ZAPP BAND, in concert, as funky as ever!!!!

[MIKEW-UK]

Surely the best live act around today? I think so...

[MIKEW-UK]

and part two

[MIKEW-UK]

wow, zero interest in what I think is the best live funk band in the world today....

Much more interest in Robin Thicke - 2680 views and 84 replies compared to zero replies and interest in The Zapp Band who contribute [[imho) infinitely more oh well the death of the art form...

<br>

[ollie]

ZAPP's material is some of the funkiest sounds from the 80'. I do love Roger and his brother [[RIP), and think without them ZAPP isn't the same anymore. I saw them back in the 80' and 90', but never did after 2000. Live they always took the people to funkland and gave them a good time. Great band Mike, nice that they still play and funk around.

[MIKEW-UK]

Hi Ollie,
So I now know there is at least one other Zapp fan still drawing breath [[on this forum)!

I have seen Zapp three times, twice with Roger, and also earlier this year. Roger was unique, but I always thought the band was more than just Roger and the group puts on a great show to this very day. Cheers,
Mike

[splanky]

Mike,
I greatly enjoy a lot of the stuff you post so I hope you don't take any personal offense
at what I'm about to say. Okay, while I understand that folks who have entered the music
business often feel the need to continue in it regardless of whatever transpires and doing
so require the support of fans for their livelihood I'll leave it to others to back current day
Zapp. For me who saw them when they were still The Human Body on a chitlin circuit tour
opening for Bootsy Collins down south [[US), without Rodger there is no Zapp. Everything
that they hit with came directly out of his head, his focus, his musicianship, his perspective,
his innovations and his stage prescence. I could stay with the Temptations after they lost
both David Ruffin and later Eddie Kendricks, I could stay with The Miracles even after Smokey left and I stayed with Earth Wind and Fire afer they lost my favorite female vocalist
of all time Jessica Cleaves [[sigh...) but to this mug Zapp doesn't exist without Rodger. No
offense to the brothers left I think even they'd admit they're riding on his material...

[MIKEW-UK]

Hi splanky, i'm really happy to see your response. Absolutely no personal offence for sure, I'm just glad to see another fan of Zapp, past or present, acknowledging their immense contribution. I collected anything and everything Roger was involved in, especially his productions, so albums by The Human Body, New Horizons, Dick Smith, Bobby Glover, Shirley Murdock, Sugarfoot and Curtis Mayfield are all prized by me and played to this day.

There was no limit to his showmanship, creativity and imagination.....

Are you familiar with this collaboration with Jesse Rae, perhaps his strangest project?

[MIKEW-UK]

And this one?

[MIKEW-UK]

And Roger on this with Keith Sweat

[splanky]

Sorry, Mike, busy day...Anyway, yea, I know the H town [[which was a nice rendition of the
Persuaders tune,BTW) and the Jessie Rae collabs. Never heard the Keith Sweat song though
til today. I try to accept whatever turn life takes but a part of me still hasn't recovered from
the murder of Roger Troutman and subsequent suicide of his big brother Larry especially with all of good work Roger was putting in, not only in music but in Dayton Ohio black
community...I don't know how to do the screen embedding thing but I'll say even today's
autotune loving crowd would have a hard time following this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEX2qWoKltk

[ollie]

Mike i still play all this music today, and love it.

Human Body [[1976-1984-1985)
New Horizon [[1983-1984)
Dick Smith [[1983)
Bobby Glover [[1984)
New Horizon [[1984)
Sugarfoot [[1985)
Shirley Murdock [[1986 -1989)
Jesse Rae [[1987)
Lynch [[1989) Rogers son if i remember it correct

Roger did play guitar on one of the songs from the Funkadelic album The Electric Spanking of War Babies. His work on the Curtis Mayfield song We People Who Are Darker Than Blue is great.

[MIKEW-UK]

Hi Ollie, Splanky,

Here's another by Roger..... Ooh Ahh by Phajja....

[MIKEW-UK]

And a creative assemblage of what it would be like teaming Michael Jackson with Roger and Zapp....

[MIKEW-UK]

Gregory Jackson is part of the Zapp set up.... here he is on Bigg Robb's Southern Ladies, melloe groove southern soul with a little touch of Zapp talkbox......

[MIKEW-UK]

[MIKEW-UK]

30 minutes of Roger and Zapp I bet you have never seen before!

[MIKEW-UK]

Roger and Zapp's influences, tributes and contributions all summed up in the words of this song......

[splanky]

The thirty minute clip I'll have to view later as I'm trying to surf a little bit and do some
housework at the same time right now, Mike. That said I had to google Phajja having
never heard of them before and in researching them I found out a few suprising things
about artists I haven't listen in years. I've come to realise I've missed a lot of nice sounds
in r&b/soul popular music when I dived earlobe deep back into Jazz back in 87, 88...Anyway,
what ever became of Phajja? And why when I on allmusic is only one of the Epps sisiters,
Nena listed?...