new!!! tramp tr-122 (jtr-5002):
bhakti jazz - glimpses of truth / eastern moods
   

Götz Tangerding - piano
Alan Ett - saxophone
Urs Hammerle - bass
Rudolf Roth - drums
Lisa Dawson - vocals

tramp records' second release in the recent established jazz dance series is another jewel from the munich jazz scene of the late 1970s.

b
hakti jazz has been originally founded by piano player gotz tangerding in the late 1970s. born in a small town in bavaria in 1951, tangerding made the move to the new england conservatory of music in boston in 1976 to study composition and piano. before studying in the USA though, he travelled throughout the east with drummer tudolf roth. the west may have satisfied his question of "how?", but the east as the mother of spirituality knows the answer to his "why?". to really know the effect that afghanistan and india had on tangerding and roth, simply listen to glimpses of truth and eastern moods and you get the perfect answer.

this is, by the way, bhakti jazz's first 45rpm single release, simply because they have never released anything on this format during their existence. another joyous reason to celebrate this wonderful release. limited to 500 copies.
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glimpses of truth
eastern moods

 
 
tramp tr-121 (jtr-5001):
sinto - man on the banks / vamos par georgia
   

Hannes Beckmann - electric violin
Charles Campbell - congas, timbales, percussion
Johannes Faber - trumpet, flugelhorn, mellaphone
Anatol Gerasimov - tenor-saxophone, flute
Ken Rhodes - piano
Pery dos Santos - lead-vocal, berimbao, percussion
Ken Taylor - bass
Edir dos Santos - drums, percussion

tramp records' newly discovered love for soulful european jazz recordings lead to a new series on the label, the jazz dance series.
the first release is actually from munich, tramp records' home base. the brainchild of sinto is hannes beckmann who founded the band back in 1971. their concept of playing music in a sophisticated yet danceable way and incorporating salsa and afro-brazilian rhythms into their sets as one of the first bands in europe matched and shaped the musical taste of many teens and twens.

for two and a half years - from 1977 to 1979 - sinto held a residency at "domicile", europe's best known and most respected jazz club at that time. during that period many new musicians, especially horn players, joined the formation. highlight of the domicile-years were several shows with baden powell.
in 1978, the band released their second album entitled "sonho negro" on the tiny amayana label from which both songs of this 7" release have been taken.

actually this is Sinto's debut concerning a release on 45rpm single as the band never released anything on 7" before. An even more exciting fact is that the version of Man On The Banks here is a special DJ edit with the same intensity as the original version.
limited to 500 copies.
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man on the banks
vamos par georgia

 
 
tramp tr-120:
four wheel drive - fussin and cussin (voc/instr)
   

the first re-issue 7" single on tramp was "nothin' but a party" by the blenders. it was originally recorded in north carolina in 1971, the same year as four wheel drive's "fussin' and cussin'". the producer on both sessions had been walter grady. during the early 1970s, grady was busy producing several bands. he also ran his own small, short-lived labels such as 'cobra,'' grayslak,' and 'linco,' the label on which "fussin' and cussin'" was released in august of 1971. grady had some local success with bands such as the electric express, whose song, "it's the real thing," was a local hit and thus one of the easier records to find today. "fussin' and cussin'" is exactly the opposite; it is probably the rarest and most sought-after release on the linco label
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fussin and cussin (voc)
fussin and cussin (instr)

 
 
tramp tr-119:
sarah webster fabio - sweet songs / jujus-alchemy of the blues (instr)
   

blue label = first issue
orange label = second issue

tramp records continues where it stopped in late 2008. our aim is to save great music from getting lost in this modern world of disposable mp3s. or, as in this case, to bring out beautiful masterpieces which until now have only been released on a long-player but not on 7" single.

therefore, our first release in 2009 is something special. sarah webster fabio's album, 'jujus-alchemy of the blues' is considered something of a holy grail LP in the collectors' scene. we selected the best two songs to release for the very first time on a properly re-issued, loud 45 rpm single pressing. as always, officially licensed by tramp from the label which put it out originally more than 25 years ago.

"sweet songs" is THE tune of the album. not only a dj's dream but also a highly respected dance floor number. several breakdowns by drums, percussion, bass, and guitar makes this one a real standout track.
"jujus-alchemy of the blues" is featured twice on the album, one being the instrumental, the second version with vocals. we thought that the instrumental version is the more suitable b-side. raw funk done the right way, just perfect for the flip of this sweet release.

