INCOGNITO
RIDES THE WAVE OF HUMAN EMOTION ON ITS HEADS UP INTERNATIONAL
DEBUT
Tales From The Beach
Set For Release On June 24, 2008
Since the late 1970s, the UK unit known
as Incognito has taken elements of American R&B, soul,
funk, disco and other high-energy sounds and merged them with
the multicultural sensibilities of founder and frontman Jean-Paul
Maunick, the Mauritius-born guitarist/producer better know
to fans worldwide as “Bluey.”
More than just a UK band copping U.S. grooves, though, Incognito
has built a rock-solid reputation for diversity by borrowing
music and musicians from a host of exotic cultural centers:
South Africa, India, Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica, Israel, France,
Germany, Russia and so many more. An ongoing work in progress
more than a band in the traditional sense, Incognito is a
creative melting pot that captures the most infectious, dance-oriented
beats from around the globe and distills them into an upbeat,
high-octane blend.
With three decades worth of innovative recordings and stunning
live performances under their collective belts, Incognito
joins Heads Up International with the June 24, 2008, worldwide
release of Tales From The Beach (HUCD 3141),
a 15-track set of refreshing and uplifting songs that capture
the best elements of the band’s classic sound: driving
rhythms, high-impact horns and stirring lyrics delivered by
an array of expressive vocalists (including Maysa Leak, an
intermittent but consistently popular member of the Incognito
lineup since the early ‘90s).
INCOGNITO
RIDES THE WAVE OF HUMAN EMOTION ON ITS HEADS UP INTERNATIONAL
DEBUT
Tales From The Beach Set
For Release On June 24, 2008
Since the late 1970s, the UK unit known as Incognito has taken
elements of American R&B, soul, funk, disco and other high-energy
sounds and merged them with the multicultural sensibilities
of founder and frontman Jean-Paul Maunick, the Mauritius-born
guitarist/producer better know to fans worldwide as “Bluey.”
More than just a UK band copping U.S. grooves, though, Incognito
has built a rock-solid reputation for diversity by borrowing
music and musicians from a host of exotic cultural centers:
South Africa, India, Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica, Israel, France,
Germany, Russia and so many more. An ongoing work in progress
more than a band in the traditional sense, Incognito is a creative
melting pot that captures the most infectious, dance-oriented
beats from around the globe and distills them into an upbeat,
high-octane blend.
With three decades worth of innovative recordings and stunning
live performances under their collective belts, Incognito joins
Heads Up International with the June 24, 2008, worldwide release
of Tales From The Beach (HUCD 3141),
a 15-track set of refreshing and uplifting songs that capture
the best elements of the band’s classic sound: driving
rhythms, high-impact horns and stirring lyrics delivered by
an array of expressive vocalists (including Maysa Leak, an intermittent
but consistently popular member of the Incognito lineup since
the early ‘90s).
The album title is a reference to Bluey’s musical evolution
since his childhood on the small island of Mauritius (off the
coast of Madagascar). “When I was a kid, my first taste
of music came from the beaches of Mauritius,” he says.
“I spent a lot of time listening to the hotel bands, or
the bands playing around the bonfires and cookouts. It’s
a small island, so there were beaches everywhere. I was always
watching live musicians play. So for inspiration for this album,
I went back to various beaches around the world – in Italy,
Indonesia and elsewhere – and just let the music flow.”
But on a more metaphorical level, Tales From The
Beach tracks the continuing ebb and flow of certain
personal yet universal experiences that make up the emotional
landscape of our lives. “I just took inspiration from
what has come to pass in the last year of heavy touring that
we’ve been doing as a band,” says Bluey. “Each
of us has experienced a lot of changes in our personal lives.
Some of us have had relationships end. Some of us have entered
new relationships. I think some of my best writing is on this
record. In terms of lyrics and storytelling, I was able to get
a lot of things out of my system.”
Tales From The Beach opens on a defiant
note with “Step Aside,” a declaration of independence
delivered by lead vocalist Joy Rose and propelled by a pulsating
bass line, funky horns and the shimmering rhythm of the exotic-sounding
African shekere.
The pop-flavored “When the Sun Comes Down,” sung
by Tony Momrelle, examines the potential benefits and perils
of making an emotional leap of faith. “I got goose bumps
when Tony sang this song in the studio,” says Bluey. “It
was a high point for me in the making of this record, a very
emotional moment. It was a one-take vocal. He just took the
lyrics, went into the booth and belted it out. When he finished,
I was shaking. He said, ‘Was it okay?’ And I said,
‘Was it okay?! Are you kidding?’”
Maysa makes one of four lead-vocal appearances on the record
with “I Remember a Time,” a poignant ballad co-written
by Bluey and percussionist/keyboardist Matt Cooper, who had
recently weathered a heart-wrenching breakup with his girlfriend.
“I was writing songs with him while all this was going
on, and he kind of confided in me,” Bluey recalls. “He’d
written a piece of music – a skeleton of what the song
would eventually become – and I came up with some lyrics.
He took one look at the lyrics and he disappeared for a while.
I later found him out in the garden crying. To me, this is what
writing music is all about. Whether you like this song or not,
I know we have achieved something great with this piece of music.”
Maysa reappears on “When Words Are Just Words,”
a smoldering and soulful track co-written by Bluey, drummer/percussionist
Richard Bull and keyboardist Graham Harvey – the sure-fire
songwriting combo that weighed in on two previous Incognito
releases, Tribes Vibes & Scribes (1992) and Positivity
(1994).
The album closes with the title track, a brief interlude propelled
by the formidable bass lines of Julian Crampton and the syncopated
chugging riff of Bluey’s guitar. On top of this seamless
combination is the lighthearted vocal scatting of Momrelle.
