The Chocolate Jam Co. -

The Chocolate Jam Co. was an American studio-based soul-funk band that released the 1979/80 albums The Spread of the Future and Do I Make You Feel Better? on Epic Records. Veteran drummer, singer, and producer Leon “Ndugu” Chancler led the project, which featured keyboardist Ronnie Foster and vocalist Maxi Anderson.

Members: Leon “Ndugu” Chancler (lead vocals, drums, percussion), Leo Miller (vocals), Virginia Ayers (vocals), Byron Miller (bass), Maxi Anderson (vocals), Reggie Andrews (keyboards, arranger), Al McKay (guitar)

Leon “Ndugu” Chancler

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on July 1, 1952, Leon Chancler was the youngest of seven children. In 1960, his family relocated to Los Angeles, California. Chancler took up drums at age thirteen, frequently tapping on his desk in class and on poles in the hallway. His love for the instrument took over while he attended Gompers Junior High School, where it became his lifelong ambition.

Chancler backed percussionist Willie Bobo while enrolled at Locke High School. At age sixteen, he played on Everybody Loves a Winner, the 1968 Revue Records release by the Harold Johnson Sextet. Chancler graduated with a music education degree from Cal State Dominguez Hills. At age nineteen, he earned his first adult credit on Mwandishi, the 1971 album by Herbie Hancock, who gave Leon the nickname “Ndugu,” Swahili for “brother.”

Ndugu earned further credits on 1971/72 albums by Harold Land (Choma (Burn), Damisi), Bill Cosby (Badfoot Brown and the Bunions Bradford Funeral Marching Band), Mtume Umoja Ensemble (Alkebu-Lan – Land of the Blacks), and Hampton Hawes (Universe).

From 1973 to 1975, Ndugu proliferated on albums by Eddie Harris (Excursions), Julian Priester (Love, Love), Joe Henderson (The Elements), Santana (Borboletta), Patrice Rushen (Prelusion, Before The Dawn), Henry Franklin (The Skipper at Home), Calvin Keys (Proceed With Caution!), Weather Report (Tale Spinnin’), and David Axelrod (Seriously Deep).

Chancler joined the backing band of keyboardist George Duke for the 1974/75 albums Feel, Faces In Reflection, The Aura Will Prevail, and I Love The Blues, She Heard My Cry.

Prior Member Credits, Interactions

During the early 1970s, future Chocolate Jam Co. members gained experience across a range of genres. Guitarists Roland Bautista and Al McKay traded places in Earth, Wind & Fire between the 1972/73 albums Last Days and Time and Head to the Sky. Bautista also played on mid-Seventies albums by Gene McDaniels, Leon Haywood, Michael White, Side Effect, and Thelma Houston. He landed multi-album gigs with Ronnie Laws and The Crusaders.

Keyboardist Reggie Andrews also worked with Willie Bobo and EWF. He co-founded Karma, a jazz-funk septet that made the 1976/77 albums Celebration and For Everybody, the former with Ndugu on one track. Meanwhile, organist Ronnie Foster parlayed his solo career on Blue Note with credits behind George Benson, Harvey Mason, Jimmy Ponder, Jorge Dalto, and Stevie Wonder (Songs In the Key of Life).

Between 1975 and 1978, the future bandmates’ professional paths began to cross more frequently. Chancler and Counts bassist Byron Miller first worked together on George Duke’s 1975 release I Love The Blues, She Heard My Cry, and they continued as Duke’s rhythm section on his subsequent albums, including From Me to You, Reach for It, and Don’t Let Go. Miller and Foster first collaborated on Roy Ayers Ubiquity‘s 1975 album Mystic Voyage. The pair later encountered Chancler on Foster’s 1978 album Love Satellite. Ndugu and Andrews first worked together on Patrice Rushen‘s 1975 release Before The Dawn.

