Released during the height of his laid-back space funk era, Johnny drops a batch of mostly instrumental numbers with himself providing guitar, fender rhodes, synths, clavinet & organ in that style we all know and love. This is the 1st of two albums that Johnny Guitar cut under the “Watsonian Institute” moniker for DJM Records
“Master Funk” is for all intents and purposes, very much a Johnny "Guitar" Watson album. In addition to doing all of the producing and arranging, the late singer/guitarist wrote most of the material and contributed his share of lead vocals. So not surprisingly, his stamp is all over Master Funk. The main difference between this record and the hit albums that Watson had been recording under his own name in the 1970s is the fact that this release has a stronger jazz influence. While 1976's “Ain't That a Bitch”, 1977's “A Real Mother for Ya”, and 1977's “Funk Beyond the Call of Duty” are funk/soul albums first and foremost, “Master Funk” is an album in which funk, soul, and soul-jazz live under the same roof.
Instrumentals like "Dr. John's Delight" and "Coming Around" are in the soul-jazz vein, and the jazz influence is also present on some of the tunes that Watson sings on. Master Funk is generally decent, but it's uneven, and it's an album that simmers without really catching fire. This album wasn't among Watson's big sellers of the 1970s and is far from essential, although it's a fairly interesting listen if you're among his truly hardcore fans.
Track listing
01. "The Institute" (Johnny Guitar Watson) - 4:08
02. "Master Funk" (Johnny Guitar Watson) - 4:40
03. "The Funk If I Know" (Tommy Roberson) - 4:00
04. "Lady Voo Doo" (Johnny Guitar Watson) - 4:44
05. "De John's Delight" (Johnny Guitar Watson) - 3:00
06. "Coming Around" (Matt Ender) 4:00
07. "Virginia's Pretty Funky" (Johnny Guitar Watson) - 4:55
Credits
Synthesizer, Lead Vocals, Guitar, Clavinet, Keyboards [Fender Rhodes], Organ – Johnny "Guitar" Watson
Technician [Spiritual Advisor] – Chaney "Aney" Harris
Vocals, Bass – Bobby "Bumble Bee" Howard
Vocals, Clavinet, Keyboards [Fender Rhodes], Synthesizer – Gip "Pretty Playin" Noble
Vocals, Percussion, Bass, Trombone – Tommy "Slide" Roberson
Vocals, Percussion, Drums – Emry "Elegant E.T." Thomas
Soloist, Saxophone – Bill Haley
Soloist, Bass – Johnny Jones
Backing Vocals – Charles Wright, Larry Williams
Soloist, Trumpet – Walt Fowler
Soloist, Synthesizer [Programming Soloist] – Matt Ender
Co-producer [Production Assistant] – Emry Thomas
Engineer – Kerry McNabb
Producer, Arranged By – Johnny Guitar Watson
Notes
Genre: Funk, Soul
Length: 29:27
Label: DJM Records
© 1978
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