Inspired by composers like
Roy Budd and
Quincy Jones along with funky soundtracks like Bullitt and
Dirty Harry, the Leeds, U.K., combo
Capri dubbed their sound "cop funk" when they formed in 1996. As time went on, core members Chris Donnelly and Daniel Woodward dove deeper into '70s soul and funk, taking in
James Brown,
Donald Byrd,
Azymuth, and
Roy Ayers as influences. Their repertoire was entirely instrumental at first, and then they discovered a
Stevie Wonder-inspired vocalist named John McCallum. McCallum would stick with the band -- now 11 members big -- through numerous gigs across the U.K., but he left in 1999 and was replaced with Benson Walker. Walker appeared on that year's Earth Songs EP, which also introduced the band's own label, Groove Laboratory Productions. In 2002
Capri made their full-length debut with
Boogie Man, another hip-shaking effort, featuring the single "Barbarella." Besides playing in
Capri and running the label, Walker and Woodward also host the popular GLP Sessions show on the Internet radio station Jazz Syndicate Radio. ~ David Jeffries