{"title":"Don Blackman","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"don-blackman","title":"Don Blackman","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDon Blackman's\u003c\/strong\u003e self-titled debut album, released in 1982, is a funk and jazz-fusion masterpiece that has gained a cult following over the years. As a talented keyboardist, vocalist, and composer, Blackman was already well-regarded in the music scene for his work with artists like Parliament-Funkadelic, Roy Ayers, and Weldon Irvine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHis debut album showcases his unique blend of smooth jazz, funk, and R\u0026amp;B, highlighted by tracks like \"\u003cem\u003eYabba Dabba Doo\u003c\/em\u003e,\" \"\u003cem\u003eHeart’s Desire\u003c\/em\u003e,\" and \"\u003cem\u003eHolding You, Loving You\u003c\/em\u003e,\" which became underground hits. The album is praised for its sophisticated musicianship, catchy grooves, and heartfelt lyrics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough it didn’t achieve major commercial success upon release, it has since been revered by collectors and musicians, influencing genres like hip-hop and neo-soul, with many of its tracks sampled by prominent artists. \u003cstrong\u003eDon Blackman's\u003c\/strong\u003e debut remains a hidden gem of 1980s music.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Music On Vinyl","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50429991321931,"sku":"2223281","price":37.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP - Red","offer_id":51606704423243,"sku":"R1670-9156","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Don_Blackman_24cac1b1_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726842822"},{"product_id":"say-youll-be-mine-your-love-makes-me-crazy","title":"Say You'll Be Mine \/ Your Love Makes Me Crazy","description":"\u003cp\u003eDon Blackman is an iconic, \u003cstrong\u003ecult artist\u003c\/strong\u003e. A pianist, songwriter, producer, and vocalist from New York he is a mystical figure for record collectors, one of those artists where if you found an old dusty record with Don's name on it, you'd buy it on sight. He is best known for his \u003cstrong\u003e1982 magnum-opus\u003c\/strong\u003e, the eponymous album that featured the all-time classics \u003cstrong\u003e'Heart's Desire'\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003e'Holding You, Loving You'\u003c\/strong\u003e. He also collaborated with other greats such as \u003cstrong\u003eBernard Wright\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eWeldon Irvine\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eRoy Ayers\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eLenny White\u003c\/strong\u003e.    We couldn't believe it when Chicago DJ\/digger\/producer, \u003cstrong\u003eMarc Davis\u003c\/strong\u003e, told us there was a vault of unreleased Don Blackman material. Marc had reached out to Don's children, Irene and Kyle, in 2019, building a relationship with Kyle with whom he shared a musical affinity. To Marc's delight, Kyle confirmed that there was indeed a \u003cstrong\u003etreasure trove\u003c\/strong\u003e. As Kyle described it, \u003ci\u003e\"In 2013, shortly after my dad's passing, my sister and I collected all of his possessions and put them in a storage unit. I came across forty years' worth of music history. Hundreds of cassettes, CDs, Disks, reel-to-reels, paperwork, photos and VHS tapes. It took about ten years to organise and digitise everything. All of this magic was almost thrown away in the trash, never to be seen, never to be heard forever.\"\u003c\/i\u003e    Two tracks were selected, 'Your Love Makes Me Crazy' and 'Say You'll Be Mine'. 'Your Love Makes Me Crazy' is as funky as it gets, with infectiously catchy vocal hooks, and a \u003cstrong\u003eserious jam\u003c\/strong\u003e, whereas 'Say You'll Be Mine' is a classy, \u003cstrong\u003esoulful boogie\u003c\/strong\u003e, instrumental number, that shows off Don's masterful piano playing. Both tracks warrant full attention and capture a master at work. He was also a one-man show when it came to production, playing all of the instruments when recording these tunes in his home studio in South Jamaica, Queens.    On first hearing the tracks, Marc knew he wanted to extend the songs and enlisted fellow Chicago legend, \u003cstrong\u003eTone B. Nimble\u003c\/strong\u003e, to work on the project with him. Their extension\/edit of the songs was conducted in a way that was respectful and true to how the tracks were originally recorded by Don. They extended and re-sequenced the groovy parts of the songs organically for the DJs and dancers.    The final words on this release are best coming from Kyle, \u003ci\u003e\"We are very excited and thrilled to continue to share all of this unreleased magic with the world. We hope that this music will help, heal, and inspire a new generation of artists to never give up, and to strive for what their hearts desire.