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sweet songs
jujus-alchemy of the blues (instr)

 
 
tramp tr-118:
james reese - let's go (it's summertime) (long/short) previously unreleased
   

james reese is a legendary figure in the deep-funk scene since his work has been released on several compilations like stones throw's fabulous "funky 16 corners". his one and only ever released 7" single "let's go (it's summertime)" b/w "jody's freeze", which was re-issued by jazzman records some years ago, was recorded at the mark v studios in greenville, south carolina in 1969.

trombonist james reese hit the studio again about 6 years later. his goal was to record an updated, disco-fied version of "let's go (it's summertime)" which, until this day, had remained unreleased. recorded at the sound pit studios in atlanta, georgia, james reese produced and arranged the session on his own.

as a special gift to collectors we pressed two different issues. only available from our website comes a black/white label promotional issue. limited to 200 copies, be quick as once it is gone you'll never have the chance to call it your own.
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let's go (it's summertime)

 
 
tramp tr-117:
donald ray & his revue - strut your stuff / we don't need it
   

after focusing on new recorded funk and afrobeat on the latest releases, we at tramp records are now back on the track to discover some more rare and obscure funk tunes. this has been our passion since we started the label in 2003 and it still thrills us to continue doing that.

not much is needed to describe those two songs on this re-issue. although pretty unknown even in collector circles, donald ray recorded three 7" singles in the early to mid 1970s. while his last outing from 1976 is probably the easiest one to find (and the one of less interest for us deep funk lovers), his others remain sought after 45rpm singles in the deep funk scene.
'strut your stuff', taken from his first released 7" single, is a midtempo masterpiece led by a strong bassline which contains a wonderful wah-wah guitar solo. donald ray's vocals fits perfectly, it could not have been done better. 'we don't need it' is from his second 7" single which is even harder to find nowadays than his first one. funk lovers might be disppointed when hearing the intro, expecting something like a soul song or a ballad. but after the mellow intro, when the band kicks in you know for sure that some serious deep funk business is going on.
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strut your stuff
we don't need it

 
 
tramp tr-116:
the soul shakers - you ain't my brother (60s version) /you ain't my brother (70s version)
   

'tramp' issue = issue copy
'amark' issue = ltd. edition
(200 copies, only available through our website)

milt larkin led one of the greatest of all territory bands but tragically it never recorded and today can only be thought of as legendary. during 1936-42 he led his famous band which toured in the southwest and played briefly in kansas city, chicago and at new york's apollo theatre. the orchestra broke up when he went into the military. in 1946 after his discharge he had his first opportunity to record, but by then his moment had passed. larkin continued leading bands throughout much of his career, settling in new york in 1956 where he often headed a septet at the celebrity club. in the late 60s he recorded the now sought after 45 rpm single for the 'amark' label (amark 930/1 "you ain't my brother" b/w "no good woman") under the name the soul shakers. in 1976 he released his final longplayer on 'copasetic' records out of new york which includes an updated instrumental version of "you ain't my brother". this time he called himself milt larkin & his all-stars.

as a special gift for all collectors out there we pressed again two different issues.
the 'tramp' issue contains both versions of "you ain't my brother" while the limited 'amark' issue (move your mouse over the 'tramp' label on the left and it will show up) is limited to 200 copies and comes with the original b-side, a blues track titled "no good woman".
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tramp issue
you ain't my brother (60s version)
you ain't my brother (70s version)
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amark issue
you ain't my brother (60s version)
no good woman

 
 
tramp tr-115:
the soul explosion - love is the answer/barn yard pimp
   

'tramp' label = issue copy
'tarantel' label = promo copy (ltd to 300)

in the late 60s/early 70s many american soldiers where stationed all over germany. among those where musicians who played in several army bands like the "east of underground" which recorded a now sought after album after they had won the special services entertainment showband contest held in frankfurt in 1971. nobody knows which other bands participated in this contest, maybe also the soul explosion which were stationed in augsburg, upper bavaria. around the same time, a man named charles held opened a club in augsburg town called "tarantel". furthermore he was running a record label of the same name on which he released a handful of 7" singles from different, local bands, mainly not funky at all though. the soul explosion's release remains the only one in the field of american soul & funk music. the band recorded a fantabulous double-sider with barn yard pimp on one, and love is the answer on the flip.
unfortunately there is no more information available about the band, only that they even performed live at the "tarantel" club.

