EricGale, photos on Flickr

This edit of a track by "Johnny Hammond Smith' is a natural merger of 60s and early 1970s jazz, with a soul that was getting into a funk on an exploration into ideas of 'groove'.

A 'spot the difference' between French and English Wiki explanations of the word 'Funk' is worthy of an essay in cultural studies and semantics:

"Selon certaines interprétations, le terme funk proviendrait de l'argot anglo-américain funky, qui signifie littéralement « puant », « qui sent la sueur », insulte traditionnellement adressée aux noirs par les WASP et reprise ensuite à leur compte par les artistes noirs tel que Horace Silver dans son morceau Opus de Funk (1953)." Wiki Fr 7.06.20

In contrast with:

"It is originally derived from Latin "fumigare" (which means "to smoke") via Old French "fungiere" and, in this sense, it was first documented in English in 1620. In 1784 "funky" meaning "musty" was first documented, which, in turn, led to a sense of "earthy" that was taken up around 1900 in early jazz slang for something "deeply or strongly felt".[6][7] Ethnomusicologist Portia Maultsby states that the expression "funk" comes from the Central African word "lu-funki" and art historian Robert Farris Thompson says the word comes from the Kikongo term "lu-fuki"; in both proposed origins, the term refers to body odor.[8] Thompson's proposed Kikongo origin word, "lu-fuki" is used by African musicians to praise people "for the integrity of their art" and for having "worked out" to reach their goals.[9] Even though in white culture, the term "funk" can have negative connotations of odor or being in a bad mood ("in a funk"), in African communities, the term "funk", while still linked to body odor, had the positive sense that a musician's hard-working, honest effort led to sweat, and from their "physical exertion" came an "exquisite" and "superlative" performance.

Wiki English. 7.06.20

From the late 60s to the early 70s, musicians from diverse backgrounds were becoming interesting in the word 'groove': both locking down and liberating the bass, rhythm guitar and drum, and ornamenting with 'hooks' rather than complected architectural changes to the armature of melody. 'Groove' was to dance to, and the dance of jazz bop clubs was blending with the dance of late soul music, as musicians such as drummer Bernard Purdie and organist Johnny Hammond took the two rivers to the bridge.

Whilst, with time, early funky 'orchestrations' would flood television, b-movie cinema and even feed into a style of music that would become known as Disco, the authenticity of this window-in-time keeps some of the music well away from watered down transformations, and as an island of creativity that would later be valued by the movement known as 'Acid Jazz'.

Johnny Hammond worked with the avant guard hardbop and soul-jazz 'Kudu records', and did what Jazz had always done - he took standards and reworked them into versions that were his own (here working with an arranger for the strings). The real difference with this moment in time was to start taking 'standards' from freshly written 'modern pop music'. The track 'Rock Steady' had been written and released by Aretha Franklin in 1971, only a year before Johnny Hammond's revision - so sounds were still 'hot', and, in a way, Hammond's team were already investigating ideas of 'remix'. Many decades later, remix artists from Andy Weatheral to Ludovic Navarre would turn an original song onto it's head to the point where the original is barely visible, and to an extent Jazzman Hammond did just that to Franklin's funkest song.

Aretha's live for the single release of 'Rock steady'

1971 live: www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2VDEl18rgQ

Aretha's live of 'Rock steady' by the LP release of 1972 - the track is now much slower and into the groove: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB5sMYw37gw

For Johnny Hammond's version, the beats were further slowed and everything was redirected to a trajectory from another melodic orbit. In short the song was no longer the same song and the cover version was virtually ... an original: almost certainly too different to provoke an injunction for intellectual property theft. This sort of appropriation and inspiration is normal for Jazz, but in the greater world of 'pop' it might be seen as the unnecessarily giving away of writing credits. Obviously 'Jazz integrity' was mixing with the pop mass market, and at the time everyone must have been happy with the shared publicity: drummer Bernard Purdie had worked on both versions, and they even released this Jazz version in time for Franklin's LP - 'Young gifted and black' in 1972. But still, a song credit of perhaps "Hammond, Purdie, Washington, Gale and Franklin" may not seem out of place to common sense.

