Alan Tew

Alan Tew’s driving jazz-rock, sleuth-funk masterpiece, Drama Suite Part I, is finally reissued to sate your appetites for arguably the very best library two-parter in existence. If you don’t know, get to know. Originally released in 1976 but wonderfully timeless, this one’s at the top of every library funk collectors’ list. It’s easy to see why. Racing out of the gate, the gritty crime funk of ‘The Detectives’ makes for a thrilling ride. A dramatic action theme, it’s packed with strident playing and bags of attitude; and thereafter, we get ten drama-tinged, horn-heavy, wah-wah-laced, conga-enhanced, synth-riddled tracks built for maximum funk fever. ‘Helicop’ is one such fast paced and energetic dramatic action background, while ‘The Big One (Prelude)’ brings with it an ace bassline and creeps along superbly, adding tension with an amazing rolling piano loop stopping us dead in our tracks. It’s all building to ‘The Big One’, a driving, dramatic, full-band action with fantastic funk breaks, heavy horns and *that* piano refrain. Notably, the track was sampled by Jay-Z; and you can’t really blame him, can you?