as on our last release we decided to make collectors happy again, that's why we pressed two different issues. the regular issue reads 'tramp' as the label, the strictly limited promo copies (300 pressed) comes with the original 'tarantel' label artwork
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love is the answer
barn yard pimp

 
 
tramp tr-114:
1984 - trip/trippin' (previously unreleased)
   

yellow label = issue copy
black label = promo copy (ltd to 300)

tramp records is very happy to present you two more unreleased deepfunk tracks by philly's one and only 1984.
the first release by 1984 on tramp (tr-104, 'there's a wrinkle in your time' b/w 'theme') in early 2006 was one of the best selling singles so far. therefore it was just a matter of time to release the final recordings of this fantastic band. 'trip' has been recorded during the same session as 'theme', the production and arrangements are of sheer quality, delievering a powerful funk bomb. the vocals on 'trippin' were recorded and overdubbed in early 2000 with the help of philly funk aficionado dave brown.

much thanks to dave again who first introduced me to this band, without him it would have never worked out. the linup here is the same as on the first release, however we do not hesitate to tell you the names of all the fabulous musicians. here we go
:
Arthur 'Sly' Ray - vocals, Harold 'Rashid' Johnson - drums, Gerald Foster - congas, Ron Hynson - bass, Stan Burton - lead guitar, Andre Johnson - rhythm guitar

last but not least, to satisfy the collectors needs we did two pressing with different label artwork. the black label issue (which you can see whe moving your mouse over the yellow label pic on the left) will be available directly from us only and is limited to 300 copies.
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trip
trippin'

 
 
tramp tr-113:
skin williams & the dominoes/the soulfadelics - skins funk / the big chase
   
tramp records strikes back with a double sider of the highest order. originally released on two different 7" singles on the mil-smi label way back in the early 70s, this release is the real deal which saves you much $$$ and provides the two best funk outings on one 45 rpm single ever released on this label. skin williams and the soulfadelics were both local acts out of mobile, alabama. the original a-side to 'skins funk' titled 'blues for sonja' was written and recorded by skin williams and actually dedicated to his daugther sonja. unfortunately no more info is available on skin williams, the same goes for the soulfadelics. even the label owner can't remember them, it's a shame. luckily we were able to save these two jewels on a strictly limited 7" pressing, so 1000 people out there have the chance to buy it. This fact ensures that these two songs will not get lost in this modern world of mp3s and iPods, at least not for the next 30 years.
so, here you have it all, bustin' uptempo funk plus a downtempo killer on the flip, what else are you asking for?
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skins funk
the big chase
 
 
tramp tr-112:
billy john & the continentals/po'boy - slap it to me / I wanna dance
   
after a six-month break tramp records continues his re-issue series with a deep-funk killer and a serious funky-soul nugget on the flip. billy john and his fellows, the continentals, provides the 12th release in the series of rare and heavy funk reissues on tramp! both tunes were originally released on two different 45rpm singles on the louisiana based 'Jin' label in the mid 60s and mid 70s. billy john and his brothers recorded this breakbeat monster in 1966, quite unusual for this time as it is superheavy deep funk with drum breaks half through the song. the b-side is more on the soulful tip, provided by po'boy, an obscure local band which release on 'Jin' remained their sole recording. We hope you enjoy tramp records' return, keep watching us as the next release will be out soon!
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slap it to me
I wanna dance
 
 
tramp tr-111:
jimmy bo horne - hey there jim / sweet love power
   

jimmy bo horne was born september 28th, 1949 in west palm beach, florida. after schooling at the local roosevelt high school, jimmy has been singing since his teens and professionally since his college years at bethune cookman. in 1967, while still at college, jimmy entered the golden gates of henry stone and was assigned to his alston label.
his first release, "I can't speak," was penned by clarence reid and produced by steve alaimo and brad shapiro. actually, the record was released on the alston sister label, dade, as was its successor, "hey there jim." a third release was forthcoming in "sweet love power," but jimmy went into a voluntary recording retirement until 1972 when he returned to the main alston label with the follow up to betty wright's mammoth worldwide smash, "clean up woman." jimmy's version was entitled "clean up man" and it allowed him his first taste of success. in the late 70s he had some more chart appearances with disco tunes like "get happy" and "dance across the floor".
deep funk fans all over the world have been desperately looking for the ultimate "hey there jim", his rarest and by far best funk recording while soul collectors have been searching for "sweet love power" which original copies sell for silly money too. now you can get both for cheap!

