Mandrill was formed in Brooklyn in 1968 by three multi-instrumentalist brothers, Louis, Richard and Carlos Wilson, all of whom originally hailed from Panama. After running an ad in the Village Voice they were soon joined by Omar Mesa, Claude Cave, Charlie Padro and Bundie Cenac. Between them this seven man group could play over 20 instruments. Although often labeled a funk or R&B band, Mandrill is much more than just that. Their music combines those two genres with jazz, rock, classic Latin music, and styles of their own creation, often mixing all this together in the same song. Their albums are often composed of multi-movement songs that blend together to make a long running urban tone poem. In concert, their songs are often taken to great lengths with creative improvisations. Although different band members have come and gone over the years, the three original brothers still remain, and they are often joined onstage by their musically talented children. Mandrill continues to tour and record to this day, inspiring many with their complex rhythms, arrangements and lyrics about spirituality, peace, love and brotherhood. From: https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4142
According to the liner notes of this CD, Mandrill were considered far too complex for the standard funk listening audience. And their compositional style was not at all conducive to trimming for radio airplay. While I doubt anyone will confuse the band with Semiramis or Museo Rosenbach, there are plenty of tricky grooves here to engage even the most finicky progressive rock head. Especially when one considers that Mandrill were a seven-piece unit that played close to 20 different instruments!
The album itself, Mandrill's fourth, is a mixture of hard funk, soul, hard rock, jazz, and (gasp) progressive rock. Mango Meat and Fat City Strut are classic funk tunes with great horn charts, complex groovy meters and, on the latter, some good time Caribbean party music. Never Die is a cross between The Temptations catchy chorus lines and soft psychedelia meets soul music. Love Song would fit comfortably on classic soul romancer albums such as those by Isaac Hayes or Barry White. But the best is saved for Side 2. Two Sisters of Mystery features a monster fuzz bass riff that would make Hugh Hopper blush. This is one hard rocking track with a gritty horn section and rollicking guitar licks. Best of all is Afrikus Retrospectus, an eight minute instrumental beauty carried by a gorgeous running organ melody and some nice Burt Bacharachian sax (i.e. The Look of Love). The mid section has some fantastic piano, flute and trumpet jams. The closing track Aspiration Flame is another slow instrumental track with some great flute and an inspiring, energetic ending. Overall, Mandrill are just the sort of band to introduce funk to those who enjoy listening to music rather than dancing to it. From: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/mandrill/just-outside-of-town/
According to the liner notes of this CD, Mandrill were considered far too complex for the standard funk listening audience. And their compositional style was not at all conducive to trimming for radio airplay. While I doubt anyone will confuse the band with Semiramis or Museo Rosenbach, there are plenty of tricky grooves here to engage even the most finicky progressive rock head. Especially when one considers that Mandrill were a seven-piece unit that played close to 20 different instruments!
The album itself, Mandrill's fourth, is a mixture of hard funk, soul, hard rock, jazz, and (gasp) progressive rock. Mango Meat and Fat City Strut are classic funk tunes with great horn charts, complex groovy meters and, on the latter, some good time Caribbean party music. Never Die is a cross between The Temptations catchy chorus lines and soft psychedelia meets soul music. Love Song would fit comfortably on classic soul romancer albums such as those by Isaac Hayes or Barry White. But the best is saved for Side 2. Two Sisters of Mystery features a monster fuzz bass riff that would make Hugh Hopper blush. This is one hard rocking track with a gritty horn section and rollicking guitar licks. Best of all is Afrikus Retrospectus, an eight minute instrumental beauty carried by a gorgeous running organ melody and some nice Burt Bacharachian sax (i.e. The Look of Love). The mid section has some fantastic piano, flute and trumpet jams. The closing track Aspiration Flame is another slow instrumental track with some great flute and an inspiring, energetic ending. Overall, Mandrill are just the sort of band to introduce funk to those who enjoy listening to music rather than dancing to it. From: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/mandrill/just-outside-of-town/