The song is the satisfying final stretch of the journey to that
place – in the mind and the heart, if not on the map –
where the sand is soft and the ocean breeze is intoxicating.
Throughout Tales From The Beach, even
in those moments that are melancholy or bittersweet, there’s
an underlying message of hope and positivity. That message,
says Bluey, is no accident. “When people come to Incognito
gigs,” he says, “they’re saying, ‘Look,
man, give us something.’ They come as if they’re
in need of some kind of healing, or some kind of wisdom. I’m
not a doctor or a prophet, so all I can do is give them something
through the music and the message in the music. That ends up
being part of the band’s greater goal, whether we’re
on stage or in the studio – to bring people together,
to be a platform to energize people.”
From the earliest years of his life Jean-Paul
Maunick was literally surrounded by music. Born in the late
1950s on the small island of Mauritius (off the coast of Madagascar),
Maunick was the son of Edouard Maunick, a distinguished African
poet and writer, who was his country’s ambassador to South
Africa after Nelson Mandela became president. Young Jean-Paul
– nicknamed Bluey at an early age – immediately
gravitated to a different kind of lyric and verse. He spent
the first decade of his life listening to the various folk bands
that played around the bonfires and cookouts that sprang up
on the nearby beaches.
His family moved to London when he was only ten, but by then,
the music had made its way under his skin. By the early ‘70s,
Bluey sought out every available opportunity to check out U.S.
bands touring in the UK, like Earth Wind & Fire, Weather
Report, Kool and the Gang, Tower of Power and the Doobie Brothers
– many of whom played at London’s legendary Rainbow
Theatre, which he still considers “the best music venue
ever.” In addition, he hung out with bands from the UK’s
emerging jazz funk scene, like Gonzalez, FBI, Kokomo, Hi Tension
and the Average White Band. He would often help them load in
their equipment, then stay outside for the duration of their
shows because he was underage and penniless.
Bluey and Paul “Tubbs” Williams formed a disco-funk
group in the 1970s known as Light of the World, a disco-funk
group that scored a few moderate UK hits, including a cover
of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff.” After
three LPs, Bluey and Williams made a few personnel changes and
renamed the band Incognito.
The band released Jazz Funk in 1981, but was generally
inactive for the remainder of the decade. In that time, however,
Bluey continued to write for the group, while at the same time
writing and producing for a variety of other artists, including
George Benson, Philip Bailey, Maxi Priest and Brenda Russell.
During this time, Williams left the project, and Bluey became
the sole driving force behind Incognito.
Ten years after Jazz Funk, Incognito released the long-awaited
Inside Life, a 1991 album that spawned the single,
“Always There,” which became a top ten hit in Britain’s
burgeoning acid jazz scene, thanks in large part to the song’s
vocal track by Jocelyn Brown. Inside Life boasted a
large cast that included some of the best funk players in England
at the time.
Since then, the band has released a consistent string of high-quality
recordings, beginning with Tribes Vibes & Scribes,
a 1992 album that marked the first appearance of American vocalist
Maysa Leaks in the lineup. Maysa would reappear on several Incognito
albums for the remainder of the ‘90s and beyond. Along
the way, they’ve generated numerous hit singles on either
side of the Atlantic, most notably “Always There”
and a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You
Worry ‘Bout A Thing.”
More than just a band in the traditional sense, Incognito is
an ever-changing collective of musicians hand-picked by Bluey
from a worldwide pool to capture whatever vibe he is seeking
on any given project. The result is a dynamic musical entity
that spans a vast range of styles and cultures. He claims to
have used more than 1,000 different musicians and vocalists
during the band’s 30-year career, with lineups varying
in size from eight pieces to fourteen to even larger configurations.
Given this approach, Bluey is the leader of what is probably
the most multicultural band in Britain, with current and past
members hailing from all corners: Mauritius, England, Scotland,
Ireland, South Africa, India, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Puerto
Rico, Trinidad, Jamaica, Grenada, St Lucia, Barbados, Israel,
Indonesia, Sri Lanka, China, Australia, New Zealand, Tanzania,
Ivory Coast, Ghana, USA, Canada, France, Germany, Holland, Russia,
Poland, Portugal and Belgium.
Many of the current key members, however, have been in place
for several years, including drummer Richard Bailey, bassist
Francis Hylton and keyboard player Matt Cooper. Vocalists Tony
Momrelle, Joy Rose and Imaani have also been regulars for the
past four years.
Since January 2007 alone, they have performed in more than 25
countries – in some cases taking the roads less travelled.
In addition to playing almost all the European countries, the
U.S. and Japan, Incognito has played in Indonesia, the Philippines,
Malaysia, Singapore and Mauritius and Reunion Island in the
Indian Ocean. The Mauritius concert was Bluey’s first
time performing on the island since leaving for London at age
10.
Incognito entered a new phase in its ongoing musical odyssey
by signing with Heads Up International in early 2008. The band
will make its Heads Up debut with the June 24, 2008, release
of Tales From The Beach. Recorded
in Italy, Germany, Indonesia and London (and mixed in Jakarta),
the album is a refreshing and uplifting set that captures the
best elements of the band’s classic sound: driving rhythms,
high-impact horns and stirring lyrics delivered by an array
of expressive vocalists.
At the heart of Tales From The Beach
– even in its melancholy or bittersweet moments –
is the same message of hope and positivity that has been the
consistent trademark of Incognito’s live shows. “When
people come to Incognito gigs, they come as if they’re
in need of some kind of healing, or some kind of wisdom,”
says Bluey. “I’m not a doctor or a prophet, so all
I can do is give them something through the music and the message
in the music. That ends up being part of the band’s greater
goal, whether we’re on stage or in the studio –
to bring people together, to be a platform to energize people.”
