The Funk Excursion with Badd Kitti: Recent Episodes
Brieze Thompson
The Podcast taking you on a musical journey into the history, culture and contemporary influence of Funk
On this episode, Badd Kitti asks her social media fans to vote for their GOAT Funk guitar solo. If you're an old school funk fan, it's probably not hard to guess who got the number one spot! But GOAT lists are always fun to debate - and there are definitely some surprising omissions!
Part 1 - The Unsung & Honorable Mentions (Available to Podcast Subscribers)
Part 2 - And the Winner is...! (Exclusive Website Content www.thefunkexcursion.com)
About the Funk Excursion Host/Producer
Badd Kitti, (a.k.a. Brieze Thompson) is a multi-talented keyboardist, vocalist, composer, band leader, and educator, working in the Philadelphia area. Her role as a pioneer of the city’s mid-2000’s funk revival earned her the title , ‘Philadelphia’s Queen of Funk‘. Badd Kitti’s lifelong love of funk music, coupled with her experience as a professional musician, combine to offer a unique and insightful perspective on the program’s topic.
On the weekend of August 18-19, Badd Kitti had the honor of performing with Neftali "Funkadrill" Santiago, the legendary drummer from the iconic funk band, Mandrill. The concert, entitled "Funkadrill's Mandrill Experience - The Road to Love", highlighted classics from Mandrill's heyday from 1971-1977, as well as new music from Funkadrill himself.
In this episode, Badd Kitti pays tribute to Funkadrill, playing his most legendary contributions to Mandrill, as well as featuring his previously unreleased tracks, recorded over a period of 30 years, from 1975 to 2005.
Funkadrill's "Road to Love" marks the last time Mandrill's music will be performed by an original member of of the band. The influential drummer plans to relaunch his solo career with the release of new music, as well as the Netflix documentary, "The Road to Love", both of which are planned for early 2024.
About the Funk Excursion Host/Producer
**Badd Kitti, (a.k.a.** Brieze Thompson**)** is a multi-talented keyboardist, vocalist, composer, band leader, and educator, working in the Philadelphia area. Her role as a pioneer of the city’s mid-2000’s funk revival earned her the title , ‘***Philadelphia’s Queen of Funk***‘.
Badd Kitti’s lifelong love of funk music, coupled with her experience as a professional musician, combine to offer a unique and insightful perspective on the program’s topic.
Badd Kitti brings the heat with extended sets of pure Funk dance jams for teh final weeks of summer.
Hour 1 (Podcast listeners only)
Featuring disco funk from Chic, Ohio Players, The Blackbyrds, Tina Marie, Rick James and more...
Hour 2 (Website Exclusive - www.thefunkexcursion.com)
Featuring electro-funk and house from Zapp, Midnight Star, Cameo, Bohannon, and more...
On the episode, Badd Kitti pays tribute to the Godmother of Funk, Betty Davis, on what would have been her 78th birthday.
Davis' provocative lyrics and stage performance were considered too risque in the early 1970s. A little more than a decade later, her 'in your face' sexuality would influence and pave the way for artists such as Prince, Madonna and Janet Jackson.
But Davis was much more than a provocateur. Her heavy, hard-hitting Funk predated the age of the dominant female vocalist, such as Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan, that would emerge in the mid 1970s-80s. She wrote and produced her own music, unheard of for a female artist. She had the uncanny ability to cultivate relationships with superstars of her era, including Hugh Masekela, Herbie Hancock, Alphonse Mouzon and Larry Graham, all of whom performed on her albums. Her introduction of friend Jimi Hendrix to Miles Davis, to whom she was briefly married, is said to have inspired the creation of jazz fusion.
Davis' genius and indelible influence should have made her a household name. While that isn't the case, she is definitely a cult figure whose lasting legacy continues to inspire all those who discover her music.
