Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Liberators: The Liberators

207

The Liberators: The Liberators

Mark F. Turner By Mark F. Turner

View read count
Track review of "Rags To Riches"

The long arms of Fela Kuti and James Brown have stretched down under, with the debut of this Australian funk group's self-titled debut. Based in Sydney, The Liberators effectively rock the house, funk it up, and throw down some sweating dance music in venues and concerts, paying homage to jazz, funk, and Afrobeat.

"Rags To Riches" is a throwback to the soundtracks of 1970s Blaxploitation films such as Shaft (1971). The tune's groove is fueled by a deadly rhythm section, Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker-like horns vamps, and that signature wah-wah guitar riff that's got the right amount of elasticity. The sounds of percussion and gritty organ dance under the covers, as the band's tight musicianship delivers a track like the iconic phrase used to describe Shaft's main protagonist. In other words: it's a "bad mutha (shut yo' mouth!)" Ya dig?

Mark F. Turner FOLLOW Mark F. Turner and get notified whenever a new article published.
Considering himself a modern day 'Jazz Explorer' Mark continues to discover new and exciting music territories.


Personnel

Andrew: drums; Andrew: bass; Ed: guitar,percussion; Nathan: guitar; Dave: keys/percussion; Dia: percussion; Mike: tenor sax; Ken: trumpet; Akira: bone; Symo: baritone.

Album information

Title: The Liberators | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Unknown label

Tags


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Become a Sustaining Member

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.

More

Points of Light
Christian McBride and Ursa Major
Oracle
Co Streiff - Russ Johnson Quartet
Akvæn
Vamze Wybrańczyk
Mediterranean Echoes
Alekos Vretos

Popular

Salt Catchers
Andy Sheppard
Soho Elegy
Rachael Calladine Quintet
Keeping It In Context
Daniel Carter / Sabir Mateen / William Parker / Lou Grassi

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletters highlight our top stories, top album reviews, website news, free songs, radio & podcast shows, news, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.