Funk In A Mason Jar
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Album Summary
Harvey Mason, the master drummer and session legend whose hands helped shape the sound of countless classic records, stepped into the spotlight as a bandleader with 'Funk In A Mason Jar,' released in 1977 on Arista Records. Produced by Harvey Mason himself alongside some of the finest studio minds of the era, this record was cut deep in the groove of that mid-seventies Los Angeles session scene — a world where the best musicians alive were in the same rooms, breathing the same funky air. Mason brought that same precision and pocket feel he was known for in the studios and poured it all into this project, crafting an album that moved between hard funk, smooth jazz fusion, and lush rhythm-and-blues textures with the confidence of a man who had heard — and played on — everything.
Reception
- The album was embraced by fans of jazz-funk fusion, finding a receptive audience among listeners who had grown up on the cutting edge of the genre during the mid-seventies.
- Critics recognized Mason's ability to lead a band with the same authority he brought to his session work, noting the album's tight rhythmic foundation and sophisticated arrangements.
- While not a mainstream pop crossover, the record earned respect in jazz and funk circles as a serious artistic statement from one of the era's most in-demand drummers.
Significance
- 'Funk In A Mason Jar' stands as a testament to the richness of the late-seventies jazz-funk fusion movement, capturing a moment when the lines between jazz improvisation, soul, and hard funk were gloriously blurred into something all its own.
- The album showcases Harvey Mason as a complete musical thinker — not just a timekeeper but a composer and bandleader of real vision, with tracks like 'Space Cadets' and 'Phantazia' pushing into atmospheric, adventurous territory that few pure funk records dared to explore.
- As a document of the Los Angeles session musician world at its creative peak, this record carries deep historical weight, reflecting the skill and artistry of players who were the backbone of the decade's most celebrated recordings.
Samples
- "Funk In A Mason Jar" — the title track has been tapped by hip-hop producers drawn to its irresistible rhythmic drive and deep pocket groove, making it one of the more recognized cuts from this album in sampling culture.
- "Pack Up Your Bags" — has attracted the attention of producers seeking hard-hitting drum breaks and punchy horn arrangements rooted in the classic funk tradition.
Tracklist
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A1 Pack Up Your Bags 110
5:00
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A2 Till You Take My Love 105
3:30
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A3 Space Cadets 103
3:32
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A4 Freedom Either Way 180
3:30
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A5 Funk In A Mason Jar 180
1:50
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B1 What's Going On? 110
8:23
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B2 Set It Free 168
5:49
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B3 Phantazia 123
4:25
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B4 Liquid 92
4:37
Artist Details
Harvey Mason is one of the baddest drummers to ever lay down a groove, a Los Angeles-based session legend who came up in the early 1970s and became the heartbeat behind some of the most iconic recordings in jazz, funk, and soul — lending his impeccable touch to albums by Herbie Hancock, George Benson, and literally hundreds of others across every genre imaginable. As a founding member of the smooth jazz supergroup Fourplay in 1990, Mason helped carry that sophisticated, groove-drenched sound into a new era, but his real legacy lives in those countless studio sessions where his feel and precision elevated everything around him. Harvey Mason represents the unsung backbone of modern American music — the kind of musician that the stars couldn't shine without.
