, Blue Mink, Double Naught Spy Car, I See Hawks In L.A. and They Might Be Giants (among many others). This song begins with some delicious work on drums, and then a spoken word section functions as an introduction, not just to this record but to the project as a whole: “Welcome to the Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown/A plan for a band, banded together by a jam/A psychedelic sandwich of sorts/Cohorts escorted to a revelation by the members of a deeper civilization.” That’s Michael Clip Payne, of P-Funk, on vocals. All of this is great, but it is the brass section that really lifts this one several stories off the ground, propelling us all into a much better and more exciting space, shouting out into the stratosphere, carving a path outward with its sound. The musicians on this track include Roger Lewis on baritone saxophone, Kevin Harris on tenor saxophone, Greg Hollowell on tenor saxophone, Revert Andrews on trombone, Derrick Johnson on trombone, Efrem Towns on trumpet, Ian Neville on guitar, John Heintz on bass, Dave Grissom on organ, Terence Higgins on drums, Frank Mapstone on percussion, and John-Paul Miller on percussion.

The horns then get “Include Me” going, with some delightful, playful work, before that funky guitar work comes in. This tune has a great funky groove, and it features the vocal work of Belita Woods (of Brainstorm and Parliament-Funkadelic). “Hey,” she calls before that first line, demanding our attention. And then she tells us what is what. “If you just can’t do right to me/If you just can’t be right for me/If you just got to play around on me.” I love that percussion, and the energy here is fantastic. This track is great fun, just what you might need to keep your mind off the thoroughly depressing state of our nation. Things here are loose and wonderful, and that guitar is singing, spinning a tale of joy that will wrap itself around each of us, pulling us into the dance. Belita Woods died in 2012, and this record is dedicated to her memory, as well as to the memory of Garry Shider, who plays guitar on this track and who died in 2010. Frank Mapstone is on organ, Brandon Butler is on piano, and Alvin Ford Jr. is on drums.

The musicians mellow things out a bit for “I Will Wait For You,” featuring Laura Reed on vocals. “Time will feel slow/We’ll let it grow/I want you to know/I will wait for you.” She gives us a sexy vocal performance, which is the heart of this track. And everything else works to support that performance. “Well, I’m a woman who knows what she wants,” she sings, leaving no doubt in our minds. I love when she raises her voice and belts out certain lines. She also brings it down for more intimate moments. It’s a delicious, captivating performance. John-Paul Miller is on guitar, Tyler Simmons is on organ, and Robert Mercurio (of Galactic) is on bass for this one. Things then get funky again for “College Funk.” If you listen to this record a few times, you’ll certainly end up on the dean’s list and graduate with honors, with a degree in dancing that will serve you well in this odd world. This is a thumping, pumping instrumental number that will have you shaking and grooving. It’s a wonderful jam helping us to dance through whatever destruction might surround us. Just keep focusing on the groove, friends.

Side B

The second side kicks off with “Platinum,” and that bass means business. This tune has plenty of attitude. The horns feel like integral parts of the city, like its own emergency unit, traveling about and seeing to the well-being of the citizens, making sure they are at a proper level of funkiness. If that level were to drop, pump the right fluids into the body and turn up the volume. Keep an eye on things while you’re dancing, and surely everything will be okay. The sax seems to promise as much. Follow the organ lead into a land of perfect health, perfect funk. And it is then that Kendra Foster comes in on vocals, a surprise so far into the track (it’s more than six minutes in). But now we are ready for her, aren’t we? “I turn up the music in my heart/So loud that my dreams become action.” Oh yes! Now that is an example we can follow.

“Room 2012” comes bursting in with a strong force, the song’s title containing the year the album came out, a year that was supposed to signal the end of the world. Remember that? This time, the vocals come in pretty quickly, now delivered by Reverend Desmond D’Angelo. The rhythm of his delivery carries its own funky element, which is fantastic. “So promise me that you’ll meet me in room 2012/We’ll look out the window and watch the whole world burn to hell/Baby, I want to kiss you right on your apocalypse/And make the whole world crumble at our feet.” And listen to that guitar as it takes charge. This song ends with him saying to get ready to move onto room 2013. Man, that seems so long ago now. It seems now that was when things were relatively normal, relatively stable, before things went to hell in 2016. The record then concludes with “It’s Hard To Go,” a glorious, thumping funk number, the brass players gathering us in at the beginning and then driving us forward in a great burst of energy that we become part of. And when we’ve come through, and are in some other land, the vocals come in, a sort of choir, led by George Clinton. “It’s so hard to go/I wish you’d stay by my side.” And that’s how the song and the record end. Wow.

