Idris Muhammad - Turn This Mutha Out
1977 - US 1st Pressing
Year Released: 1977
Genre: Jazz-Funk, Soul-Jazz, Disco, Fusion
Description:
Turn This Mutha Out is a landmark 1977 album by legendary jazz drummer Idris Muhammad, known for his versatility across jazz, soul, R&B, and funk. Released on Kudu Records (a CTI subsidiary), the album marked a bold shift in Muhammad’s career, diving deep into the jazz-funk and disco-fusion sounds that were defining the mid- to late-1970s.
Produced and arranged by David Matthews, this record is often considered one of Muhammad’s most influential and forward-thinking works — blending tightly arranged horn sections, extended grooves, layered percussion, and early synth textures with danceable rhythms. The album is less focused on traditional jazz improvisation and more on creating infectious, hypnotic grooves — making it a staple of jazz-dance floors and crate-diggers alike.
The opening title track, “Turn This Mutha Out”, is a high-energy funk explosion, full of punchy horns and party-ready vocals. However, the centerpiece of the album is undeniably “Could Heaven Ever Be Like This” — a lush, eight-minute jazz-disco epic that has become a cult classic. Built around a soaring groove, sensual saxophone solos, and ethereal production, the track has since been widely sampled by artists such as Jamie xx, Drake, and Soul Providers, and remains one of the most iconic jazz-funk tracks ever recorded.
Other standouts include “Camby Bolongo”, with its polyrhythmic Afro-Cuban influence and prominent flute work, and “Tasty Cakes”, a playful, disco-infused funk track with tight rhythm guitar and call-and-response vocals. “Crab Apple” and “Say What” deliver gritty fusion energy, featuring contributions from top-tier session musicians like Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, and Hiram Bullock.
While the album drew some criticism from jazz purists at the time — viewed by some as a commercial pivot toward disco — it has since been reappraised as a visionary blend of genres, sitting comfortably alongside other groove-heavy records of the CTI/Kudu era. Muhammad’s drumming anchors the entire project, offering both propulsion and restraint, and confirming his role as one of the most versatile drummers in modern jazz.
Today, Turn This Mutha Out is widely recognized as an essential document of the jazz-disco-funk crossover period — a record that perfectly captures the eclecticism and dancefloor ambition of 1970s New York.