Part 1 - Subscribers Only
Davis' early career, most important work and stylistic influence on female funk artists is examined. *Featuring Badd Kitti's interview with Funk House Davis' longtime house and touring band.
Part 2 - Web Site Only www.thefunkexcursion.com
Badd Kitti plays a sample of contemporary artists' by whom Davis her self was inspired.
Featuring Jimi Hendrix, The O'Jays, Aretha Franklin and more... and additional tracks from Davis.
(This episode was originally broadcast in February, 2022 upon Ms. Davis' death at the age of 77.)
About the Host
Badd Kitti, (a.k.a. Brieze Thompson) is a multi-talented keyboardist, vocalist, composer, band leader, and educator, working in the Philadelphia area. Her role as a pioneer of the city's mid-2000's funk revival earned her the title , 'Philadelphia's Queen of Funk'.
Badd Kitti's lifelong love of funk music, coupled with her experience as a professional musician, combine to offer a unique and insightful perspective on the program's topic.
Special rebroadcast of Badd Kitti's birthday tribute to George Clinton, who will be 82 on July 22, 2023. Along with James Brown and Sly Stone, Clinton is probably the most important funk artists of all time. Arguably, he has out reached both Brown and Stone in terms of his influence on contemporary music. This episode traces his early years with Parliament/Funkadelic, his accomplishments as a producer and solo artist, as well as his influence on hip hop and contemporary funk.
Part 1 - (Subscribers Only)
Features early P-Funk classics, the P-Funk "girl groups", covers of P-Funk cuts and George Clinton's collaborations with current funk artists. Last but not least a tribute to the 40th Anniversary of Clinton's iconic solo release "Atomic Dog".
Part 2 - (Website Exclusive - www.thefunkexcursion.com)
Features more hits from P-Funk (1973-76), P-Funk "sound alikes", (bands who copped Clinton's funky style to score hit records) a G-Funk classic and more...
Funk is alive and well, and on this episode Badd Kitti serves up more of the classic and millenial funk mix, including new music from classic Funk and Disco artists
Part 1 - Nu Funk (Podcast Exclusive)
Featuring classics from Lakeside, Brick, Cameo, Heatwave and more...Plus Nu Funk from Katranada, Smudge Allstars, Moniquea and Victortrey Funklove
Part 2 - Nu Disco (Web Exclusive - @ www.thefunkexcursion.com)
Featuring new AND classic Disco from Sister Sledge and Nile Rogers, plus Nu Disco burners from Billy Porter, Roisin Murphy and Mike Dunn
Summer is in full swing and Badd Kitti is serving up a mix pak of Funk for your bbq's, beach parties, or just funnin' in the sunshine.
Part 1 (Subscribers Only)
- Featuring James Brown, Zapp and Roger, The Time, and millenium funk
Part 2 - (Exclusive Web Content on thefunkexcursion.com
- Featuring Prince, The Brothers Johnson, Graham Central Station and more funk from the current millenium
Thanks for listening to the Funk Excursion w/ Badd Kitti Podcast!
“The Funk Excursion with Badd Kitti” takes listeners on a musical journey through the history and culture of funk, with thoughtfully curated topics designed to be educational as well as entertaining. In addition to a mean mix of rare grooves and b-sides, the program provides background and insights that contextualize funk as not just music of a bygone area, but an influential, and ever evolving contemporary art form.
Episodes are uploaded every 1st, 2nd and 3rd week of the month.We'll be back on July 1st!
In the meantime, check out the show archive, and if you haven't already - SUBSCRIBE!
Visit our website: thefunkexcursion.com
About Badd Kitti
Badd Kitti, (a.k.a. Brieze Thompson) is a multi-talented keyboardist, vocalist, composer, band leader, and educator, working in the Philadelphia area. Her role as a pioneer of the city’s mid-2000’s funk revival earned her the title , ‘Philadelphia’s Queen of Funk‘.
Badd Kitti’s lifelong love of funk music, coupled with her experience as a professional musician, combine to offer a unique and insightful perspective on the program’s topic.