Record Track List

Side A

1. The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown
2. Include Me
3. I Will Wait For You
4. College Funk

Side B

1. Platinum
2. Room 2012
3. It’s So Hard To Go

Volume 1 was released in 2012.

The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown: “Repurpose Purpose Vol. 1” (2024) Vinyl Review

For folks like me who love jams, who love improvised music, who love it when musicians take off from whatever script might have existed in order to further explore a rhythm or a riff or an idea, who go to concerts in large part for those moments of magic, The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown is here to delight us with some delicious grooves. The idea for this band was to capture those great live moments in the studio, with accomplished musicians from various backgrounds. The band’s first album, aptly titled Volume 1, was released in 2012 (although some websites list the year as 2011 or 2015). By the way, that album kicks off with a song titled “The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown,” putting this band in that group of artists who have a song sharing the band’s name, along with folks like Bad Company, Black Sabbath, I See Hawks In L.A., They Might Be Giants and Trees Speak. Volume 2 was released several years later, and there have also been a couple of singles and EPs.

The band’s new release is an EP titled Repurpose Purpose Vol. 1, written as RepurposE Purpose Vol. 1, so that EP is in the title. But there are approximately thirty-one minutes of music on this record, and that, my friends, is enough to make it an LP. One thing that’s interesting about the music on this record is that each track features the same drum work, each track building on it in a different way, with different musicians. The drummer, by the way, is Jack Irons. Yes, of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam and The Wallflowers, the same guy who released Dreamer’s Ball/Walnut last year. So his work is on every track. As for the rest of the folks, an incredible group of musicians has been gathered for this project, people like Leo Nocentelli, Bobby Easton, Matt Slocum, Eric McFadden and Larry LaLonde, among others. And for those who find the names familiar, but can’t quite place them, the liner notes are kind enough to include little reminders for us. The record itself is a clear sky blue vinyl with purple splatter, and it looks great.

Side A

The album opens with “All Together Now,” a glorious funk jam complete with a horn section, just the sort of thing to loosen you up, get you grooving, get you smiling. I’m especially digging that bass line by John Heintz. And check out that lead on guitar. Leo Nocentelli (of the Meters) plays guitar on this track. The horn section, by the way, is made up of Greg Hollowell on saxophone, Derrick Johnson on trombone, and Alex Bradley on trumpet. This track also features some cool stuff on keys. Frank Mapstone is on electric piano, and Rami Jaffee is on organ and clavinet. I like those smooth, slightly more laid-back moments placed at key points in the track, like the sun’s rays are warming us, and telling us, “Things are good.” This is the first track recorded for this album, so the drumming on this record originated with this instrumental track. If you needed another reason to love this track, Leon Mobley (of Innocent Criminals) contributes additional percussion work here.

RonKat Spearman (of P-Funk) joins the group on vocals for “Body Magic,” a fun number that has elements of funk and disco. So yes, something you want to dance to. “Baby, you got that stuff I like/You got that stuff I need.” Play this track, and your home will suddenly become the coolest dance club. The horn work here is done by Nic Chaffee. Bobby Easton (of Delta Nove) is on guitar, and Cody Wright is on bass. Matt Slocum (of Railroad Earth) is on keys, delivering some delicious work. “Give it to me, give it to me.” Well, these guys are giving it to us, no question, whatever it is we need. Then “420 Ocean Drive” comes on all heavy and strong, a powerful force, a steamroller of funk ready to smooth out any prickly cretins who dare stand in its path. And we can all ride atop this machine, so hop on board. Eric McFadden is on guitar, and the guitar is an important part of this track’s power. Philip Lassiter (who has worked with Prince, Ariana Grande and many other artists) is responsible for the horns on this one. Listen to the way those horns cut through to the heart of things, horns that will stand for no nonsense. This one builds into a tremendous beast, with a great energy. Chris Sherman (Freekbass) is on bass, and Jamar Woods is on keys. Again, this record features an outstanding group of musicians.

