Incognito
Jazz Funk

The first time I listened to "Don't you worry about a thing" performed by Maysa, the vocalist of Incognito, I fell in love. The subsequent purchase of the album that contained it, "Tribes vibes and scribes", was the beginning of my journey into acid jazz.

It was the same period (1993), when a then-unknown Jamiroquai, who still couldn't afford either Ferraris or cocaine, released "Emergency on planet Earth", the absolute and unmatched pinnacle of his career. I thought I had encountered a newly born musical genre, Acid jazz indeed (and I don't understand why this name is used, as there's nothing acidic about it... ). But one day, a record at mid-price with an enticing name: "Jazz funk", caught my attention. More than a title, a declaration of intent.

"Jazz funk" is exactly what's played on the record. I listened to it, and it "sounded" modern; I thought it couldn't have been around for too many years. Instead, to my surprise, I discovered that it was released in 1981, in the midst of new wave and while disco music was in decline. It's the first album in the long history of "Incognito" and its leader Jean Paul "Bluey" Maunick, a London guitarist clearly inspired by the sacred monsters of soul and funk like Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, Steely Dan. Bold comparisons, perhaps, but these influences are all evident.

Funky guitar, peremptory bass lines, horns and keyboards, bursts of Latin percussion, masterful solos all blended in a choral jam session, with one eye on the past and one on the future. A nearly entirely instrumental album, with voices mainly used for choruses. The first track "Parisienne girl" is an absolute masterpiece. The sparse booklet of the CD contains only the song titles and the producer's name.

But don't be deceived, the music will be far more explanatory than a thousand words. Let's funk!!
Genre: Acid Jazz