Alex Henderson

Tom Browne

Rockin’ Radio [Expanded Edition]

When one thinks of the musical contributions that Jamaica, Queens and nearby Hollis made in the 1980s, names like Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J immediately come to mind. The Jamaica/Hollis/St. Albans area was so important to the evolution of hip-hop (which was originally dominated by the South Bronx and Harlem) that for hip-hop historians, the phrase “Jamaica sound” will forever be linked to the MCs who came from that part of New York City’s Queens borough. But a few years before the rise of Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J (Run-D.M.C.’s first single came in 1983, LL’s in 1984), there was a different Jamaica sound—one that was driven by musicians who played soul and funk but also had jazz credentials. The contributors to that Jamaica sound included trumpeter Tom Browne (b. Queens, NY, October 30, 1954), drummer Lenny White, bassist Marcus Miller and keyboardist/pianist Bernard Wright, and all of them were quite capable of playing either R&B or jazz.

Two of the definitive hit singles that put Jamaica’s soul/funk scene on the map were Lenny White & Twennynine’s “Peanut Butter” in 1979 and Browne’s “Funkin’ for Jamaica (N.Y.)” in 1980. Both White and Browne had impressive jazz credits on their résumés; White had been a member of Chick Corea’s fusion powerhouse Return to Forever, while Browne (whose big-toned trumpet playing was influenced by Freddie Hubbard, Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan, among others) had played with saxophonist Sonny Fortune and organist Dr. Lonnie Smith (not to be confused with keyboardist/pianist Lonnie Liston Smith of Cosmic Echoes fame). But the Jamaica sound of the late 1970s and early 1980s was dominated by soul and funk, and jazz was an attractive side dish. Browne would typically include a few jazz instrumentals on his albums during that period (he played Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child” on his third album, Magic, and John Coltrane’s “Naima” on his fourth album, Yours Truly), yet R&B was his main focus and served him well. “Funkin’ for Jamaica (N.Y.)” soared to #1 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart, and the hypnotic funk gem “Thighs High (Grip Your Hips and Move)” reached #4 on that chart in 1981.

By the time Arista Records released Browne’s fifth album, Rockin’ Radio, in 1983, listeners pretty much knew what to expect from the trumpeter: mostly vocal-oriented R&B, with some instrumental jazz on the side. And Rockin’ Radio fits that description, albeit with more of a hip-hop influence than Browne had displayed previously. Written by Michael Jonzun (of Jonzun Crew fame) and producer Maurice Starr (best known for his work with New Edition and New Kids on the Block), Rockin’ Radio’s title track is undeniably funky but not in the way that “Funkin’ for Jamaica (N.Y.)” and “Thighs High (Grip Your Hips and Move)” were funky. Rather, “Rockin’ Radio,” with its use of the vocoder and a more high-tech production than Browne had favored before 1983, is a prime example of electro-hop (a synthesizer-powered, science fiction-themed blend of hip-hop and dance music).

Hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa put electro-hop on the map with his seminal 1982 smash “Planet Rock,” and electro-hop’s popularity continued the following year with the success of Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit,” the Jonzun Crew’s “Pack Jam” and Browne’s “Rockin’ Radio” (a #11 R&B hit in Billboard). Out in Los Angeles, the electro-hop sound was closely identified with Southern Californians like the Egyptian Lover, the Arabian Prince, Uncle Jam’s Army and the World Class Wreckin’ Crew (the group that Dr. Dre belonged to in his pre-N.W.A, pre-gangsta rap days).

Browne also shows a strong electro-hop influence on “Turn It Up (Come On Y'all),” which employs Evan Rogers on vocals, and “Cruisin’.” But Browne’s trumpet playing sets those jams apart from most of the electro-hop that came out in 1983. Meanwhile, the sassy “Mr. Business” (featuring singer Marjorie Barnes) is closer to the “Funkin’ for Jamaica”/“Thighs High” vibe that Browne had favored on previous recordings. And the sleek “Brighter Tomorrow,” which features singer Carol Woods, attracted some attention in quiet storm circles back in 1983.

Browne, it should be noted, doesn’t sing at all on Rockin’ Radio. Instead, he expresses himself through his trumpet playing and lets others do the singing.

Although dominated by R&B, Rockin’ Radio also contains some jazz-pop instrumentals: the Chuck Mangione-ish “Angeline” (a Browne original) and interpretations of the Roberta Flack-associated “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and the Association’s 1967 sunshine pop hit “Never My Love.” A long list of artists have covered “Never My Love” over the years, ranging from the 5^th Dimension to traditional pop crooner Andy Williams to Brazilian star Astrud Gilberto. But Browne takes the song in a Freddie Hubbard-ish direction, and the Hubbard influence is equally strong on “Feel Like Makin’ Love.”        

In the 1970s, there were two different gems titled “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” One was a hit for British hard rockers Bad Company in 1975, and the other was written by producer Eugene McDaniels and became a smash for Flack in 1974. Browne performs the McDaniels song, not the Bad Company song—and his wordless version is a mellow trumpet/guitar duet with Bobby Broom (a well-respected jazz guitarist who is originally from New York City but now lives in Chicago, where he is part of the Deep Blue Organ Trio).

In addition to the eight songs that appeared on the original LP configuration of Rockin’ Radio 30 years ago, this reissue contains three bonus tracks: the funky 1982 single “Bye Gones” and alternate mixes of “Cruisin’” and the title song.

Musically, 1983 was a great year for the Jamaica/Hollis/St. Albans area. It was in 1983 that Run-D.M.C. broke through in a big way with their debut single, “It’s Like That/Sucker MCs,” establishing Queens as an important place for hip-hop. But again, one mustn’t forget that Browne—along with Lenny White’s Twennynine, Marcus Miller and Bernard Wright—were representing Jamaica/Hollis/St. Albans before Run-D.M.C. or LL Cool J. And with Rockin’ Radio, Browne made it clear that he was still funkin’ for Jamaica.

—Alex Henderson, February 2013

Alex Henderson’s work has appeared in Billboard, Spin, Creem, The L.A. Weekly, JazzTimes, Jazziz, AlterNet, Cash Box, HITS, CD Review, Skin Two, Black Beat, The Pasadena Weekly, Black Radio Exclusive (BRE), Music Connection, Latin Style, The New York City Jazz Record and many other well known publications. Henderson (alexvhenderson.com) has also contributed several thousand CD reviews to The All Music Guide’s popular website and series of music reference books.