The vibes coming of this one are very strong. The blend of Foster’s organ noodling with the funk sensibilities of the rest of the players is enticing.
The vibraphones create a backdrop of dreamy melodic floating, which the rest of the elements build up on top of, leading up to a fully realised funk jam. It must be said, the organ is the star, taking the place of any vocals or sax parts that a jazz song might otherwise place front and centre.
The way the drums gradually increase in intensity is very clever, and pays off greatly, allowing the track to slide into a higher level of energy without sacrificing the nuances of the instruments.
The guitar plays a supporting role here, but it’s definitely there, and adds to the complexity of the track without things getting overcrowded.
In many ways the song is quite poppy for a jazz song; it’s hardly a 15 minute display of virtuosity. Nevertheless, the musicianship on display is undeniably impressive, and the song fits in a lot of progression and themes into the 4 minute runtime.
“Mystic Brew” is off Two Headed Freap, released in 1972. It has been sampled numerous times, most notably by a Tribe Called Quest in ’93, and Madlib in ’03.
I have no idea what a Freap is but the song is great all the same.