Charles Kynard - Woga Charles Kynard

Organist Charles Kynard, born in St. Louis in 1933, passed away relatively young at the age of 46 in 1979. Despite a short career, he left a lasting impression on the international jazz-funk scene with a string of soul-jazz classics, culminating with Woga, recorded in 1972 for Bob Shad's Mainstream Records. Kynard began his professional career in St. Louis before relocating to Los Angeles in the early '60s, where he started recording for the Pacific Jazz label. There, he worked with renowned musicians such as Howard Roberts, Sonny Stitt, and Buddy Collette, releasing his debut album for the label in 1963. A few years later, he switched to Prestige Records, recording a series of albums that would become staples of the soul-jazz canon — including Reelin' With The Feelin' (1969), Afro-Disiac (1970), and Wa-Tu-Wa-Zui (1971). These records, rich with breakbeats provided by the likes of Bernard Purdie, Paul Humphrey, and Idris Muhammad, have since been sampled by artists such as Bonobo, C