No Time Like The Future- Incognito

I still remember being inside of my father's car, travelling without moving direction to the beach, listening to Incognito. The stereo was playing No Time Like The Future, our favorite Incognito album (their seventh work, stronger than its predecessor Beneath The Surface, that is much more smooth). This was like ten years ago, but I never get tired of these recording.

The compositions have as headmaster the acid jazz legend Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick (founder of the group, composer and guitarist). Bluey and his team have achieved this time a melting of funky beats, soul vocals, Latin sambas and Moroccan rhythms. Of course all of these spiced with Incognito's traditional electrical acid jazz touch. This combination leads us to a multi-cultural and rhythmic journey to "the future". So, Bluey is not just creating great music, but he is also using al the colors of the palette.

One of the best songs is "Get Into My Groove", where Maysa is the vocalists’ leader. It is about politicians' hypocrisy, excess of affection and lack of understanding of the common man ("Don't shake me by the hand, Pretend to understand, To get into my mind, You got to get into my groove"). It is a vey funky tune that has a highly effective orchestration and a vocal that draws a melody born to be loved, so that the notes remain traced on our mind.

"Marrakech", the track that I most like, is the fourth in the tracklist. I understand it as a kind of dream through the streets of that exotic city that is Marrakech. When you listen to this piece you can feel the ethnic sounds evolving you, combining funk melodies with oriental influences. Nextly, we have a mix of bossa nova and Tibetan chants, "Fearless", the typical Incognito's instrumental groove.

The star and more famous song of the album is "Nights over Egypt", a cover of the Jones Girls one (that was written by Dexter Wansel!). A successful use of house bases and the string section makes this tune a funky cocktail that should explode in flames in every dance floor.

Definitely, No Time Like The Future is a masterpiece: stimulant, energetic and inspirational. It is engaging and relaxing at the same time. Highly recommended!

Listen to it: No Time Like The Future (open in Spotify)

Playlist- Jazz Moods 3

I have already published my new playlist. Jazz Moods 3 comes charged with jazz, blues, bossa nova, acid jazz and enough groove to keep in the good mood all this week.

Featuring artists: Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, Eumir Deodato, Tom Scott, John Coltrane, United Future Organization, Clark Terry, Bob James, Donald Byrd, Alphonse Mouzon, Michael Camilo, Al Jarreau, Bobby Shad, Chuck Mangione, Miles Davis, George Benson, Oscar Peterson, US3, Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Teddy Pendergrass and Jamiroquai!

Jazz Moods 3 (open in Spotify)

DotFunk

The 24 January of 2010 a new band was born. That day DotFunk performed their first gig at the London Jazz Cafe.

The band is formed by the most funky musicians and vocalists of the UK (as described by the Jazz Cafe critic); coming from the Acid Jazz groups: Jamiroquai, Incognito and Brand New Heavies. 

In my opinion, they are more than good enough to go far away from just doing concerts. Sounding so good, I think you would agree with me: they should take the plunge and release an album right now.

Line-up:

Rob Harris- guitar

Paul Turner- bass

Derrick McKenzie- drums

Dan Pearce- vocals & perc

Michelle John- vocals

Matt Steele- keys

A Message To Our Politicians

"It ain't what it seems when it's a single sided system". That is what my favorite artist, Jay Kay (Jamiroquai's leader) sings in the conclusion of this piece. 

The tune I want you to listen today it is called Scam. It is part of the album The Return Of The Space Cowboy that maybe is the second album that I most like of the band.

Released in 1994, Jamiroquai's lyrics where still committed to safe environment and to promote their political ideas. Here, in "Scam" they express their dissatisfaction with their contemporary politicians as much as ever. This song is about politicians who do not keep their promises, who abuse of their power, who are corrupt. And as the British group states, this makes you "have to be a schemer if you wanna love the life you have to live".

People, please check the lyrics if you do not understand English quite well because it is worthwhile.

This is a message for all politicians, specially the Spanish ones. In five days we are having general elections, and I suppose that many Spaniards are feeling like Jay.

Listen, take a while and think about it.

Playlist- Jazz Moods 2

This week new playlist is now available at Spotify for you.

In a similar way to the last week one, the groove starts with some Fusion classics as Miles Davis, Return To Forever, Dave Grusin or Pat Metheny. The thing gets acid with Incognito and Jamiroquai, to finally fall in funkier tunes from Gil-Scott Heron, Barry White and Level 42.

Enjoy!

Jazz Moods 2 (Open in Spotify)

       

 

Playlist- Jazz Moods 1

Thanks to the requests from some followers I have uploaded a new playlist. I hope to do so every week. 


In Jazz Moods 1 I have included classic tunes as "Moanin' " of Art Blakey, or "Half and Half" of The Jazz Crusaders (before they went Fusion). As the playlist develops you will find songs by Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea and other Jazz Fusion geniuses. The conclusion is reached with Al Jarreau, Incognito and Jamiroquai, to finally come back again to the early Jazz Crusaders.


Jazz Moods 1 (open in Spotify)

Hope you like it people!

Playlist for AJH November

It is a rainy day here in Valencia. Perfect for staying at home, just relaxing listening to music and creating a new playlist.

Frequently, I use to collaborate in making a monthly Spotify playlist for Acid Jazz Hispano, a Spanish site where you can find a lot of information about Acid Jazz and other Jazz genres.

For this month of November I have included great tracks and I hope you will like them. Some of the artists are: Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Marcus Miller, Eumir Deodato, Gil Scott-Heron, Chuck Mangione and Miles Davis.

Just click on this link that will open you the Playlist for AJH November in Spotify.

And if you want to listen to the whole playlist made up by more contributions of other users: Acid Jazz Hispano 2011-11

Enjoy your weekend!

UNITED FUTURE ORGANIZATION- LOUD MINORITY

United Future Organization (known also as UFO) is a group made up by two Japanese DJs Tadashi Yabe and Toshio Matsuura, and Raphael Sebbag (a French expatriate). They are one of the exponents of the Japanese Acid jazz movement and are also known for disk jockeying in many European and American clubs. As a band, they have worked with various labels such as Verve Records and Talkin’ Loud.

This song in concrete, "Loud minority" was part of the single that made them emerge from the land of the rising sun to jump to the old continent scene ("Loud Minority/Moon Dance", 1992). The tune is about how most Acid Jazz DJs and bands feel like: as a "loud minority". A music genre that has not got that massive commercial acceptation that others have. But the core of the message is a claim against jazz purists that think that modern jazz movements (like Avant-Garde Jazz, Jazz Fusion or even Free Jazz) are not jazz at all.

So now we are not only talking about DJs and Acid Jazz bands, but how jazz musicians of these styles/sub-genres feel discriminated by some circles of this world. And let me tell you that this kind of purist and classical idea it is ridiculous. It is ridiculous for the only reason that Jazz is a movement that has been reinventing and evolving since its birth (from Swing to Bebop, from Bebop to Cool Jazz, and so on), searching for new forms, new ways, new rhythms…