\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mr Bongo","offers":[{"title":"7\"","offer_id":50482109415755,"sku":"2024681","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_2c8d1742_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727549053"},{"product_id":"just-cant-stay-away","title":"Just Cant Stay Away","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eMelodies International are extremely proud to bring forward their latest reissue and 17th release, an early-2000s boogie anthem by Jazz-funk legend Don Blackman: \u003ci\u003eJust Can’t Stay Away\u003c\/i\u003e. Melodies International is a reissues record label based in London founded by Floating Points in 2015, dedicated to unearthing, restoring, contextualising and offering new leases of life to the best of scarcer and lesser known soul, disco, jazz, house and beyond\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDon Blackman was an American pianist, singer and songwriter from Jamaica, Queens in New York. Better remembered for his seminal self-titled album released in 1982 on Arista, with anthems such as \u003ci\u003eHolding You, Loving You; Heart’s Desire \u003c\/i\u003eor \u003ci\u003eNever Miss A Thing\u003c\/i\u003e, his influence stretches much further. Blackman played in his younger days with household acts such as Parliament Funkadelic, Earth, Wind and Fire and Roy Ayers, and through collaborating as a songwriter and session musician with artists such as Kurtis Blow, Bernard Wright, Roy Ayers or Weldon Irvine, his unique brand of jazz\/funk soul would go on to inspire whole generations of artists and music lovers alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlackman’s cult status has also been cemented by crossing over into Hip-Hop, getting sampled by the likes of Madlib, Jay-Z, Slum Village or even famously in Snoop Dogg’s Gz and Hustlas (Haboglabotribin with Bernard Wright). Going through his body of work, it’s hard to tell where Blackman shines the brightest between his brilliant and heartfelt vocal performances and his virtuosity as a pianist and songwriter. Channelling jazz vocabulary into well-crafted songs, he could do it all! But perhaps it’s the underlying bittersweet melancholy and his keen sense of humour that seeps through his peculiar arrangements and lyrics, that make his music so relatable and everlasting\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2002, Blackman released his second and final album dedicated to his family, \u003ci\u003eListen\u003c\/i\u003e, in the UK in CD format only. Among the songs included on the CD, one of the tracks wasn’t supposed to be there until Blackman’s spouse convinced him otherwise: Just Can’t Stay Away, a straightforward DIY boogie banger with a soulful edge, was originally written and produced by Blackman as a greeting message for her answering machine! DJs (e.g. Motor City Drum Ensemble, Jeremy Underground, Sadar Bahar, Floating Points) have been playing the tune for some years now but it’s in 2018, whilst Floating Points was DJing in the US and played \u003ci\u003eJust Can’t Stay Away\u003c\/i\u003e, that Blackman’s children, Kyle and Irene happened to be in the crowd and a connection was made.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCarefully remastered, Mel017 is presented in 7-inch format for the first time, comes with a 14’x14’ poster.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Melodies International","offers":[{"title":"Black | 7\"","offer_id":50489236422987,"sku":"1070004","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/39160571-bc3e-4a47-b59c-0bc74cc6314f_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727640222"},{"product_id":"don-blackman-3","title":"Don Blackman","description":"\u003cp\u003eBlackman came from the jazz world, but spent time in the fusion-funk hybrid that hovered around the edges of the chart in that transitional period of the early ’80s. Although it slipped between the cracks at the time, Don Blackman is a minor funk masterpiece that deserves shelf space next to Fuzzy Haskins’s A Whole Nother Thang, Bernie Worrell’s Blacktronic Science, Trey Lewd’s Drop the Line and others. Though those albums turn up on most P-Funk expanded discographies, Blackman’s record often doesn’t because there’s no playing or production from Clinton, Collins or Worrell. It might make more sense to think of it at the center of a Venn diagram whose circles include P-Funk, the jazz-funk practiced by artists like George Duke and Roy Ayers and the soul-funk of Fonzi Thornton and Garfield Fleming. Right in the middle, shining brightly, Don Blackman.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vinyl Me Please","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50495831933259,"sku":"2225089","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_1795366e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727715090"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/don-blackman.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}