The musicians’ interconnected careers led to more frequent collaborations. On Duke’s 1978 album Don’t Let Go, Chancler and Miller were joined by Bautista. Chancler and Miller were also the rhythm section for the 1977 Flora Purim albums Encounter and Nothing Will Be As It Was…Tomorrow. On Raul de Souza‘s 1977 album Sweet Lucy, they encountered McKay, who played on recent albums by The Emotions, Deniece Williams, and Gene Harris.

This extensive network of collaborations across funk, jazz, and soul paved the way for the formation of their own band, the Chocolate Jam Co., which used three vocalists.

Singer Leo Miller earned his first credit on Cayenne, the 1977 Prestige release by Bill Summers & Summers Heat. Vocalists Virginia Ayers and Maxi Anderson first worked together on Summers’ 1978 album Straight to the Bank.

Virginia began in Joe Cocker’s backing band and earned credits behind Ahmad Jamal, Viola Wills, Sly & The Family Stone, and WAR harpist Lee Oskar. Maxi appeared on recent titles by Donald Byrd, Mandrill, Masayoshi Takanaka, and backed Phyllis Hyman on her 1977 debut album. Maxi’s own album appeared simultaneously on Blue Note.

The Spread of the Future

The Chocolate Jam Co. released their first album, The Spread of the Future, in 1979 on Epic.

The album blends hard-driving funk with smoother, orchestrated soul passages, balancing uptempo workouts with lushly arranged vocal numbers. Chancler’s leadership ties the project together with a mix of percussion-heavy fire and layered arrangements that recall his associations with George Duke and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Chancler composed everything apart from “This Time,” a co-write with vocalist Virginia Ayers. Guitarist Al McKay co-arranged rhythms on three songs with bassist Byron Miller and keyboardist Ronnie Foster, while Foster and McKay also shaped “Don’t Leave Me Now, Stay With Me.” Duke contributed Moog and ARP synthesizers on the closing segment of the album suite.

The album moves between urgent funk, romantic mid-tempo balladry, and extended suite-based explorations. “Looking Glass” and “A Chocolate Jam” build around thick brass and rhythm-section drive, while “Just As You Are” and “Don’t Leave Me Now, Stay With Me” emphasize Ayers’ vocal presence against strings and layered keys. The five-part “Suite Chocolate” moves through short vignettes and expansive sections, uniting the album’s funk and soul directions into a single extended statement.

A1. “The Feeling” (3:24)
A2. “Just As You Are” (4:28)
A3. “This Time” (3:54)
A4. “Don’t Leave Me Now, Stay With Me” (5:39)

B1. “Looking Glass” (3:35)
Suite Chocolate
B2a. “Mounds” (2:00)
B2b. “Spread of the Future” (4:40)
B2c. “The Party” (0:29)
B2d. “A Chocolate Jam” (4:40)
B2e. “C of Chocolate” (4:29)

Chancler produced the sessions at Hollywood Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, where Phil Kaffel engineered and mixed the album.

The Spread of the Future features design by Tony Lane with photography by Graham Henman.

1979/80 Side Credits

During Chocolate Jam’s active phase, Leon “Ndugu” Chancler backed Patrice Rushen on her 1979/80 albums Pizzazz and Posh. He also appeared on Minnie Riperton’s final studio album, Minnie, and reunited with Herbie Hancock on Mr. Hands.

Meanwhile, Al McKay played on Ren Woods‘ solo debut, Out of the Woods, and served as Earth, Wind & Fire’s guitarist for their chart-topping 1979 album, I Am, and its 1980 two-record followup, Faces.

Roland Bautista scored a hit with The Crusaders on “Street Life,” a collaboration with singer Randy Crawford. He played on her 1980 album (Now We May Begin) and concurrent titles by The Dramatics, Tom Waits, and Crusaders trombonist Wayne Henderson.

Bryon Miller backed Crusader keyboardist Joe Sample on his 1979 solo album (Carmel) and also played on contemporary titles by A Taste of Honey, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Norman Connors.

