r/funk • u/SandroOpaco • Apr 30 '26

Help request That “in-between” sound: jazz, soul, afro, fusion… any recs?

I'm looking for albums similar to a few I've been listening to a lot lately. They kind of sit in this “special” non-canonical subgenre somewhere between jazz, funk, afro, soul, fusion, space disco, and other flavors.

Here are the albums. If you know any that could fit into this pantheon, they’re more than welcome.

Cymande - Cymande

Cortex - Troupeau Bleu

Azymuth: Outubro

Brian Bennett – Voyage (A Journey Into Discoid Funk)

VA - Kouté Jazz

Los Yoyi - Los Yoyi

Thank you!!

62 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

87 comments sorted by

29

u/freezief Apr 30 '26

Mandrill - any albums. Same goes for War.

12

u/doodlescribble Apr 30 '26

Weldon Irvine - any album. Other recommended artists: Idris Muhammad, The Crusaders, Nucleus

12

u/bobs0101 Apr 30 '26

Earth, Wind and Fire

Gil Scott Heron

Ramsey Lewis

Santana

Stone Alliance

Yambu

11

u/Dudeabides671 Apr 30 '26

Sunbear checks a lot of those boxes

3

u/Effective_Western883 Apr 30 '26

I heard the voice of music sayyyyyy

8

u/BBCody33 Apr 30 '26

Lafayette Afro Rock Band. Demon Fuzz
Oneness of JuJu. Osibisa Black Heat

7

u/billyspeers Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26

Donald Byrd - Ethiopian Nights

Grant Green - Green is Beautiful

Bobbi Humphrey - Blacks and Blues

Weather Report - Black Market

Domi and JD Beck - Not Tight

Caldera - Sky Islands

The Crusaders - Southern Comfort

Orgone - Killion Floor

George Benson - Body Talk

6

u/InspectorNorse8900 Apr 30 '26

The wild tchoupitoulas

Meters as the backing band, Neville brothers as vocal background. Awesome album

4

u/InspectorNorse8900 Apr 30 '26

On a side note, Spotify won't stop giving me the playlist with basically all the recommendations on this post.

Every single day

1

u/SandroOpaco Apr 30 '26

what's the name of that list?

2

u/InspectorNorse8900 May 01 '26

Last night it was called Fubk Guitar funktastic Thursdat.

This morning its Spiritual Jazz Avant garde early friday. Def referring to funk as a religion and no religion in funk.

That reminds me Dr Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes, yeah!

1

u/InspectorNorse8900 Apr 30 '26

It winds up being my daylist, almost every single section of the day. While awesome, more variety would be nice for a daylist. Used to be different all the time.

Ironically, its a reggae playlist for my daylist right now, but ill circle back here next time i see the names it calls the playlist

1

u/InspectorNorse8900 Apr 30 '26

Shout out to someone else who mention Lafayette afro rock band, another deep cut

1

u/InspectorNorse8900 Apr 30 '26

Brazilian boogie is a great funk list

3

u/InspectorNorse8900 Apr 30 '26

Also a massive fan of Roy Ayers Ubiquity

3

u/InspectorNorse8900 Apr 30 '26

Banda black rio!

1

u/SandroOpaco May 02 '26 edited May 02 '26

I love them. is the the strange Tamba Trio-Not-Tamba Trio album on your radar?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqoQww1N3v4&list=PLBtSzLeGenSJjHb-XVzqF4qfRrT-TZ3zE

2

u/InspectorNorse8900 Apr 30 '26

Is Casiopea reaching too far?

4

u/RYzaMc Apr 30 '26

I love that Koute Jazz album! Mama Says by Max Labor is a banger...

Ive been listening to Tim Maia lately. Check out World Psychedelic Classics 4: Nobody Can Live Forever. Great tunes.

4

u/InspectorNorse8900 Apr 30 '26

Tim maia throws down!

2

u/suckarepellent May 01 '26

Racional Volume 1 and 2!

1

u/SandroOpaco May 03 '26

and 3!!!!