Part 1 - Motown Gets Funky ***Podcast Subscribers Only
No doubt about it, Motown ruled pop music in the 1960s. But by the late 60s a new sound was taking over - Funk. James Brown's infectious grooves, and Sly Stone's psychedelic flair embodied the social-political sentiments of the Civil Rights, Black Power and Anti-War movements. Funk became the soundtrack of a new generation searching for a different cultural identity.
Motown's bubble-gum pop soul and clean-cut image was OUT, but it would take several years after Brown's first Funk track dropped for Motown founder Berry Gordy to adapt. His delay left Motown scrambling to stay relevant, and was the beginning of the end for the label
Part 2 - The Jackson 5 Get It Together ***Exclusive Web Content
(goto www.thefunkexcursion.com to hear the episode)
On this episode we survey the Jackson 5's most pivital, but probably least know album,
"Get It Together"
In the early 70s, the changing musical and political landscape brought about concerns from Motown's teeny bopper idols. Their fan base was growing up - but their music and image weren't. Responding to the demands for change from his once chart topping boy band, Berry Gordy enlisted "The Corporation" to craft a new direction for the "J5". "Get It Together" was the Jackson 5's first attempt at a Funk album. It spawned the hit song, "Dancing Machine", and propelled the band in a new direction that would eventually lead them to become the first major Motown act to successfully leave the label.
June 7th would have been Prince's 65th birthday. We can only wonder what great heights he'd still be achieving were it not for his untimely death. Thankfully, the genius of his music will always be with us.
This week's show features a two-part, but still all too brief discography of "The Artist", from his early days in Loring Park studio, his foundational work in the late 70's, his brilliance as producer, composer and creator of the Minnesota Family of artists, and finally his rise to super stardom in the mid-late 80s.
Part 1 - Prince the Early Years 1977 - 1981 Podcast Subscribers
Part 2 - Prince the Rising Star 1981- 1985 Website Only
In this hour, Badd Kitti curates a cross section of east coast funk, highlighting the regions' influence on the development of the genre.
Part 1 - East Coast Funk (1970 - 1980) Subscribers Only Featuring Kool & the Gang, Mandrill, MFSB, The Black Byrds, Skyy and more...
Part 2 - Living Room Jam Website Only It's a Party in Your Living Room! Kick off your shoes, push the furniture back and jam to Badd Kitti's set of Heavy Funk!
Featuring The Gap Band, Rose Royce, Mass Production, Slave, and more...
- Background - From the time James Brown released the first Funk song in 1967, his new sound was almost immediately adapted to the musical styles of nearly every region of the country. While the west coast, led by Sly Stone, mixed funk with psychedelic rock, and the mid-west and south had a heavy blues influence, east coast funk is mainly characterized by a mixture of jazz, and afro-cuban rhythms.
With bands such as Kool & the Gang, Mandrill and Cameo, New York's progressive, jazzy funk dominated the east coast funk sound. However, Philadelphia's Gamble & Huff would fuse funk with doo wop soul, and a heavy gospel feel to create what we now know as disco - a dance rhythm just as influential as Brown's (and Clyde Stubblefield's) "fat back" groove.
Of course these styles were mixed and matched. War (west coast) and Mandrill both adopting an afro-latin style, and Parliament/Funkadelic (east coast) under Sly's influence, creating arguably Funk's most enduing sound.
The Funk Exursion with Badd Kitti will be back next week with more Funky Music! Until then, enjoy your holiday weekend!
Funk Excursion host, Badd Kitti, was recently awarded a Black Music City grant to produce her project "Life On Mars: A Cosmic Funk Odyssey", a work inspired by the music of Philadelphia International Records producer, Dexter Wansel. On this week's episode, Badd Kitti features music from Wansel's groundbreaking 1976 album, 'Life On Mars', as well as the contemporary music his work continues to inspire.
