CANDY DULFER - SAX-A-GO-GO

Candy Dulfer is a Holland native who gained some notoriety through her association with Prince in 1989. Since then, she's played with Prince and other musicians internationally. This album is a solo effort relying heavily on her association with various funk and soul legends. My attraction to the disc is rather obvious. I bought it because of the obligatory Prince contribution, 'Sunday Afternoon'. However, I listen to it because it's an awesome contemporary jazz disc and extremely rhythmic.

Dulfer loves funk and uses her album to explore her passion for American R&B. In doing so, she proves white women can be funky 2... The first track is a hip hop funk workout containing a free flow rap performed by Wendell Arthur Morrison Junior in the style of funk godfather, George Clinton. '2 Funky' also appears as the closing track in a more laid back mix titled '2 Funky (Radio Version)'. The title track is a more relaxed groove with lovely improvisation by Dulfer. There's a Middle Eastern flare to 'Man In The Desert'. She moves effortlessly through the various styles and rhythms.

She covers Bonnie Raitt's 'I Can't Make You Love Me' and the Average White Band's 'Pick Up The Pieces'. Both are exceptional covers! The Prince track is a beautiful floating piece with a lazy, breezy quality. Dulfer dances across the base track like a ballet dancer adding dabs of paint to a watercolor landscape. It's very moody, evoking a strong emotional response.

Prince's previous horn sections have also had some breakout artists who've gone on to record solo discs. The most notable is Eric Leeds. Dulfer is quite different from Leeds in many ways. In my opinion, Eric has a more structured sound. His scales and riffs tend to follow closely to the natural build of the song. Dulfer on the other hand, takes a more relaxes approach; as long as she's somewhere near the basic track, she'll chug along happily. Not that either style is better than the other, it just seems different to me. I guess you could say, listening to Candy leaves me feeling unhurried and the music seems less focused on the details. With Eric there's a proficiency that can sometimes be clinical. I do enjoy both styles. Since I don't play the sax or listen to jazz in heavy rotation, it's hard for me to verbalize my thoughts on this instrument and the different styles of playing. I can hear a difference in style and I've become attuned enough to tell the difference in players; but I still find it difficult to put into words.

In conclusion, I give this disc a positive recommendation. It's a great motivational record that will have you tapping your feet and wiggling in your seat. My final word: POSITIVE.

CANDY DULFER - SAX-A-GO-GO
01. 2 Funky
02. Sax-A-Go-Go
03. Mister Marvin
04. Man In The Desert
05. Bob's Jazz
06. Jamming
07. I Can't Make You Love Me
08. Pick Up The Pieces
09. Sunday Afternoon
10. 2 Funky (Radio Version)