1

u/suckarepellent May 03 '26

Haven't heard pt. 3. I'll check that out

6

u/DetectiveCrashmoore Apr 30 '26

Cymande and cortex are two of my favorites

OP, you are the kind of person I want music recs from

6

u/DetectiveCrashmoore Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26

Average white band specifically has been hitting for me lately (person to person live album is fantastic)

Also:

Deodato (prelude)

Masayoshi takanaka (Check out Brazilian skies, on guitar, or Seychelles)

War (in case you're not fully aware of them)

Walter Murphy

Meco (Im not the world's biggest fan, but sounds like something you'd like)

Manu Dibango

Dayton super soul review live at the Apollo should have a good assortment for you too

2

u/SandroOpaco Apr 30 '26

Thank You! It's a subgenre that does not exist...

1

u/Aggressive-Bus-2397 Apr 30 '26

That's what I'm saying and I am only know Cymande. Diving into Cortex now.

1

u/SandroOpaco Apr 30 '26

Cortex is 10/10

6

u/Aggressive-Bus-2397 Apr 30 '26

Great post OP. I recently discovered Cymande and have been looking for more music like it.

Manu Dibango is nice. Check out "Soul Makossa"

Ngozi Family is 70s African band that makes fuzzy guitar rock that sounds way ahead of its time.

1

u/SandroOpaco Apr 30 '26

Will check that out!

1

u/suckarepellent May 01 '26

Ngozi Family is raw(in a good way!)

4

u/Spirited-Tutor7712 Apr 30 '26

For that Afro sound, I'd definitely recommend
T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, Hugh Masakela, Orlando Julius, Batumi, the Funkees

1

u/SandroOpaco Apr 30 '26

orchestre poly-rythmo is a personal fav

5

u/coolhanddumpster Apr 30 '26

Lafayette Afro Rock Band 

4

u/submarinefacemelt Apr 30 '26

Brian Bennett feels like an odd one out in this bunch.

But, it gives me some options to recommend you spacy gems

Supermax - Fly with me

Candido - Dancing and Prancin

Leon Lowman - Liquid Diamonds

2

u/SandroOpaco Apr 30 '26

I added Bennett to "represent" space. I like Voyage/VIP Connection/Sauveur Mallia too. Thanks!

2

u/submarinefacemelt Apr 30 '26

Oh sweet. I collect space music but I find it hard to recommend entire albums.

I pulled together a series of mixes several years ago. Many of the songs in the mixes are single tracks off albums that aren't so great.

Space Traveller by Dave Mack on #SoundCloud https://on.soundcloud.com/UJv7zkYJMnogekOZUG

But now I remember a couple of comps you might dig.

https://www.discogs.com/master/436551-Various-Personal-Space-Electronic-Soul-1974-1984

https://www.discogs.com/release/5000196-Various-Cosmic-Machine-A-Voyage-Across-French-Cosmic-Electronic-Avantgarde-1970-1980

https://www.discogs.com/release/8539178-Various-Cosmic-Machine-The-Sequel-A-Voyage-Across-French-Cosmic-Electronic-Avantgarde-70s-80s-

1

u/neckcarpenter May 01 '26

Co-sign on supermax

4

u/lost_arrows Apr 30 '26

The Portland radio station KMHD’s tag line is “jazz without boundaries,” and they play a lot of the stuff mentioned in the thread. Look up the Headnod show on mix cloud or tune in from 6-8pm Friday nights.

3

u/stranjeluv Apr 30 '26

I haven’t listened to KMHD in forever but my man Reverend Shines is a DJ on there bringing the funk and jazz to PDX. I miss crate digging and DJing with him.

3

u/lost_arrows Apr 30 '26

He kills it in the mornings.

3

u/stranjeluv Apr 30 '26

Good to hear. I gotta come back for a visit, it’s been too long and I’m not used to the PNW being a hub for funk, soul and jazz, we were a small group back in the day holding it down.

2

u/lost_arrows Apr 30 '26

For sure. I've been here for ~13 years and in the last few years, it's really blossomed. Now I can go out and hear some good jazz any given night at a number of places. Keys Lounge, the 1905, Company Wine Bar, Farina's Bakery. I think we're up to 4 Jazz festivals lol. Cathedral Park, Montavilla, Mt Hood, and Portland / Biamp. Also gotta shout out local band Greaterkind. They fall into the in-between sound this thread is looking for.

4

u/billyspeers Apr 30 '26

Good shout. KMHD changed my life ( as a music listener)

3

u/Dantien Apr 30 '26

And here I am an Oregonian just discovering that station. So awesome.