Side B

The second side opens with “Spirit Stain,” with Angelo Moore (of Fishbone) on vocals, and he gives us a seriously cool and commanding performance. The vocals are also part of the rhythm, the way the lyrics are delivered. “Remove yourself and take a step in the other direction.” Put this record on and have the best party, even if you’re alone. You’ll be dancing with such abandon that you might not even realize that no one else is there. Just give yourself over to that heavy, great bass line. That’s Roberto “Ra” Diaz (of Suicidal Tendencies and Korn) on bass. Justin Poree (of Ozomatli) joins on percussion, and this fantastic track also features the work of Jimi Hazel on guitar, and Peter “Keys” Pisarczyk on keys. The music takes us in another direction on “Ten Hits.” Larry LaLonde (of Primus) plays guitar on this one, and there is certainly something of a Primus vibe here, just one of the many tasty elements that make this track so enjoyable. This is a jam that seems to come from some intergalactic junk yard, with species from several planets playing whatever it is they find there, and getting the corpses of old massive mechanical marvels to rise up and dance. Oh yes, there’s life in it yet! John Norwood Fisher (founding member of Fishbone) plays bass, Mike Dillon (who has played with Les Claypool and Karl Denson, among others) is on vibraphone and tabla, and Bobby Easton (of Delta Nove) adds some work on percussion.

Then we get an instrumental rendition of “Body Magic.” So in this version we focus more on the horns, let them drive us forward, onward, upward. We climb Mount Funk, stopping at the different dance stations set up along the way. And the top? Well, that’s some kind of dance paradise. We’ll get there. This music has the power to lift us, at least a good deal of the way. I’m loving that work on keys. The album wraps up with an instrumental rendition of “Spirit Stain,” and now the beat commands us, takes control of our bodies, gets us moving. There might be moments when the music tosses us against walls, but don’t worry, for we bounce right back, not missing a downbeat. This track is capable of rocking us straight into next week.

Record Track List

Side A

1. All Together Now
2. Body Magic
3. 420 Ocean Drive

Side B

1. Spirit Stain
2. Ten Hits
3. Body Magic (Instrumental)
4. Spirit Stain (Instrumental)

Repurpose Purpose Vol. 1 was released digitally on September 6, 2024, and on vinyl on December 11, 2024. Now I’m wondering if Vol. 2 will continue with this drum work, or if it will feature a different beat. Either way, I’m looking forward to it.

The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown: “Volume 2” (2018) Vinyl Review

The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown, a great funky group made up of talented musicians you likely know from other bands, released its first full-length album, titled Volume 1, in 2012.  In 2018 came Volume 2, an album featuring many of the same players, such as John Paul Miller on guitar, Frank Mapstone on keys, Greg Hollowell on saxophone, Derrick Johnson on trombone, Alvin Ford Jr. on drums, Laura Reed on vocals, and Kenra Foster on vocals, along with a lot of new folks. This record contains all original material, featuring delicious jams and strong vocal work. The album was produced by John Heintz and Frank Mapstone. By the way, the packaging includes a gatefold, something that always takes me back to my childhood, which I appreciate.

Side A

The first track, “Rock It,” establishes a cool rhythm, nothing too fast or wild at the start, but rather eases in. It features Todd Thomas (known as Speech, a member of Arrested Development) on vocals. “I come to rock this party a special way/Everybody move your body without delay/‘Cause this big ol’ nasty crew ain’t here to play.” Oh, but these guys are here to play, to play some great tunes. There is a delicious and playful attitude, heard in lines like “And if you ain’t having fun, there’s nothing wrong with me, there’s something wrong with you.” This one has a mix of funk and pop elements, a light, playful number to lure folks out onto the dance floor of your party. “I won’t be happy ‘til I see you sweat,” Todd Thomas sings. He soon adds, “I know how funky this place can get.” Oh yes, that sounds like a challenge, and I think we’re all up to it, ready to strive toward that level. This track features some great stuff from the horns, and a lead on keys that comes from the outer reaches of the 1970s. Larry Dunn (of Earth, Wind & Fire), Mary Allen and Frank Mapstone are all on keys. The brass section is made up of Greg Thomas on alto saxophone, Greg Hollowell on tenor saxophone, Debrissa McKinney on tenor saxophone, Ben Hovey on trumpet, Fred Wesley on trombone, and Derrick Johnson on trombone. Tori Ruffin (from Morris Day And The Time) is on lead guitar.

“Love Somebody” comes on with a heavier force as it starts, demanding our attention. It then opens up when Laura Reed comes in on vocals. “Take a chance and give your life meaning/We may not be willing, but we are able.” She delivers a seriously cool and alluring vocal performance, sometimes smooth, sometimes powerful. It’s those powerful, forceful moments that I love most (reminding me a bit of The Peak Show). This track also features a really good lead on alto saxophone. That’s Karl Denson of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. Yeah, this track features a stellar lineup of musicians, including Michael Ray on trumpet, Clifford Adams on trombone, Derrick Johnson on trombone, John Paul Miller on lead guitar, Josh Blake on rhythm guitar, Ryan Martinie on bass, Jamar Woods on keys, and Alvin Ford Jr. on drums. Alvin Ford Jr. delivers some great stuff on drums, particularly at the end, helping to make this one of the record’s highlights. “All that we know is we’re here, then we go/Be sure to love somebody.” That about sums it up, doesn’t it?