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hey there jim
sweet love power

 
 
tramp tr-110:
carlton basco/the illusions - don't chain my soul / it's just an illusion
   

carlton basco was born on february 17th, 1944. he started playing guitar and then moved over to the piano. upon graduation from high school, carlton went to college and studied music. a few years after leaving college he formed his own musical group, a quartet who started performing right away at the most popular club in central louisiana, "the imperial lounge". carlton wanted to expand musically so he bought a new instrument on the market, the hammond b3 organ. after a couple of years with the hammond b3, he started writing and arranging tunes for studio recordings, one of them being 'don't chain my soul'. sadly enough, carlton basco died on october 26th 2003 after suffering from diabetes for several years. (an interview with his brother Charles is available at soulgeneration.co.uk) beside that, "don't chain my soul" appears on tobias kirmayer's second compilation "movements pt.2" which is available from july 2006 on perfect toy records.
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don't chain my soul
it's just an illusion

 
 
tramp tr-109:
the rhythm machine/spider harrison - the kick pt.1&2 / beautiful day
   

the rhythm machine was formed by james boone and james brantley after they had left the highlighters band in 1970. the new band was extremely hot and that's why they were always on the road and not often in the recording studio. "the kick" was one of three 45rpm singles they ever recorded, the one we like most.
spider harrison was probably indianapolis' first soul dj in the late 60s. in 1970, jerry herman, founder of lulu records, offered him to record a 7" single. harrison accepted and recorded "beautiful day" backed by the highlighters' rhythm section. he thought "beautiful day" was going to be a big hit, because he knew that sly stone, percy sledge and also bb king were djs before they had hit records. unfortunately this was not the case. both tunes appeared first in 2001 on the excellent "funky 16 corners"
compilation from stones throw records, you gotta have this one too!

the rhythm machine's original band members were:
Kevin "Flash" Ferrell - vocals, James Brantley
- guitar, Robert Dycus - drums, James Boone - bass, Julius "Mackie Boy" Mack - tenor sax, Mardie Williams - alto sax
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the kick pt.1&2
beautiful day

 
 
tramp tr-108:
oceanliners - funky pants/cutting room (hot pants)
   
another treasure from the vaults of henry stone's incredible musical archive, originally released on 'blue candle records' in 1972. 'blue candle' was one of those small sub- labels run by henry stone and friends. a few words about this funky combo, the three core members of the oceanliners were betty wright's first tour band. after they played on many hits for t.k. records they eventually became 'the sunshine band' of 'kc & the sunshine band' fame. both sides are heavy funk instrumentals with strong guitars, pounding bass lines and tight drums. an original copy is hard to get, and if one turns up you have to spend at least a few hundred dollars. now it is available for a fair price and for the first time, distributed world wide because of the excellent work of our distributors.
for us at tramp records it is always a pleasure to step back into the raw funk sounds of the early 70s, just because this is the only true music done with SOUL!


original band members were:
Jerome Smith on guitar, Robert Johnson aka Shotgun on drums, Anthony Turner on bass, the horns were led by Jerome's brother, Ronald Smith

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funky pants
cutting room (hot pants)
 
 
tramp tr-107:
the mighty dogcatchers - it's gonna be a mess (voc) / (instr)
   
it's time for round two on tramp records' florida funk special!
we are proud to present you the weirdest group which henry stone has ever worked with, the mighty dogcatchers. both parts have been recorded in one take, and wow, it could not have been better! listening to this, you instantly hear the fun the band must have had recording it. neither the vocal nor the instrumental version has been legally re-issued yet, however the instrumental has been pressed on a dodgy 7" bootleg some years ago. but, as on all reissues we have done at tramp records yet, the label artwork is authentic and similar to the original. much more important though, the sound quality is amazing as well. we hope you agree that this is again another great choice for a re-release.


original band members were:
Charlie Smith on guitar, Reed Roberts on bass, Vernon "Piggy" Teague on saxophone, Clifford Hawkins on drums, King Edwards on hammond B3

