Jazz Funk

Herbie Hancock dissolved his acoustic sextet in 1973 and formed the Headhunters, bringing synthesizers, clavinet, and funk grooves to jazz. The album sold over a million copies, proving audiences wanted jazz musicians to embrace electric instruments and dancefloor rhythms. Grant Green had already been recording Soul-Jazz albums for Blue Note, but his early 70s work leaned harder into funk. Roy Ayers turned the vibraphone into a funk instrument. Donald Byrd's "Black Byrd" in 1973 became Blue Note's best-selling album at the time by mixing jazz improvisation with R&B arrangements.

These recordings sound thick. Electric pianos, wah-wah guitar, synthesizer bass, horn sections playing rhythmic stabs instead of bebop lines. Jazz samples from this era give producers grooves that breathe differently than straight funk or soul. The musicians came from jazz backgrounds, so even when they locked into a pocket, the harmonic sophistication remained. George Duke's keyboard work, Lonnie Liston Smith's cosmic explorations, and Eddie Henderson's fusion experiments—each brought technical ability to music designed for movement.

Hip-Hop producers built entire careers around these records. Pete Rock, DJ Premier, and 9th Wonder understood that Jazz-Funk samples offered the perfect middle ground between intellectual musicianship and undeniable groove. A Roy Ayers vibraphone loop, a Herbie Hancock clavinet riff, a Donald Byrd drum break. These elements became foundational to boom-bap production throughout the 90s and beyond.

Our catalog includes recordings featuring artists like Black Sugar, Grupo Medusa, Idris Ackamoor, and Leslie Baron and his orchestra, spanning the genre's golden era through later interpretations. Many tracks offer stems, letting you isolate that specific keyboard part or horn arrangement. Jazz that grooves without abandoning its roots.