Article: 4179 of rec.music.funky
Newsgroups: rec.music.funky
Path: corax.udac.uu.se!sunic!pipex!uknet!demon!warmspot.demon.co.uk!user
From: Mark_Allerton@warmspot.demon.co.uk (Mark Allerton)
Subject: Re: Any info on INCOGNITO?
Message-ID: 
Followup-To: rec.music.funky
Sender: news@demon.co.uk (Usenet Administration)
Nntp-Posting-Host: warmspot.demon.co.uk
Organization: hisself
References: 
Date: Sun, 5 Dec 1993 23:49:05 GMT
Lines: 70

In article , bsells@world.std.com (Bryan L Sells)
wrote:

> Can anyone out there give me some background on this group? I love the
> two albums I have and want to know more.
> 
> BRYAN
> bsells@world.std.com

Incognito first appeared in 1980, with a 12" called "Parisienne Girl", and
followed it up with an album, "Jazz Funk" in 1981. The group was based
around
the nucleus of Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick, who had previously been one of
the
founders of the group Light Of The World, and LOTW bassman Paul "Tubbs"
Williams. Many of the other personnel on the records were also LOTW
members,
but Maunick & Williams were the driving force. This first incarnation of
Incognito is my favourite - I just remember listening to this stuff all
the time on my Mk.1 Sony Walkman, back then. There was another 12" after
the album - "North London Boy"/"Second Chance", which is rather good and is
much better recorded than their earlier stuff.

Incognito re-appeared in 1982, but called themselves "The Warriors" for an
album called "Behind The Mask". It's a good album, though I think the horns
are a little overdone (Richard Niles did the horn arrangements - he later
worked on
Swing Out Sister's first LP.) The classic track from this album is
"Destination" - definitely one of the classics of British jazz funk.

And that about wrapped it up for Incognito for 8 years. Tubbs went to
Finland, and when he came back he worked with Working Week & co, and Bluey
was involved in a few production projects (Dante was one) until Giles
Peterson, in the process of setting up Talkin' Loud for Polygram, heard
some demos that Bluey had been doing, literally in his shed, and signed him
up.

Bluey & Pete Hinds are the only people who remain from the original
Incognito, though sax player Ray Carless did play with them at some of
their earlier live dates, before being replaced by Patrick Clahar from
Desperately Seeking Fusion. The first single they released was "Can You
Feel It", which didn't go very far, like the follow up "Inside Life". But
then their cover of Ronnie Laws "Always There" was a _huge_ hit, and they
haven't looked back. 

The new version Incognito have done three albums - "Inside Life", "Tribes,
Vibes & Scribes" and a new one "Positivity". The new one is the first
they've done with no cover versions, which they've done quite well out of
in the past, but it seems to be doing well nonetheless. The song "Still A
Friend Of Mine" off the new album is real nice.

I actually like the new Incognito better as a live band - they are _killer_
live. I managed to get down to their first ever gig in their new
incarnation, at The Orange near Earls Court, in late 1990, and right from
the moment they dropped into MFSB's "Mysteries Of The World" they burned it
up. Their May '92 appearance at Talkin' Loud (@The Fridge) is about the
best I've heard them...

I was actually lucky enough to meet Bluey once - but unfortunately we were
both complaining to the management of The Camden Centre about the
spectacularly duff sound at the Zawinul Syndicate gig there...


-- 
+---------------------------------------------------+
| Mark Allerton - live & direct from _Crouch End_?  |
|                                                   |
| Mark_Allerton@warmspot.demon.co.uk                |
| pascal@cix.compulink.co.uk                        |
+---------------------------------------------------+