Today, music tracks without lyrics used by media outlets are often a staple of talk radio or podcasts. Sometimes called bumper music, these rhythmic elements lead into or out of commercial ad breaks.

This brand of music vanished over time from contemporary radio playlists as a standalone feature. These tracks were played just like vocals.

For the Instrumentally Yours project, you can eliminate real jazz and smooth jazz from this conversation. I'm not focusing on those tracks, except…

Once in a while, a jazzy hit does crossover. "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" – Cannonball Adderly Quintet (1967) is an example. Another is "Rise" by Herb Alpert (1979).

These and others instrumental gems delightfully dazzle the ears. With a challenge to put together something fresh, I went back and pulled some tracks that set a mood and tell a nice relaxing story.

Every few months I create a mixed playlist of songs from my analog or digital sources and create a single wav/mp3 file. Real segues (mini cross fades) are included.

I pulled out some of my favorite instrumentals to complete this playlist. You might try this on Spotify, or another streaming music service although you won't get the tight segues.

Who are the Artists?

1. MFSB
2. Quincy Jones
3. Brothers Johnson
4. Kool & The Gang
5. Con Funk Shun
6. Love Unlimited Orchestra
7. Ashford & Simpson
8. Cliff Nobles
9. Crown Heights Affair
10. Paul Hardcastle
11. Flora Purim
12. Earth, Wind & Fire

There are fifteen songs. Two artists have multiple tracks.

Songs 1 & 2 by MFSB, Mother Father Sister Brother

Three selections are by MFSB. There's a reason for this choice. Philadelphia producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff pulled together a bevy of outstanding studio musicians backing the all-star vocalists who lived on their record labels.

MFSB was so good, that their instrumental versions of several Philly International Records hits also stand out. Song one in my mix is "My Mood."

You might recognize this tune as a theme that was used before late night movies on television.

Song two is "Back Stabbers," arranged differently than the O'Jays hit, with stylized strings and sophisticated funk up front moving the track along.

I have five MFSB vinyl albums. Too bad Motown never really featured their own house band 'The Funk Brothers' as reoccurring solo artists .

Song 3 by Quincy Jones

In 1971, Quincy Jones produced the music for the movie Dollar$ (also know as The Heist) starring Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn. I discovered the Little Richard vocal version first, which I have on a 45 RPM vinyl single (on the Reprise Label). Richard's version is called "Money Is."

Quincy's instrumental version in the movie soundtrack is called "Money Runner." The instrumentation for both the Jones and Richard versions is identical.

What you hear in the composition are production elements in the track that were popular for the time.

The next song, also produced by Quincy Jones, shows how within a short period of time, a musical master can update his touch and stay contemporary with the times.

Song 4 by The Brothers Johnson

"Streetwave," the final track on the B side of their "Blam!!" record (above) features Louis Johnson on bass guitar and George Johnson on lead guitar. Harvey Mason gets a credit on drums. This 1978 instrumental has Quincy Jones written all over it.

Mr. Jones produced all the tracks on "Blam!!"

Seven years after "Money Runner," Quincy's signature sound is updated. His style with the Brothers Johnson foreshadows what's coming in 1979 with Rufus & Chaka and Michael Jackson under Quincy's watchful eye.

Song 5 & 6 by Kool & The Gang

New Jersey's Kool and the Gang morphed from local instrumentalist fame to funk hit purveyors Kool & the Gang later in their career. "Jazziacs at the Kool Jazz Café" comes from Kool's 2004 "Hits Reloaded" release.

Group members are featured soloing throughout the track playing an occasional thematic refrain of their "Jungle Boogie" hit oldie.

There is a quick spoken close by dj Vaughn Harper. "Jazziacs at the Kool Jazz Café" takes the band back to their routes.

When "Light of Worlds" dropped in 1974," the album included "Summer Madness," a popular instrumental track that features Ronald Bell's haunting synthesizer and melotron and brother Robert "Kool" Bell's signature bass. The group has other instrumentals, but I chose these two.

Song 7 by Con Funk Shun

Vallejo, California gives us Con Fun Shun, a band lead by Michael Cooper (vocals, guitar), Felton Pilate (horns), and other group members. This crew defines what funk is.

As with The Brothers Johnson, "Indian Summer Love" is the last track on the B side of Con Funk Shun's album "Secrets." "Indian Summer Love" is a great medium paced mellow groove instrumental featuring Pilate on synthesizer and producer Skip Scarborough. Scarborough also plays the instrument on the track.

This instrumental creates the perfect atmosphere as you roll down the Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to San Francisco and listen!

Song 8 by Love Unlimited Orchestra

Classically trained musician Barry White had quite a career playing with other people behind the scenes before he broke out big as a vocalist. His forty piece Love Unlimited Orchestra had a monster hit with 1974's "Love's Theme," but that's not the track we are featuring.

White gets credit for composer, executive producer, horn arrangements, mixing, primary artist, and string arrangements.

The Orchestra had a masterpiece with "My Sweet Summer Suite." Unlike two other artists mentioned above, this track appears first on side A of the 1976 LUO album "My Sweet Summer Suite." A different album is shown above.

