Funk Machine - Soul Santa (Digital 45) - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Natural Habitat is a collection of music composed over the last decade, much of it written around the time I moved from Boston to New York City. During my first few years living here, I would frequently travel back and forth to perform, and the excitement and energy I felt at that time is expressed in these songs. The title track is the oldest tune we recorded - when it was composed in 2009, the manuscript simply said InchUntitled SwingInch. For a while, that title stuck and became somewhat of a joke when I would play it on gigs, but in 2018, I was back in Boston and found myself performing it again at the same venue (and with some of the same musicians) as when I had composed it nearly a decade before. The title Natural Habitat came to me, as it suddenly felt like I knew where that tune belonged. // The other music on this recording was written while I was settling into life in New York City - which now feels like my natural habitat, both physically and musically. I chose material for this project that represents how I feel living and working in this environment. The variety of meters, forms, and intensities heard in these songs mirrors the unpredictability of daily life here, but the excitement and energy I feel when performing in this city is unparalleled. -Michael Thomas

This product is an authorized manufactured on demand CD-R

Kool & the Gang's first album in seven years. The set also doubles as a prelude to the 2014 celebration of the legendary band's 50th anniversary. This is also their first holiday record, featuring songs that were half a century in the making. As the title implies, Kool for the Holidays isn't your run of the mill holiday album. Comprised of six original songs and eight standards, the project embraces what Kool heads have always loved about Kool & the Gang it's harmonious fusions of R&B, pop, dance and funk, engaging vocals and artful arrangements. In addition to revisiting it's early jazz roots, the band also adds some gospel flavor to the mix. Bottom line, Kool & the Gang refreshingly crafts it's own unique definition of holiday spirit.