KASHMERE STAGE BAND Vinilo y CD

Review: Yet another school band record, turned rare funk and/or "Northern soul" gem, sends the heads haywire. Kashmere Stage Band were the highly obscure and yet low-key rated "elite performing unit" of Kashmere High School, a notable public high school in Houston, Texas. With a rotating lineup that kept the band alive in the pivotal, almost two-decade period of 1960 through to 1978, this colliery crack team was led by the celebrated Conrad O. Johnson, a towering figure in the annals of Southern American music education. A former Count Basie and Erskine Hawkins collaborator, Johnson saw to it that no band member would loosen their grip on the groove; neither adolescence nor pubescence are excuses for relinquishing the rightful vibe of soul and funk, that of serious bombast. The record staggeringly crosses into jazz at points, as with 'Lockwood Drive' (clock the notably sampleable, watertight drum break at the midpoint). And legend has it that the Kashmere band went on to tour the world; the bar really was this yea in the 70s. What did the state of Texas get right back then?

Review: The legendary Kashmere High School Brass Band from Houston, Texas always deliver an incredible jazz-funk storm and in this rare groove masterpiece, they have rarely sounded better. Known as the world's best student band, their astonishing groove defies what you would think a bunch of high school musicians would be capable of. Originally released in 1974, this sixth album features original compositions by their teacher, Conrad Johnson, and includes all four titles from their catalogue, complete with a fine jacket design and exceptional sound quality. The tunes come thick and fast and include 'Kashmere' with its killer breakbeats, 'Head Wiggle' a fast-paced bass-driven funk, 'Do You Dig It Man?' big band funk at its best and 'Thunder Soul' which is percussive jazz funk brilliance.

Review: High school band directors used to press up their bands' performances to vinyl, & none made as much sweet noise as this "Texas Thunder Soul." Deluxe gatefold package as well as some previously unreleased live music, plus a bonus documentary.