Биография:
Though little known in their native U.S., the Parisian-based Lafayette Afro Rock Band was among the premier funk outfits of the 1970s, later becoming a seemingly endless source of samples and breaks for artists from Public Enemy to Janet Jackson. The group was formed on Long Island, NY as the Bobby Boy Congress; deciding America was already overloaded with funk acts, in 1971 they relocated to France, but when frontman Bobby Boy returned stateside the remaining members -- guitarist Larry Jones, bassist Lafayette Hudson, keyboardist Frank Abel, horn players Ronnie James Buttacavoli and Arthur Young, drummer Ernest "Donny" Donable and percussionists Keno Speller and Arthur Young -- renamed themselves Ice and became the house session band at producer Pierre Jaubert's Parisound studio. Regularly performing live in Paris' Barbesse district -- an area made up primarily of African immigrants -- Ice's driving funk became increasingly influenced by African rhythms and textures, and in the wake of their 1973 debut LP Each Man Makes His Own Destiny, Jaubert changed the group's name to the Lafayette Afro Rock Band.
Guitarist Michael McEwan replaced Jones in time to record 1974's Soul Makossa (issued in the U.S. as Movin' & Groovin'), highlighted by the oft-covered and much-sampled "Hihache"; the follow-up, Malik, featured the cut "Darkest Night," its desolate saxophone intro later sampled for use by Public Enemy for the It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back track "Show 'Em Whatcha Got" in addition to providing the foundation for Wreckx 'N' Effect's "Rump Shaker" and Tuff Crew's "Nut." Also in 1975, the Lafayette Afro Rock Band backed jazz pianist Mal Waldron on his unreleased Candy Girl album; the year following, they collaborated with expatriate bluesman Sunnyland Slim on his album Depression Blues. With 1976's Frisco Disco, the group reverted to the Ice moniker; concurrently, working under the alias Captain Dax, they scored a novelty hit in Japan with the single "Dr. Beezar, Soul Frankenstein." Afro Agban followed in 1978, while as Crispy and Co., the band resurfaced that same year with Funky Flavored before returning to America and disbanding.
~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
История
из Википедии
The Lafayette Afro Rock Band was formed as the Bobby Boy Congress in 1970, in homage to their original vocalist Bobby Boy. Upon deciding that the funk scene in the United States was too saturated for them to viably compete in, they relocated to France in 1971; with Bobby Boy splitting from the group to pursue a musical career in America, they renamed themselves to Ice. After regular performances in Paris' Barbès district—an area made up primarily of North African immigrants—they caught the eye of producer Pierre Jaubert and became the house session band at his Parisound studio. The influence of their surroundings led Ice to increasingly weave African rhyme schemes, textures, and beat tendencies in their original funk style, and as such they changed their name to Lafayette Afro Rock Band following the 1972 release of the poorly produced Each Man Makes His Own Destiny.
In 1974, Lafayette Afro Rock band replaced guitarist Larry Jones with Michael McEwan and released Soul Makossa (released in the U.S. as Movin' and Groovin'). Despite the LP failing to chart, it made sufficient impact that its standout song, the oft-covered "Hihache", was sampled regularly for over 20 years by artists as diverse as Janet Jackson, Biz Markie, LL Cool J, De La Soul, Digital Underground, Naughty by Nature, and the Wu-Tang Clan. Lafayette Afro Rock Band's followup effort, the 1975 LP Malik, prominently featured the Univox Super-Fuzz and liberal usage of the vocoder. It met equal enduring success, with a modified horn and saxophone sample of "Darkest Light" being featured prominently in Public Enemy's "Show 'Em Whatcha Got". After Public Enemy's usage of the song was highly praised, samples of "Darkest Light" backed numerous culturally significant songs, including the multi-platinum 1992 single "Rump Shaker" by new jack group Wreckx-n-Effect and rapper Jay-Z's 2006 single "Show Me What You Got".
Mal Waldron, an American jazz and world music composer who came to fame after performing as Billie Holiday's accompanist until her death, collaborated with the Lafayette Afro Rock Band in 1975, employing them to back him on his unreleased Candy Girl album. Shortly later, legendary blues pianist Sunnyland Slim sought out the band's services, and recorded the collaboration album Depression Blues. The group subsequently reverted to the "Ice" moniker, releasing material concurrently in Japan under the art-names "Captain Dax" and "Crispy and Co." After scoring with the mildly successful single "Dr. Beezar, Soul Frankenstein", they released Afro Agban and Funky Flavored to little fanfare before returning to America and permanently disbanding. In 1978, French record label Superclasse released ten uninspiring, previously unreleased recordings, followed by a 1999 Best of compilation which was more warmly received.
Discography
Studio albums
* Each Man Makes His Own Destiny (1972, as Ice)
* Soul Makossa (1974)
* Malik (1975)
* Frisco Disco (1976, as Ice)
Lafayette Afro Rock Band
Линейный вид
