The Tambourine

 Greetings friends!

I have been enlightened to an integral part of the Funk. The tambourine!

A couple weeks ago I watched a video on YouTube, it was on the YouTube channel for the band Vulfpeck (who are themselves masters of the Funk) and it featured band leader Jack Stratton going over his favorite tambourine players. He turned me on to someone who’s tambourine playing I’ve heard all my life, but never really appreciated until now.

Mr. Jack Ashford is a percussionist who played with the Motown session band, the Funk Brothers. These men were phenomenal musicians and Mr. Ashford is no exception. The video states how he is the man who made tambourine loud. Listen to his performance on Dancing in the Streets. That tambourine sound is legendary. Listen to Ain’t Too Proud To Beg. What a legendary sound that really colors the groove.

Most people would call the tambourine inessential but listening to Jack Ashford play has really made me realize how essential he is. Every player is equally important in establishing the Funk. No one person creates it, it is channeled through the collaboration and brotherhood of man.

Jack Ashford is one of the few surviving Funk Brothers, he may be the only living member. I encourage all my loyal followers to go and listen to his work. Give him the praise he deserves while he is still with us. This goes for any artist or performer. If you like a song, go see who plays it, or wrote it. Give musical geniuses their props. Far too often do people only appreciate musicians until they die. Let’s agree to stop doing that.

Good day, Charles Rzany

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