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it's gonna be a mess (voc)
it's gonna be a mess (instr)
 
 
tramp tr-106:
funky nasssau - bahama soul stew / look what you can get
   
in the 1960's and early 1970's henry stone started to record some local miami talent.
he was strongly influenced musically by his association with james brown at that time. this you can hear when you listen to these two sides. funky nassau consists of 4 members (albury, orlando, hepburn, tayler). the horns came from the famous marching 100 of FAMU who played on most of the deep city and t.k. records in the early days. the a-side is a latin-funk monster of the highest order, while the b-side is midtempo, soulful vocal funk at its best. put the needle on the record, sit back, relax and listen to one of the finest funk 45s which ever came out of miami, florida.


original band members were:
Arnold 'Hoss' Albury - Hammond B3, Ivan 'Cool Breeze' Orlando - Drums, Simeon Taylor - Guitar, Charles 'Carlos' Hepburn - Bass / Lead Vocals

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bahama soul stew
look what you can get
 
 
tramp tr-105:
david robinson - I'm a carpenter pt.1 / pt.2
   

eddie bo is a very important figure in new orleans' music history. in the late 60s/early 70s he produced and released tons of 45s, more than 20 under his own name and at least 40 for other artists like mary jane hooper, skip easterling, the explosions and many others.
david robinson was one of them. he was singing with dave bartholomew at that time. one day david (robinson) came to the studio and said he wanted to do something on his own. luckily bo said "let's try it!". probably any funk 45 collector in the world, and especially we at tramp records, are happy that eddie bo agreed spontaneously to produce him. you can guess, it's a funk monster of the highest order!

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i'm a carpenter part 1
i'm a carpenter part 2

 
 
tramp tr-104:
1984 - there's a wrinkle in our time/theme (previously unreleased)
   
1984 hails originally from philadelphia, pa. unfortunately, this record has never seen well distribution. even in collectors circles this 45 is quite unknown. anyway there is NO reason not to buy this 45 because it is as great as ANY poets of rythm release. (just a note for those who buy anything which reads poets of rhythm but nothing else just because they don't know it.) "there's a wrinkle in our time" is a fantastic funk tune with a groove that never stops! you must shake your hips while listening to it! no chance to keep still! amazing! the b-side, which has never seen the light of the day until today, is an uptempo funk instrumental with a drum / percussion breakdown half through the song!

original band members were:
Arthur 'Sly' Ray - vocals, Harold 'Rashid' Johnson - drums, Gerald Foster - congas, Ron Hynson - bass, Stan Burton - lead guitar, Andre Johnson - rhythm guitar

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there's a wrinkle in our time
theme (previously unreleased)
 
 
tramp tr-103:
tee 'n' cee & the l.t.d.'s/the u-f-o's - tighten up with soul pt.1/too hot to hold
   

back again with another essentiell release, this 45 has everything you need! the a-side is smoking deep funk with fantastic vocals (originally released as "tee'n'cee & the l.t.d.'s"), the b-side is a great instrumental with hammond organ and two frantic drum breaks, originally released as the u-f-o's. although these two songs were originally released on two seperate 7"s under different band names, these are actually the same guys! enjoy the fantastic funk sides of this great philly group!

original band members were:
Herman Carter - organ, Harold Carter - sax, Norman Satchell - sax, Arthur Irons - guitar, Rusty 'Stone' Jackman - bass, George Fels - drums

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tighten up with soul pt.1
too hot to hold

 
 
tramp tr-102:
guy morris & band - hot pants party/cool it (unreleased acetate version)
   

tramp records is proud to present to you our second 45 reissue. originally released on the tiny 'occonee' label out of philadelphia, this was guy morris' only recording. the special thing on this reissue is the previously unreleased version of 'cool it' on the b-side which has never been released, until now!
an absolutely essentiell piece, it will rock any dancelfoor! this track is also to be found on tobias kirmayer's first deep funk compilation "movements" released on perfect toy records in early 2005.
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hot pants party
cool it (previously unreleased)

 
 
tramp tr-101:
the blenders - nothin' but a party pt.1/ pt.2
   

the first release in the series and what an opener! the blenders are originally from greensboro, north carolina, and this is the place where they recorded this devestating double-sider. both parts are killer funk tracks, probably the best examples of what deep funk is all about! uptempo and hard with breaks and beats to die for. check out the soundfiles which give you an impression what you will miss if you don't buy it!
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nothin' but a party part 1
nothin' but a party part 2