Wave From The Wooniverse is the latest double album by Funk Legend Bernie Worrell Released for Record store day USA 2024 so it may be hard to find elsewhere. With a great cast of special guests, who are on a mission to bring the funk, so get on down and groove with Bernie and his friends in the Wooniverse. In case it escaped you Bernie was keyboard godhead in Parliament Funkadelic, he has also played in among many others Talking Heads, Gov't Mule and Mos Def.
The only time I got to see Bernie live he was busy blowing headline act Roy Ayers off the stage in Chicago back in the 1990's.
The album slowly fades in on Intro (Reflections On Bird) with birdsong giving way to woozy piano and Theremin to lull us into thinking this might be Bernie's chill out album.
Distant Star makes sure we know Bernie can still funk with the best of them as an elastic bass line, with super bad guitar line, brings us to the party as the vocals make clear we are deep in space, with the band having a funky good time with his favourite Modern Lover Jerry Harrison in his pocket.
What Have They Done To My Funk well of course they've got Bootsy Collins on board, to help in this quest of funky good intentions, they even ask Buckethead if he knows what's gone on, as the keyboards drive us onto that dancefloor, the vocals keep asking what happened, where did the funk go, how did they steal those licks and turn them into another song, a bit like this one does.
Bernie's Heapin' Bowl Of Gumbo has been seasoned by Fred Wesley, Lonnie Marshall and Leo Nocentelli for a deep dark brass led strut, into the kitchen to get a huge great Heapin' Bowl of Gumbo full of shrimps and trombone solos.
The B-side opens with Re-Enter Black Light (Phase II) an ambient modern classical sci-fi soundtrack intro, before the funk comes in, dark ambient horns, shuffling percussion set against the keyboard undertones.
The Big WOO is all about believing in The Big WOO how it will enrich your life, as Fred Schneider explains it all, while Binky Griptight's guitar brings The WOO, we all let loose on the dancefloor, where you need to hear all of this album, as Bernie seems to have started re-working some classic Funkadelic into the heart of this tune.
Greenpoint is super cool jazz funk instrumental, with the keyboards having all sorts of elements, twisting the sound as Steven Bernstein's trumpet leads the way, with Smokey Hormel keeping a tight grip on the minimal guitar part.
The C-Side opens with Soldiers Of The Stars harmony vocals from Daru Jones and Eric McFadden take us on classic space travelling Funky stew, to really get you grooving to it, hard to sit still, as the guitar ascends through it like a rocket to the stars like disciples of War.
When The Rain Subsides feels kind of hopeful like we might have a couple of dry days coming up, as this countrified funk riff gets going with some hi-life guitar, the keyboards seem to mimic a harmonica, Eric Calhoun's shuffling beat feels like the final spatters of raindrops as the prayer for sunshine comes mantra like from within.
Pedro Woo is deep down, with the one they call Watt From Pedro, bringing hardcore Bass Woo, this is super Woozy, shake shimmy, horizontal or vertical Woo, they bring it all.
The D-Side opens with Contusion with Funkadelic who've opted for the 60's Vox or fender keyboard sound, the heaviest drums on the album, this is a stomper of a tune, the keyboard thing where he switches between Jimmy Smith and Sun Ra style flourishes is worth getting the album for alone, the deepest cut they could get.
Transcendence is a 16 minute transcendental Woo funk trip, so buckle up tight and get ready to be transported from the classical organ gently beginning the journey, the brass section helps you to start floating skyward Shafts of bass holding things down, Marc Ribot's spectral guitar inflections, deep musical meditations stretch out, always on the Woo, bubbling away as you dance that trance away, until the tablas take us journeying towards Shiva's expansive guitar and horn plain.
The album closes with Wave from The Wooniverse that brings a funky Dr Buzzards funky Wave of upbeat fun for Miho Hatori, Sarah La Puerta and Steve Scales to really make sure everyone has been totally wooed by this album.
Long live the Wooniverse co-ordinates can be found here https://orgmusic.com/collections/music/products/wave-from-the-wooniverse https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100050378564680