Ronnie Foster cut his sixth solo studio album (Delight) and titles by Stanley Clarke and The Jacksons (Triumph).

The members’ paths continued to intersect on various projects outside of Chocolate Jam. Chancler and Miller played on albums by Flora Purim (Carry On), Lalo Schifrin (No One Home), and George Duke (Follow The Rainbow). Bautista and McKay both contributed to The Emotions’ 1979 album Come Into Our World. Foster, Chancler, and Miller also all played on Ramsey Lewis‘s 1980 album, Routes.

Do I Make You Feel Better?

Ndugu and The Chocolate Jam Co. released their second album, Do I Make You Feel Better?, in 1980 on Epic.

The album shifts between dense funk, lushly arranged soul, and short interludes with disco-leaning undercurrents. Strings, horns, and layered synthesizers broaden the sound while Ronnie Foster, Roland Bautista, and guests George Duke and Hubert Laws reinforce the band’s jazz-funk lineage.

Chancler produced the album and wrote or co-wrote all but one track. Vocalist Virginia Ayers co-wrote “Give Your Love,” while bassist Byron Miller and keyboardist Reggie Andrews co-wrote “A Chance With You.” The O’Jays joined for a cover of Andy Gibb’s “Shadow Dancing.”

The set ranges from expansive workouts to compact sketches. “Come Into My Life Again,” “Send You My Love,” and “Take Some Time” carry polished vocal lines with mid-tempo pacing. “Give Your Love” highlights Foster’s organ and Laws’ soprano sax. The instrumental “Space Connection” and brief “Jungle Journey” serve as interludes, while “Make You Feel Better” unfolds in two parts with Bautista’s synthesizer guitar and Chancler’s fuzz vibraphone. “Love Anew (What You Feel Inside)” closes with layered vocals and brass over Chancler and Andrews’ chart.

A1. “Shadow Dancing” (6:56)
A2. “Come Into My Life Again” (4:12)
A3. “Send You My Love” (4:06)
A4. “Take Some Time” (4:26)

B1. “Give Your Love” (4:42)
B2. “Space Connection” (1:00)
B3. “Make You Feel Better (Parts 1 and 2)” (5:06)
B4. “A Chance With You” (4:52)
B5. “Jungle Journey” (0:19)
B6. “Love Anew (What You Feel Inside)” (4:12)

Sessions occurred at Hollywood Sound, Westlake Audio, United Western, and Davlen Sound in Los Angeles with Chancler producing and Phil Kaffel engineering.

Do I Make You Feel Better? features a cover image by Welden Andersen with back cover photography by Bruce Talamon. The gold logo was designed by Schwartz & Ableser.

Postlude

During the early to mid-1980s, the musicians continued to cross paths on various projects. Chancler and Miller maintained their ongoing gig with George Duke. Chancler and Foster both contributed to Greg Phillinganes‘s 1981 album Significant Gains. Bautista and McKay both played on Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1981 album Raise! and their 1983 albums Powerlight and Electric Universe.

Miller worked with Foster and Bautista all played on the 1981 compilation album Pacific Jam. He interacted with Chancler and Andrews on the 1982 Bloodstone album We Go a Long Way Back. Four Chocolate Jam alumni (Chancler, Miller, McKay, Bautista) appear on the 1984 Crusaders album Ghetto Blaster. Foster and Ndugu also partook in Fuse One, a jazz-funk supergroup that toured Japan and cut two albums for CTI Records.

Meanwhile, Chancler proliferated as a sessionist on 1981–84 albums by Michael Henderson (Slingshot), Phyllis Hyman (Can’t We Fall in Love Again), Donna Summer (self-titled), Lionel Richie (self-titled), Michael Jackson (Thriller), Gladys Knight & The Pips (Visions), and Tina Turner (Private Dancer). Chancler served as George Duke’s drummer on the 1982–84 albums Dream On, Guardian of the Light, and Rendezvous. He also continued playing with Stanley Turrentine and Keni Burke.