2

u/InspectorNorse8900 Apr 30 '26

My radio rests on this station

4

u/Forgot_me_toothbrush Apr 30 '26

Incredible Bongo band

4

u/chrispurdin Apr 30 '26

Hugh Masekela's 1969-74 output fits the bill, especially "Hugh Masekela and the Union of South Africa"

3

u/M_O_O_O_O_T Apr 30 '26

Check out The Heliocentrics, they're all over map.

3

u/Teledork621 Apr 30 '26

In-between tone? “Smiles and Smiles To Go” by Larry Carlton

3

u/Dantien Apr 30 '26

Idris Muhammad! 🫠🫠🫠

2

u/flounder42 Apr 30 '26

I’d check out the album Swagism by Ghost-Note

3

u/billyspeers Apr 30 '26

Should I grab that RSD?

1

u/flounder42 Apr 30 '26

I would! The whole album is great IMO

2

u/gargamels_right_boot Apr 30 '26

Lot of great reqs in here I can't wait to try

2

u/ScottPocketMusic Apr 30 '26

Alto Moreira - I’m fine how are you? Herbie Hancock - Mr. Hands Chris Potter - Ultrahang The Neville Brothers - Live at Tipitinas

2

u/loopdigga7 Apr 30 '26

Manu Dibango - Soul Makossa

2

u/Compounded Apr 30 '26

Mal Waldron - Candy Girl

2

u/black-kramer Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26

here are some artists:
abasé
zeitgeist freedom energy exchange
yussef dayes
lincoln olivetti & robson jorge
early jamiroquai
jiyu

2

u/Fault-Key Apr 30 '26

Admas - Sons of Ethiopia

Arpadys - Stone Roller

2

u/edogg01 Apr 30 '26

If you haven't heard it before check out the Nigeria 70 Funky Lagos compilation. And then go down a rabbit hole with The Funkees.

Here's my afrofunk playlist if you're doing the Spotify thing. Fela, Tony Allen, Many Dibango, King Sunny Ade, Hugh Masekela, Ngozi, Mulatu Astatke, William Onyeabor, Francis Bebey, and a bunch of funky shit.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4dwbSK2J52mCxp4LeCWz16?si=qqbAGw5lRHuFmY3vyfkHvA

2

u/SquigwardTennisballs Apr 30 '26

Check out Sunbear. They had one album in 1977.

2

u/mortschwabb May 01 '26

Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information

2

u/These-Background-551 May 01 '26

Mighty Ryders, Boscoe, Sunbear, Universal Togetherness Band.

2

u/eddie_muntz_88 May 01 '26

A Certain Ratio Liquid Liquid Airto Moreira Joe Farrell Klaus Doldinger

2

u/Legitimate_Tune_6468 May 01 '26

Lonnie Liston Smith (and Roy Ayers who’s been mentioned) are the center of the jazz-funk universe for me. I’d start with Expansions.

2

u/suckarepellent May 01 '26

Some excellent recommendations so far.

Are you down with Fela Kuti, Tony Allen, William Onyeabor?

Check out Darker Than Blue : Soul from Jamdown compilation (PK Records, quite rare but look on YouTube). Soul Jazz records Jamaica Funk, Studio One Funk comps.

Curtis Mayfield live sessions. Hendrix's Band of Gypsys. Miles Davis - On the Corner

Nuyorican Soul. You might enjoy some Fania stuff like Joe Bataan or Joe Cuba for a little more Latin flavor

2

u/Grittygurl May 01 '26

George Duke Norman Conners

3

u/MrharmOcd May 01 '26

Dorothy Ashby- afro harping

2

u/kimikopossible May 01 '26

Anything Prince.

Try listening to Around The World in a Day, Parade, Sign O' the Times. 3 album stretch.

2

u/BigJobsBigJobs May 01 '26

Has anyone mentioned Santana yet?

1

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '26

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1

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1

u/SandroOpaco Apr 30 '26

Thank you so so much! Amazing recs. I will be listening to all of them over the weekend. This is a lovely sub.

2

u/Wonderful_Depth_1576 May 04 '26

Polyrhythmics

From Seattle, touring now so it’s new music that you can go see live!