Album review: Bill Cosby Presents Badfoot Brown & The Bunions Bradford Funeral & Marching Band

I think it’s safe to say almost all of us know who Bill Cosby is: Stand-up comedian. Actor. Jell-o Pudding guy. Fat Albert creator. And of course, Dr. Huxtable - one of the defining characters of the 80s.  So when I first got into hardcore beat-digging and record-collecting and started to do my research within those corners of the earth, finding ‘Bill Cosby’ on my want list was a surreal thing, you know? Turns out he’s actually known for creating a few sought-after beats within soul collector realms - “The Mudfoot”, a dope spoken word and beat perfect for sampling, and “Salvation Army Band”, known for its drum break - and come to think of it he did seem to rep jazz a disproportionate amount on the ol’ Cosby show, so wow okay there was something to it.

And that was before Badfoot Brown.

More specifically,  before Bill Cosby Presents Badfoot Brown & The Bunions Bradford Funeral & Marching Band.

You read that title and you think “that’s crazy Bill Cosby, up to no good!” and the title is pretty ill - but when you drop the needle on the record is the real surprise. I tracked this down for a decent price(finally!) about four months ago after a long (multi-year) search, put the needle on the record… and wow. 

The ‘album’ is two songs. TWO.

Song one / side one is a 15+ minute jam called “Martin’s Funeral”, a slow-building, smoked-out jazz/funk hybrid that rises, falls, builds, slams, breaks for a drum solo and does damn near everything you’d expect from Herbie Hancock at his most experimental.  It’s just… that’s Bill Cosby on the keys! Bill Cosby aka Badfoot Brown…damn! 

Song two / Side two is the even longer (20+ minute) “Hybish, Shybish”, a faster jam that involves a lot of instrumental give and take, back and forth, and stopping and starting where the band works off one groove, then falls off into instrumental solos only to drop back in to the main ‘chorus groove’, kind of a bizarro 20-minute joint in the style of “Pick up the Pieces” by the Average White Band.

I could try to write more about the music itself, but honestly if what I wrote above doesn’t make you want to hear it I can’t see how more writing is going to, you know? If you like the fusion of funk and jazz, then this is a great record to own, and the fact that it’s been reissued on CD for $15 or so as opposed to the $40-$200 price tag the original record has may incline you even more to give it a try. What I do want to mention is this: we live in an era where music is a springboard to other things in life.  Yes, I’m talking to YOU hip-hop and R&B but you’re not the only one, either! Songs and albums these days lead to attempts at movie careers, sneaker lines, product endorsements, soft drinks, t-shirt lines, clothing lines, web site ads, custom ring tones, and plenty of other things. That’s just the way it is now. So you have that element today - and you even had that back in the day (just not as intense) too.

So there’s Bill Cosby, a dozen or so comedy albums deep, arguably in his comedic prime, and what does he do? A Jazz fusion record. Something he wants to do, with the music he knows is most important to him.  The liner notes, written by him, talk about jams on the corner, his affinity for them and his attempt to re-create them on this record.  Sometimes it’s purely about the love, and that’s all this album is. Pure love and respect for a music form he grew up with - and a music form he’s giving plenty back to.