Things really start to move and groove with “Groovy Nasty.” This one should get everyone else onto the floor, anyone who’d managed to hang back up to this point. I am digging that work on bass by Ryan Martinie. And RonKat Spearman (of P-Funk) is on vocals. What more could you want? How about some delicious stuff on keys too? This track certainly has that. And during that keyboard lead, we learn this party has not just a dance floor, but dance walls as well. Really, with this music playing, any surface becomes a place for dancing, with gravity working only when you really want it to. Let go of inhibitions and all outdated notions of reality. The starlight can become a dance partner. That is Jamar Woods on keys, by the way. This one was written by RonKat Spearman, John Heintz, Frank Mapstone and Ryan Martinie. The first side then ends with “Mantra,” this one sliding in, with some good work on bass. That’s Norwood Fisher, from Fishbone, on bass. This track features some really nice work by Kendra Foster on vocals. The repeated line “Breathe it out and let it flow” becomes the mantra. That works for me. There is also a rap section by Todd Thomas, also known as Speech. Foster and Thomas also had a hand in writing this one, along with Tori Ruffin, Jeffrey Suttles, John Heintz, Frank Mapstone and John Paul Miller.

Side B

The second side opens with “B4U Loved Me,” which has another good dance groove. And, yes, the title is a little annoying, but that doesn’t matter when the music is playing. Reverend Desmond D’Angelo’s smooth vocals are dripping with cool.  “If you don’t care about us no more, that’s something you should share.” And then he begins to put some power behind his delivery, and the horns respond in kind. “You loved me more before you knew me.” Such a good performance. I also love when the guitar comes on strong, a lead that commands our attention. It’s great that the guitar is given the space, the time to stretch out here, leading the group in a mighty jam. John Paul Miller is on lead guitar. Then Taylor Dayne joins the band on vocals on “Dream.” I am not all that familiar with her work, apart from a song or two in the late 1980s, but she delivers a fantastic performance here. And she wrote the lyrics. “If you don’t mean to be so cruel to me/Then let me love you/Be a flower to your honey bee.” This track also features some good stuff on keys. Ivan Neville is on organ, and Frank Mapstone is on electric piano. And I’m digging that drumming. Jeffrey Suttles, a member of Taylor Dayne’s band, plays drums on this track (and on a few other tracks).

With “Past Present Future,” the funk takes over completely, a heavy force that can’t be denied. Interestingly, this track also features the magic of the vibraphone, creating an interesting combination of sounds, of sensations, that ends up being great fun. That’s Mike Dillon on vibraphone. This instrumental track also features some great work by Leo Nocentelli on guitar. These guys do not hold back here, and the results are bloody great. Fred Wesley delivers some wonderful stuff on trombone. The record then concludes with “Creatures Of Habit,” which bursts in, the vocals part of that initial force. Angelo Moore, who co-wrote this song, is on lead vocals. “You’re pushing a dump truck up a hill with the brakes on/You should be turning it off, but you’re just turning it on.” And a whole lot of folks provide the backing vocals, so many voices that we feel we should also add our own and become part of the crowd. “We’re all creatures, creatures of habit/Don’t you like this freaky style/Come on, get it together/Come up to the front/Come up from the back/Funk, funk, funk.” And this song mentions Mr. Magoo, as if it needed another reason for us to love it. This track is so much fun, and that guitar work is outstanding. Vernon Reid (of Living Colour) joins the group on guitar for this one. The band is unstoppable here.

Record Track List

Side A

1. Rock It
2. Love Somebody
3. Groovy Nasty
4. Mantra

Side B

1. B4U Loved Me
2. Dream
3. Past Present Future
4. Creatures Of Habit

Volume 2 was released on November 27, 2018.