This week's show is also featured on our website - www.thefunkexcursion.com
More About Dexter Wansel:While a producer at Philadelphia International Records (PIR) in the mid 70s, Dexter Wansel was among a handful of African American musicians in the recording industry experimenting with synthesized sounds. “Life On Mars”, his first solo project, truly exhibits Wansel’s genius for crafting, and seamlessly integrating synthesized music with the orchestral arrangements of the Philly Sound. This achievement, dubbed “Cosmic Funk”, is seen as a hallmark of early synthesis, and influenced the way electronic music was produced.
Coupled with its innovative musical concepts, “Life On Mars” was also the first PIR project to connect science fiction themes with Black culture, a precursor to Afrofuturism. Wansel’s “Life On Mars”, like the works of fellow electronic music pioneers, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, and Bernie Worrell (Parliament-Funkadelic), both modernized 70s funk and soul, and elevated its cultural relevance. Subsequently, Wansel’s music has informed electro-funk, Chicago house, Detroit techno, hip-hop and other music genres that emerged in the decades to follow.
Hour 1 - Podcast Subscribers Only
Happy Mother's Day! Badd Kitti curtates a funky mix of mother's day standards as well a a few surprises. Featuring The Intruders, Earth, Wind & Fire, Erykah Badu, Parliament and more...
Hour 2 - Exclusive Web Contentvisit www.thefunkexcursion.com
GOAT Funk Jams - Part 1 Check out Badd Kitti's picks for the greatest funk jams of all time Part 1!
Featuring James Brown, Sly Stone, Rick James, The Ohio Players, Chaka Khan & Rufus, and more...
Pleasure has got to be the greatest Funk band you probably never heard of - or didn't realize you had!
In spite of strong danceable grooves, great vocals, and even a few, now classic, top 40 hits, by the early 80s, the band had fallen into obscurity. Debuting in 1975 put them right on the cusp of the disco craze. Their fate, like most mid-to-late 70s “2nd-tier" bands, was to chase the ever changing musical landscape that led from disco to electro-funk and, by the mid-80s, to hip-hop. The difficulty of establishing a consistent, recognizable sound ultimately resulted in a scattered, if not disloyal fan base.
But those who really took the time to listen to Pleasure discovered a band with incredible depth, mastering every genre from sophisticated jazz, deep funk, lush R&B ballads, and yes, even disco grooves. A band not just deserving to be remembered, but respected.
If you're new to Pleasure, I hope you'll agree that they were worth the listen. If you're already a fan, then you know it wasn't easy selecting from their top-notch recordings for this tribute! Either way - Enjoy!
Part 1 - Podcast Subscribers Only
Selected songs from Pleasure, and featuring contemporary "2nd tier" bands the Kay-Gees, Heatwave, and Experience Unlimited and more...
Part 2 - Exclusive Website Content visit www.thefunkexcursion.com
Selected songs from Pleasure, and featuring contemporary "2nd tier" bands Crown Heights Affair, Con Funk Shun, Slave and more...
I'm officially declaring April as Keyboard Month, in honor of two of my favorite keyboardists/synthesists, jazz great Herbie Hancock, born April 12th, and Parliament-Funkadelic icon Bernie Worrell, born April 19th. As you will hear, both of these great musicians have contributed important innovations that influenced the techniques, sounds, and chord structures used, not just in Funk, but in contemporary music as a whole.
Podcast Subscribers Only
Part 1 - Tribute to Bernie Worrell
Featuring selections from Bernie's prolific, and lesser known solo works, which display his incredible range as a mucian and composer.
Exclusive Web Content
Part 2 - The GOATs of Funk Keyboard
The role of the keyboardist is perhaps the most overlooked of all Funk musicians. Badd Kitti puts the spotlight on the cats who helped define the language of Funk. Often the songwriters, arrangers and musical directors of the band, these GOAT keyboardists laid the foundation, created the psychedelic textures and tones, held it down with syncopated rhythms AND whipped out solos as good as any lead guitarist!