One strata of the song's groove is presented by the guitar of Eric Gale (Melvin Sparks's guitar is also credited on the song, but I think the solo is Gales). Eric Gale's can be heard to be forming his style for his "Rock Steady" solo in this earlier Freddie Hubbard track from 1969: "A soul experiment" (from around 3 minutes 14).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8MR8B-X0A8&list=OLAK5uy_naNO...

By the time his solo had been recorded for Johnny Hammond, it sounded just like a ... Pink Floyd solo. Simplified - perhaps - but around the same speed and a similar interplay of lead with organ and rhythm guitar as a song with a different title and later release date. If you known Pink Floyd then perhaps have a listen to this Flickr post from around 1 minute 10.

There have always been remarks about similarities between Graham Nash's track "There's only one" and a famous Pink Floyd LP ending, and then there is this from around 3 minutes...

www.flickr.com/photos/ajmitchell-prehistory/49661297158/i...

With each of these mentioned tracks appearing prior to, or aside 'The Wall', 'Dark Side of the Moon' and 'Animals' respectively. Now the similarities are poetic, and the unique contribution of Pink Floyd's Richard Wright to music as a subject is never mentioned enough... but still - a nod of respect and even percentage royalty to poor musicians of rich spirit may make common sense.

At this point the narrative seems finished - loose enough to fit, and open-ended enough to allow for a little tailoring; the only thing is that the subject of musical originality vs musical cover is not quite over as the drummer for both projects was involved in a credit polemic about... The Beatles. 'He was in a funk and was the real drummer for many Beatles songs!' The subject of Bernard Purdie and the Beatles is perfectly covered here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz9EGGiOuso

It is perhaps worth remembering what 'groove' could be like before Bernard Purdi added his shufflin' funk to the kit. Johnny Hammond Smith shares some of his name with a fellow Jazz organist Jimmy Smith. Here is Jimmy Smith's 'Sermon' from 1958 - a twenty minute groove with a short final climax.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3X5J_wGHrw

It's a great track, but the drums a not doing much. Now listen again to Purdie on 'Rock Steady' - he has an Afrobeat lightness - almost akin to Alan Wren from recent years. Purdie was important to music and from the above mentioned Youtube documentary, it seems he worked with Atlantic records to open out the drumming for an unofficial remix of a pre 'Love me do' Beatles session with Tony Sheridan. As a man within both versions of 'Rock Steady', Purdie was perfectly placed to put a word in for Gale and co regarding Pink Floyd royalties, and one can question why he directed his energies exaggerating some unofficial and very early Beatles overdubs when he was part of Johnny Hammond's apparently highly "influential" 'Rock Steady' recording?! A rather smug Red Bull fuelled interview seems to have helped Purdie make crass generalised statements about 'Ringo not being the real drummer of The Beatles' - an exaggeration of meaning perhaps a little like the French Wiki for 'Funk' and its inability to appreciate the roots and diversity of earthy smells.

Johnny Hammond Smith was mentioned in another "music through the lens test" as having played with Clement Wells (see below) :

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAKn1g4kpjU

This "Music: through the lens test' features an edited version of Rock Steady. The full version is here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5X0QI8k1jE

It's a detail, but the engineer for the track was the great Rudy Van Gelder and it was arranged and conducted by the very Bob James.

AJM 09.06.20

Eric Gales, Big Tent, Ballyshannon, June 2023 by alwyngreer22

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Photographed at the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival, 2-4 June 2023

Eric Gales by Blues Magazine | Blues Music and more!

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Eric Gales

2 November 2018

Groene Engel, Oss (The Netherlands)

www.bluesmagazine.nl

Blues Alive | Eric Gales live at Holland International Blues Festival, Grolloo in the Netherlands on June 15th 2019. [Photography by Marco van Rooijen] #bluesalive #bluestoday #ericgales #hollandinternationalbluesfestival #grolloo #hibf2019 #rawdawg #blue by Blues Magazine | Blues Music and more!

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via Instagram www.instagram.com/p/By4y4sZogvJ/

Eric Gales 4854 by Ursula in Aus

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Hailed as a child prodigy, blues-rock guitarist Eric Gales started playing at age four, learning an unconventional left-handed style from his older brother.

For the Photoblog story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/australia/from-classic-blues...