The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown: “Mellow/Dream EP” (2022) Vinyl Review

The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown is a great funky band that delivers some delicious jams and also has different vocalists join them on certain tracks. Two vocalists who joined the group on the band’s second full-length record, Volume 2, which was released in 2018, were Kendra Foster and Taylor Dayne – Kendra Foster on “Mantra,” and Taylor Dayne on “Dream.” Both of those talented singers are also featured on the band’s 2022 EP, Mellow/Dream EP, which is available on vinyl.  Here the band revisits “Dream,” this time with three different versions of the song, along with another song, “Mellow,” that one featuring Kendra Foster. And there are two versions of that song included on the EP. The music is excellent, and this EP is presented on white vinyl (yeah, I have a weakness for different colors when it comes to my vinyl collection). And actually, there is something I failed to mention in my previous reviews of releases by this band, and that’s the album cover artwork. Each of the records I’ve reviewed has had some pretty damn cool artwork, which is something you might expect from a band that thrives in a jam environment. I love an album cover that you just want to lose yourself in while listening to the music, an album cover that adds to the overall experience, and that has largely been the case with each of this band’s records. But this one in particular stands out, and is probably my favorite of the bunch. The artwork is done by James Flames, and it is beautiful. The back cover is just as cool as the front, with the artwork there inspired by the lyrics to “Dream.”

Side A

The first side of the EP is dedicated to “Mellow,” a song written by Kendra Foster, Ryan Martinie, John Heintz and Frank Mapstone. The first version presented here features Kendra Foster’s vocals. Her approach is at first kind of smooth. “Believe in my vibe/I’m worth it, honey/I know how to get some/Alleviate all my pressure from me/I know how to get some.” And she is able to build from there. I love when this one gets a bit wild, a bit heavier, as she repeats, “I just want to take you everywhere.” The song then returns to that cool groove, and features some nice stuff on keys. That’s Jamar Woods on keys. This track also features Josh Blake on guitar, Ryan Martinie on bass, Alvin Ford Jr. on drums, Cynthia Robinson on trumpet, and Jerry Martini on saxophone. You probably know Cynthia Robinson and Jerry Martini from their work in Sly And The Family Stone. This EP is dedicated to Cynthia Robinson, who died in 2015. It is believed that this is the final track she recorded, and she delivers a wonderful lead in the middle of it. The music gets heavier again as Kendra Foster repeats “Smokin’,” and I am particularly fond of this section of the track. I also love that lead on keys that follows that section. And if that isn’t enough to make this track worth listening to, there is also an excellent lead on saxophone. And if that isn’t enough for you, there is some fun scat toward the end, some great vocal play over some fantastic work on drums. Forget the song’s title at this point, for this part is certainly not mellow.

The first side of the EP also contains an instrumental version of “Mellow,” and here we can focus even more on the drum work toward the end. As much as I love Kendra Foster’s vocal work, the last section of the song is perhaps even better in this instrumental version. Certainly it’s more powerful, and takes us on a wilder journey. As for the earlier parts of the track, it is all about the groove.

Side B

The second side of the EP is “Dream.”  The first version included here is that with the Taylor Dayne vocals. I mentioned this in my review of Volume 2, but I was not all that familiar with Taylor Dayne’s work. I revisited a couple of those hits from the late 1980s, but those songs don’t really do much for me. But if this track is any indication of the direction she’s gone in since then, I need to give a listen to some of her more recent output, because she delivers one hell of a great performance here. “But the hardest part of waking up is knowing you’re not real/And the saddest thing of staying up is knowing you’re a dream, you’re just a dream.” By the way, the inside jacket contains the lyrics, and I’m noticing now whoever wrote them put “your a dream” instead of “you’re a dream.” Whoops! The musicians backing her on this track are Tori Ruffin on guitar, Ryan Martinie on bass, Ivan Neville on organ, and Jeffrey Suttles on drums. I am particularly fond of that lead on organ in the second half. “Dream” was written by Taylor Dayne, Tori Ruffin, Ryan Martinie, John Heintz and Frank Mapstone.

The second track is the instrumental version of “Dream.” With this version, I tend to focus on that great work on keys, but at moments I do find myself missing the vocals. This track also gives us a better opportunity to dig the song’s bass line. The final track on this record is “Dream (Original Recording),” a title that I found interesting, since I had just assumed that the Taylor Dayne version was the original version. There is a different intro to this version, and an added psychedelic element, which I love. This version is a couple of minutes longer than the other two, and features some really nice work on guitar. The guitar gets a chance to stretch out, with opportunity for some exploration here. It’s more of a jam than the previous track.

Record Track List

Side A

1. Mellow
2. Mellow (Instrumental)

Side B

1. Dream
2. Dream (Instrumental)
3. Dream (Original Recording)

Mellow/Dream EP was released on November 22, 2022.