Luther Thomas Human Arts Ensemble - Funky Donkey Vol. 1 (1973) LP

Label: Wewantsounds

Wewantsounds, in collaboration with Corbett vs. Dempsey, reissues one of the great albums out of the BAG galaxy recorded by Luther Thomas and a cohort of musicians including Joe Bowie, Charles Bobo Shaw, Floyd LeFlore, and Lester Bowie. Recorded live in 1973 at The Berea Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, the album consists of two tracks, the formidable, aptly titled "Funky Donkey" and the spiritual "Una New York." Released as a private press on Thomas' own Creative Consciousness Records, it's reissued here for the first time since the '70s, marking the recording's 50th anniversary, and features original artwork, remastered audio and new liner notes by Howard Mandel. Closely associated to the Black Artists Group in St. Louis, the Human Arts Ensemble was a loose collective of musicians sharing many of its musicians, such as Joseph Bowie, Floyd LeFlore and Charles Bobo Shaw. The album was reissued on CD on John Corbett's Atavistic label in 2001 but this is the first time Funky Donkey Vol.1 is reissued on vinyl, remastered by Colorsound Studio in Paris and featuring liner notes by Howard Mandel, exactly fifty years after this groundbreaking concert was recorded, which Wewantsounds is happy to put back into circulation.