slow, funky, groovin' laid back music

I would try Nightmares on Wax for a start, maybe their album Carboot Soul. They, if I'm not mistaken, produced the original instrumental for Pharcyde's "Passin Me By" and their instrumental for that is great--mellow, full of bass and no lyrics. Maybe more of a dub influence than jazz, but should fit the bill. Great sonics!

This may not be exactly what you're looking for, but maybe try some of the down-tempo stuff from Ratatat. Maybe denser sound than you're looking for, but they're definitely trying to innovate. Did some decent Talib Kweli remixes, and their track "Seventeen Years" is a banger.

Memberman, I know the suggestions were not aimed at me, but thanks.

I went to AMG, listened to a few cuts from Nightmares on Wax and Ratatat and am ordering the LP's.

Anything on Daptone Records.

Definitely Nightmares on Wax as suggested. Try also Kid Loco. For some afro/cuban jazz try Herbie Mann from the 70s.

Best idea is to get a free lastfm.com account and plug in those names. You'll be able to hear snippets and sometimes whole songs and they have an amazing 'similar artist' search engine. You'll go for hours finding one after another of exactly the type of musicians you're interested in.

Al Green