Brick Adds A Little Jazz To Their Funk For Hit Song Dazz

Atlanta-based quintet Brick lit up the airwaves with their dance smash "Dazz" in late 1976. This infectious fusion of funk, disco and jazz had folks stampeding the dance floor back in the day. "Dazz" (meaning a hybrid of disco and jazz) is the second single off the band's debut album Good High. The groove is anchored by Ray Ransom's sinuous bass line. And reed and brass man Jimmy Brown pulls double duty on this track, playing both the sax and flute parts. He delivers a great jazzy flute solo during the song's breakdown.

There was something quite unique about this track that made it stand out from other popular R&B and dance releases during that period. It's jazzy funk over a hypnotic dance beat. The seductive groove captured the imagination of music lovers and dance-floor junkies alike. The song beckons you to the dance floor, and you can't help but move and groove to it. Its slinky flow was perfect for doing the Body Language, a very popular dance on the urban dance scene back in the mid-70s.

"Dazz" was written by Ransom and fellow Brick members Regi Hargis Hickman and Eddie Irons. The band sings the lead falsetto vocal in unison, which works really well on this track. The song shot to number one on the U.S. R&B charts where it remained for four weeks, and it climbed to number three on the U.S. pop charts and number seven on the dance charts. It rose to number 26 on the charts in Canada and peaked at 36 in the UK. In addition to "Dazz," Brick scored a few other hits before disbanding in 1988.


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Related blog entry: Review of Brick's Self-Titled Second Album