British acid
jazz band Incognito release their new album ‘Tomorrow’s New Dream’ on November
8th 2019, and have announced a huge homecoming London show at Indigo at The O2
on December 4th 2019, marking an incredible 40 years since their formation.
An enduring
relationship with music has seen Jean-Paul (Bluey) Maunick lead his band
Incognito to their 40th Anniversary. To celebrate this milestone, Bluey has
recorded a brand-new album of songs and instrumentals with the hallmark
Incognito sounds both familiar and fresh, encompassing acid jazz, soul, funk,
and neo-soul.
This album
offers a rich sonic journey at every turn that features special guests Maysa,
Phil Perry, Take 6, Mario Biondi and many others, collaborating with band
members past and present, along with the talented new ’Cogs’. It’s a record of
brand-new, original tracks that would feel right at home featuring on any of
their most enduring, classic releases from the past.
The album
opens with a selection of collaborations, including the fifth Incognito
appearance of vocalist Joy Rose (Sting, Chaka Khan, Herbie Hancock) on afro
beat-inspired ‘Haze Of Summer’, The Montclairs’ Phil Perry on ‘For The Love Of
You’, and a-cappella gospel legends Take 6 on ‘The Weather Report’. Also
featuring on the aforementioned ‘For The Love…’ is long-time collaborator
Maysa, about whom Bluey says “Combining the uniqueness of her rich soulful
tones with Phil’s raw, powerful, and limitless vocal range is the stuff of
dreams.”
Closing out
the first third of the record is the instrumental ‘Saturday Sirens’, which
utilises Incognito’s aptitude for creating soulful funk, and invokes what Bluey
describes as living in a constant state of high alert in central London, as the
feeling of rising crime can be magnified on a busy Saturday night.
The following
trio of songs feature a young man whose band is a great example of Britain’s
vibrant and everexpanding music scene — singer-songwriter-pianist-producer
James Berkeley and his neo-soul band, Yakul. ‘Shine’ and ‘Wake Me’ are short
interludes born of Bluey’s musings and James’s ability to sensitively tap into
the old and the new, and explore the rich musical world they each come from.
The funky-edged ‘After the Beat Is Gone’ is a song about love’s uncertainty
“Songwriting is deeply personal and the chemistry of cowriting has to be
perfectly balanced,” Bluey muses. And in James he has found a like-minded soul.
The next
tracks on the record feature talented female vocalists that Bluey has sought
out, including Lethal B/ Wiley collaborator Cherri V on ‘Only A Matter Of
Time’, Italian singer Roberta Gentile on ‘Absent In Spring’ and Vanessa Haynes
(dubbed the Caribbean Queen of Soul by Bluey) on ‘Still The One’, which also
features Indonesian harmonica prodigy Rega Dauna.
The final two
tracks on the album to feature vocals are ‘Now That I’ve Found You’, an
uplifting song that celebrates life and love and features the vocal talents of
long-time Incognito vocalist Imaani, and motivational number ‘No Show’, in
which vocal duties are handled by Mario Biondi, who famously dueted with Chaka
Khan on Incognito’s ‘Lowdown’ from the Transatlantic R.P.M album.
Closing the
album is ‘Say What’s On Your Mind’, a spirited instrumental that features, in a
metaphorical nod to the title, solos from all the core Incognito members.
Incognito will
bring tracks from ‘Tomorrow’s New Dream’, plus a selection of their greatest
and best -known hits to Indigo at The O2 on December 4th 2019, as a celebration
to their 40-year career, and enduring legacy as one of the UKs most beloved
bands. Tickets from axs.com
Upcoming Tour Schedule:
Oct 20
Charlotte, NC
Oct 21
Atlanta, GA
Oct 22
Alexandria, VA
Oct 24
Chicago, IL
Oct 25
Detroit, MI
Oct 26 New
Haven, CT
Oct 28
Annapolis, MD
Oct 29 NY, NY
Oct 30
Philadelphia, PA
Nov 08 Los
Cabos, Mexico
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