The Park Ft. Happy Mayfield & Darondo Jesse James

The Park is one of the best-kept secrets in modern American music. The S.F.-based group has backed legends like Alice Russell and newcomers like Freddie Gibbs and Big KRIT, and has been the foundation for groups like Grillade and more. They also have backed resurgent soul sensation Darondo in the past, and they team back up with him, as well as with Happy Mayfield, for a special 7" release entitled Silver Cloud Time Machine.

I would go on, but their press release on the record really does it justice:

The Park and Happy Mayfield present Silver Cloud Time Machine, a white 7" vinyl bringing together two generations of Bay Area Funk. Darondo, a Soul legend whose three singles released in the early 1970's have become high on the must-have lists of many collectors, and The Park, who have made a name for themselves as the go-to backing band of the west coast (Alice Russell, Big K.R.I.T., Freddie Gibbs, Jesse Boykins III, Grillade) put down some high energy Funk that will make you think you are "Burnin' up" on the dance floor of an early 70's Bay Area club.

Throw Lee Bob Watson into the mix (Happy Mayfield) and Darondo has found his partner in crime as Lee Bob and "Rolls Royce" Darondo come together for the up-tempo James Brown style duet, "Jesse James" on the B side. Is Darondo's Silver Cloud Rolls Royce a time machine? Or is Bay Area Funk music just timeless? You decide.

The release is in stores now, it's limited to just a few hundred copies so act quick. Be on the lookout for more of The Park and Darondo soon, as well as about a jillion other side projects from the group.