The "My Sweet Summer Suite "instrumental sounds like George Gershwin (composer of "Rhapsody in Blue") on steroids, with an amazing score challenging the string section to go through some heavy gymnastics in the middle of the track.

It's produced by Barry White with arrangements by Gene Page. This instrumental was a minor hit on Black radio.

Song 9 by Ashford & Simpson

"Bourgié Bourgié," a 1977 instrumental featuring Valerie Simpson on piano, Eric Gale on guitar, and Ralph McDonald on percussion & congas is an uptown urban sprint that gallops along nicely.

Nicholas Ashford and wife Valerie were a vocal duo. "Bourgié Bourgié was a surprise on the "Send It" album, highlighting Simpson's excellent work on keyboards. I think Quincy Jones was listening. You can hear ideas from this track on 1978's extended "Brand New Day" from The Wiz soundtrack sung by Luther Vandross, Diana Ross and others.

Song 10 by Cliff Nobles

Ok. I had to go really old school and include 1968's "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & Company. Nobles was the group leader and occasional vocalist.

I wanted the tone of Instrumentally Yours to be more new school, and less throwback.

What do I mean? I considered other tracks without lyrics including "Time is Tight" by Booker T. & The MGs, "Cissy Strut" by Louisiana's the Meters, and another classic "Soul Finger" by the Bar-Kays (1967).

Some chanting in Instrumentally Yours is allowed. "Soul Finger" has some.

"The Horse" is on the Phil-L.A. of Soul label. There's something magical about the sonic resonance of this track that signals the future 'Philly sound.' That is, the Philly sound of the late 1970s into the 1980s.

It turns out that the horn section players on "The Horse" would later become MFSB members! You could hear their influence even way back when. "The Horse" was a smash hit.

Song 11 by Crown Heights Affair

From Philly we go to Brooklyn, New York for the contribution "Dreaming A Dream" by Crown Heights Affair. This instrumental was their biggest hit peaking at number five on 1975's R&B charts.

Nailed it guitar, nice keyboards, neat percussion, and nifty horns make this a very enjoyable track. There's some minor scat chanting in the track, but this is allowed. The group's instrumental arrangement is very good.

Song 12 by Paul Hardcastle

"Rain Forest" offers a danceable but subtle hip hop instrumental groove by Englishman Paul Hardcastle. The track was a popular hit for Paul in 1984.

Song 13 by Flora Purim

Flora Purim is a Brazilian singer synonymous with improvisational approaches to Brazilian and American jazz fusion. In 1978, her record "Nothing Will Be As It Was...Tomorrow" offered "Angels," an instrumental track written by Al McKay and Phillip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire.

"Angels" is branded by Flora's magnificent voice. It glides along over a soothing instrumental beat. She's not singing lyrics. She's flowing along to the melody of the track using her light lilting cadence. Touchdown! It is very good.

Song 14 by Earth, Wind & Fire

When Flora Purim's "Angels" was picked, I knew that something by Earth, Wind & Fire had to follow it. EWF's 2004 Illumination album had several fine tracks. Selection eleven out of thirteen on the CD is "Liberation."

Recorded and mixed in Santa Monica, California, "Liberation" feels like the west coast sprinkled with a hybrid of African and Latin percussion. It sounds like Purim's "Angels," with Phillip Bailey on the mic sans lyrics following the pulse of the instrumental.

Both Purim's "Angels" and EWF's "Liberation" use the voice as an instrument to project hummable melodies without using actual words.

Song 15 by MFSB

MFSB is above. When thinking about this playlist, MFSB was the first group considered and three of their instrumentals were quickly selected. "Love is The Message" is a grand slam. It's an A+ production and closes out the mix. At eleven minutes + every second is worth it.

"Love is The Message" was pulled off of the 1977 "Philadelphia Classics" double vinyl album. Many of the other Philadelphia International Records all-stars (The Three Degrees, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass, etc.) are on the album in other tracks.

Bobby Martin brilliantly arranged "Love is The Message." Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff wrote and produced this song that first appeared on the 1973 album "MFSB: Love is The Message." That version clocks in at six minutes, thirty-five seconds.

The 11 minute version vamps along with punctuating sax solos. "Love is the Message" harmonies are sung by an occasional chorus of voices. A killer ensemble of musicians keep the sound tight and hot. 

When you hear this song, it makes you feel joyous and happy. Just what we need through trying times in the modern world!

The Playlist

Here are the tracks again. Try this playlist out, Instrumentally Yours:

1. MFSB - "My Mood"
2. MFSB - "Backstabbers"
3. Quincy Jones - "Money Runner"
4. Brothers Johnson - "Streetwave"
5. Kool & The Gang - "Jazziacs at the Kool Jazz Café"
6. Kool & The Gang - "Summer Madness"
7. Con Funk Shun - "Indian Summer Love"
8. Love Unlimited Orchestra - "My Sweet Summer Suite"
9. Ashford & Simpson - "Bourgié Bourgié"
10. Cliff Nobles & Co. - "The Horse"
11. Crown Heights Affair - "Dreaming A Dream"
12. Paul Hardcastle - "Rain Forest"
13. Flora Purim - "Angels"
14. Earth, Wind & Fire - "Liberation"
15. MFSB - "Love is The Message

Hear how the transitions sound in this video:

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