PXL_20230312_021015864b by Reg~

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Eric Gales 2023 KC

Hubert Sumlin at St Blues Guitars by stbluesguitars

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A member of the North Mississippi Allstars & Hill Country Review, Cody Dickinson, as well as producer at the legendary Zebra Ranch, is currently working on a project that pairs older generation Memphis artists with newer generations for a recording project as well as a filmed component. It was his phone call Monday night to say, “Why don’t we get Gales and Hubert to play together tomorrow while he’s at the shop, and we’ll film and record it?” Needless to say, we couldn’t resist.

Eric Gales, Big Tent, Ballyshannon, June 2023 by alwyngreer22

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Photographed at the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival, 2-4 June 2023

Eric Gales by Jordi Calaveras

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08-06-2017 Sala Apolo

Eric Gales by Andrew Fuller

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© Andrew Fuller. This image remains the property of Andrew Fuller, and as such, may not be used or reproduced in any form, in part or in whole, without my prior, express permission.

Eric Gales, Big Tent, Ballyshannon, June 2023 by alwyngreer22

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Photographed at the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival, 2-4 June 2023

Eric Gales, Big Tent, Ballyshannon, June 2023 by alwyngreer22

Photographed at the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival, 2-4 June 2023

PXL_20230312_021029927b by Reg~

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Eric Gales 2023 KC

Eric Gales EH_23 by Jac Malloy

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Eric Gales by RTV Drenthe - foto's

Eric Gales Band by RTV Drenthe - foto's

Eric Gales by RTV Drenthe - foto's

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Eric Gales by RTV Drenthe - foto's

Eric Gales by Andrew Fuller

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At Bluesfest Byron Bay 2018

© Andrew Fuller. This image remains the property of Andrew Fuller, and as such, may not be used or reproduced in any form, in part or in whole, without my prior, express permission.

Experience Hendrix Tour at Fantasy Springs by Fantasy Springs

The Experience Hendrix Tour has been paying homage to the musical genius of Jimi Hendrix for over a decade bringing together a diverse, all-star aggregation of extraordinary guitarists including multiple Grammy-winning Kennedy Center honoree Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Black Label Society’s Zakk Wylde. All are returning for this edition of the Experience Hendrix Tour as are Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson, Eric Johnson, Doyle Bramhall II, Eric Gales, Mato Nanji, Ana Popovic and Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble’s Chris Layton.

The Experience Hendrix Tour evokes the era when artists treated each performance as a unique interaction with their audience. Hendrix called this his ‘electric church.’ The Experience Hendrix Tour fully embraces this approach, presenting multiple opportunities for performers and audiences to witness unique collaborations among the participating artists and will highlight these artists performing their favorite Hendrix signature songs including “Little Wing,” “Fire,” “Purple Haze,” and “Voodoo Child (Slight Return).”

Greg Guy - Group Selfie Champion takes this winning shot! by Ric Jaz

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So this one is hot off the presses and released for view - Eric opened tonight and so here is a first promise kept...

Ladies and Gentlemen - Eric Gales!

LaDonna Gales by RTV Drenthe - foto's

2012.11.17: Hear My Train A Comin’: The Concert @ EMP Sky Church, Seattle, WA by Jason Tang Photography

Eric Gales, Big Tent, Ballyshannon, June 2023 by alwyngreer22

Photographed at the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival, 2-4 June 2023

Eric Gales, Big Tent, Ballyshannon, June 2023 by alwyngreer22

Photographed at the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival, 2-4 June 2023

Eric_Gales_02-03-2018_018 by Towne Crier

Eric Gales and Chris Raabe at the Towne Crier Cafe 02-03-2018 Photography by Ralph Baskin RightSidePhoto@gmail.com www.ralphbaskin.com

2012.11.17: Hear My Train A Comin’: The Concert @ EMP Sky Church, Seattle, WA by Jason Tang Photography

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Eric Gales by Chris Schwegler

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April 3rd, 2014 - Experience Hendrix Tour at Fox Theatre, Detroit, Michigan. Credit: Scott Legato. www.schwegweb.com

Eric Gales performing in Austin, Texas (2018-12-04) by Ralph Arvesen

Eric Gales performing at ACL Live in Austin, Texas on December 4, 2018.

2012.11.17: Hear My Train A Comin’: The Concert @ EMP Sky Church, Seattle, WA by Jason Tang Photography

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