I'm officially declaring April as Keyboard Month, in honor of two of my favorite keyboardists/synthesists, jazz great Herbie Hancock, born April 12th, and Parliament-Funkadelic icon Bernie Worrell, born April 19th. As you will hear, both of these great musicians have contributed important innovations that influenced the techniques, sounds, and chord structures used, not just in Funk, but in contemporary music as a whole. This Week: Herbie Hancock
Podcast Subscribers Only Part 1 - Tribute to Herbie Hancock Touching on Hancock's incredible archive of influential compositions ranging from his hey-day in the mid-60's and 70s, to his most recent releases.
Exclusive Web ContentPart 2 - Rebroadcast - Tribute to Rick James - 40th Anniversary of Street Songs Tracing the life and impactful career of Rick James from his early start in a rock band (with some unlikely collaborators), to hos most iconic album, Street Songs, and his legacy as a producer.
STAY TUNED NEXT WEEK FOR MY TRIBUTE TO BERNIE WORRELL!
In this episode, Badd Kitti plays classic and rare Funk, PLUS helps you discover NEW Artists who are keeping the Funk alive!
Part 1 Podcast Subscribers
A Mix of Classic and Nu Funk Specially Curated by Badd Kitti featuring:
James Brown, Parliament, The Brothers Johnson, Dazz - Nu Funk from Zo!, Mofak - and MUCH MORE!
Part 2 Website Only
A Mix of Classic and Nu Funk Specially Curated by Badd Kitti featuring:
Kool & The Gang, Herbie Handcock, Buddy Miles - A Rare Groove from Black Heat - Nu Funk from AdiOasis, Joy, and MUCH MORE!
For the last week of Women's History month, Badd Kitti goes ALL OUT - bringing the FUNK from powerful female voices of the 70a, 80s and 90s:
Part 1 Podcast Subscribers Only The MIXPAK - Featuring Natalie Cole, Jody Watley, Jill Scot, Angie B and more...
Part 2 Exclusive Website Content The Living Room Party - Kick off your shoes and push back the furniture and get ready dance the night away - Right in the comfort of your living room! Featuring: Evelyn "Champagne" King, Grace Jones, Shiela E, and more...
Continuing my celebration of Women's History Month with the Female Pioneers of Funk. Before Betty Davis, before Chaka Khan - these women started it all!
Part 1 - Podcast Subscribers Only These funky ladies not only broke barriers for women in funk, but had some of funk's earliest chart topping success. Featuring Marva Whitney, Lynn Collins, Maxanne, and more
Part 2 - Exclusive Web Content Funk's Ladies of the 80's (and late 70s) - Funk's first female song writers, musicians, producers and super stars take center stage. Featuring Patrice Rushen, Klymaxx, The Brides of Funkenstein, and more.
A retrospective of the Queen of Soul and the Queen of Funk, Togther for 2 hours of funk - Female Style! AND also featuring music from Super Felines of Funk - singers/songwriters/musicians AND producers - they do it ALL!
Part 1 - Subscribers Only Also featuring Teena Marie, Angela Bofil, Valarie Simpson and Angela Winbush
Part 2 - Exclusive Web Content Also featuring Betty Davis, Me'Shell Ndegiocello, Janelle Monae, H.E.R. and Lizzo
You ain't gotta go no where - the party's coming to you! Push back the furniture and kick off your shoes and get ready for Badd Kitti's end of the month Living Room Jam. This month it's All About that Boogie Funk
Part 1 Podcast Subscribers Featuring: Janet Jackson, Change, Tyrone Brunson, a recent release from the Dazz Band and more...
Part 2 Exclusive Website Content - Only on www.thefunkecursion.com Featuring: Midnight Star, Vicky D, new and classic music from Zapp, and more...
