Detroit based Joseph Amp Fiddler is a celebrated soul/funk musician. Amp learned to play the piano as a child, Fiddler studied music at Oakland and Wayne State Universities, and with the jazz great Harold McKinney. He joined a do-wop outfit, The Enchantments, as a teen, and then in 1983 received his big break when a friend, Bernie Worrell the Parliament/Funkadelic keyboardist passed a tape of his playing to George Clinton. Amp played a pivotal role in bringing Slum Village to global attention, and was a friend and collaborator with their producer, the late J Dilla. His warm, expansive mellifluous music takes stylistic cues from all these encounters, but emerges as earthy, supremely relaxed, and rooted in the funk and soul that Amp feels most connected to. And, as he suggests, it is music for the head as much as food for the heart and soul. Amp Fiddler is a musician who has an extensive list of credits that extends across a couple decades. He produces and sings in addition to doing the bulk of his duties on keyboards, organs, and pianos, has played on records by Prince, Jamiroquai, The Brand New Heavies, Fishbone, Maxwell, The Dramatics, Primal Scream, Was (Not Was), and Too Short. With significant help from bass-playing brother Thomas Bubz Fiddler (another member of the extended P-Funk family), Amp released With Respect on Elektra in 1990 as Mr. Fiddler. Although the record didnt fare well commercially, it was a solid update of 70s funk with modern production sensibilities. In 2002, Amp issued a 12 called Basementality on the Genuine label. Featuring a remix from close associate Kenny Dixon, Jr. (aka Moodymann), the record was an even split between modern soul and funky club music with Fiddlers talents boldly displayed. The Love and War single came out the following year, and the full-length Waltz of a Ghetto Fly saw release in January 2004. Another solo album, Afro Strut, was released in the U.K. in 2006; Play It Again Sam licensed it for U.S. release a year later. Two years later, Fiddler and Sly & Robbie kicked off the Strut labels collaboration-oriented Inspiration Information series. Amp Fiddler has also collaborated in the studio with, Raphael Saadiq, and Corinne Bailey Rae, “If I Don’t”, 2007.
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 22:53:16 +0000
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