In this episode: Celebrating Black History Month with funk albums that made history and changed music.
Subscribers Only Part 1 - Badd Kitti plays and reviews Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On", considered to be the first psychedelic soul concept album.
Web Content Only (Available NOW on www.thefunkexcursion.com) Part 2 - Badd Kitti plays and reviews Gil Scott Heron's "Pieces of a Man". Now considered a classic, Heron's first project received little initial fanfare. In spite of it's stellar cast of musicians, and the now famous "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", the album wouldn't be discovered until years after its release.
Badd Kitti’s Valentines Day Mix of smooth and funky slow jams! Great for being with that special someone OR to just chill and feel the vibe.
Part 1 Podcast Subscribers Only Part 1 features Stevie Wonder, Zhane, Michael Jackson. Jill Scott and More…
Part 2 Web Only Content available NOW on www.thefunkexcursion.com Part 2 features The Gap Band, TIna Marie, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Bootsy Collins, and More…
The early 1970s ushered in a new form of funk and soul music. Fuelled by a mixture of psychedelia and social justice, psychedelic funk became the voice of a generation finding a new identity, and influenced the music and consciousness of generations to come.
Part 1 Podcast Subscribers Only Part 1 features Isaac Hayes, War, Syl Johnson and More...
Part 2 Web Only Content available NOW on thefunkexcursion.com Part 2 features Parliament, Cameo, Gil Scott Heron and More...
Season 1 of The Funk Excursion with Badd Kitti launches on March 3, 2023. Meanwhile, enjoy this episode from my radio broadcast...
It's a party in your Living Room! Push the furniture back, kick off your shoes and cut a rug to jams from the 70s & 80s. Part 1 of The Living Room Party features: TIna Marie, Heatwave, The Blackbyrds, Rick James, and more...
Web Only Content. Available on thefunkexcursion.com Part 2 of Badd Kitti's monthly party mix features: Zapp, The Bar-Kays, Cameo, Bohannon, and more...
The Funk Excursion with Badd Kitti podcast officially launches on March 3, 2023. Until then enjoy this episode from my radio show.
Badd Kitti has put together a special mix of music to keep you motivated and on track with your New Year's resolutions and goals.
Part 1: Available to Subscribers Only Featuring James Brown, Black Heat, Skyy, Crown Heights Affair, Rick James, and more...
Part 2: Available NOW at www.thefunkexcursion.com Featuring The SOS Band, D-Train, Parliament, Earth, WInd & Fire, and more...
The Funk Excursion with Badd Kitti podcast officially launches on March 3, 2023. Until then, enjoy this 'Best of the Funk Excursion' episode from my radio broadcast achives.
On this episode Badd Kitti features funk from around the world.
In Part 1 we take a Funk Excursion to Bahia, France and Estonia, and revisit a classic from the Dominican Republic by Gordon Henderson, the Father of Caribbean Soul. Also included - classics from Earth, Wind & Fire, The Brothers Johnson, Ramsay Lewis, an unreleased cut from Sly Stone, and more.
** Part 2 available NOW on thefunkexcursion.com, or next week where ever you get your podcasts
In Part 2 funk and soul from Australia is featured, along with a rare groove from an Ohio Players spin-off group, and classics by the JBs, The Isley Brothers, Pleasure, and much more.
To celebrate the close of 2022, Badd Kitti counts down the hits of 1972, a pivotal year in the evolution of funk. The apolitical pop soul of Motown, which dominated the charts in the 60s, is fading. A new, raw, politically charged and socially aware sound is making its way onto the R&B charts and into the mainstream. This musical movement called Funk is here to stay. Led by James Brown, Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Al Green and three young upstarts from Philadelphia, their music will define the sound of the 70s and influence generations to come.
The Funk Excursion w/ Badd Kitti unwraps a Special Mix of Funky Christmas Jams – Great for your Holiday party, or to just kick back and enjoy the Season.
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS, ALL!