All that jazz

Ask any aficionado of the '90s' acid jazz movement which band epitomises the era, and the answer will invariably be Incognito.

For almost 30 years the UK group has churned out hits that capture the genre's upbeat fusion of jazz, funk, soul and pop. And while some 32 musicians have graced the band's line-up since its inception in 1981, the one constant has been founder Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick.

The Mauritian-born composer, guitarist, producer and singer will head Incognito's UAE debut performance on the closing night of the Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival in February. For the 51-year-old the festival encapsulates the appeal of leading one of the UK's most famous jazz exports.

"Where other bands make an album and look straight to the successes, we've never seen ourselves that way," he says, during a telephone interview from London. "We've always been: ‘Let's make music so we can get on planes and see places that we've never seen before and get in touch with the local people.'"

When it comes to live performances in exotic locales, Incognito has ticked some unusual boxes — from Sofia in Bulgaria to Kazakhstan and Indonesia. Incognito was also the first band allowed to play at an outdoor concert in China. "We've done some groundbreaking work. There's more at stake than doing a gig to sell a record. The record just happens to facilitate what we really like to do, which is to get in front of an audience and communicate."

One can't help but detect a hint of sadness when Bluey discusses the realities of modern music industry. He openly laments the rise of commercial radio, which he believes restricts the variety of playlists for the sake of advertising revenue. "The acid jazz movement wasn't just about musicians or the bands, the movement was also about the DJs," he says. "It was a whole social climate and I suppose that was what made it a really special time for us."

Fondness

He still talks with great fondness about the band's pinnacle during the '90s when they were signed to legendary DJ Gilles Peterson's Talkin' Loud label. During that time the band released their cover version of the Ronnie Laws tune Always There, featuring Jocelyn Brown, and had their 1992 hit single Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing. It also had major chart success with 1992's Tribes, Vibes + Scribes album and 1993's Positivity.

Even though today the band tours six months of the year and has just released its latest album, Tales From The Beach, Bluey says fans now have to work a little harder to find their music. "That golden age [of acid jazz] is gone forever," he says. "For people who still want it, that time still exists via the internet. People can't just discover us on the television or radio, they have to find us."

One of the ways Bluey continues to rail against the music industry's current reality is by fostering new talent. He says most of his discoveries have been through luck and circumstance. "Right now I have the perfect example. A lady sent me an email via our website saying: ‘Here is my 11-year-old daughter performing one of your songs.' I've since invited that young lady to perform onstage at our next concert. I feel in that in that moment we will not only open up the door for that young lady, but also for other people who realise there's a chance for them too."

Bluey says while he's quick to encourage aspiring musicians, he's also equally quick with the truth if he believes someone is living a pipe dream. "If the talent is there, I will encourage it," he explains. "On the other hand, if I think someone is kidding themselves I will burst their balloon. Some people have some crazy ideas and I am not afraid to say you need singing lessons because you're singing out of tune. Trust me, I've got more people record deals — or put them on the straight and narrow — in my 30 years than X-Factor ever has."

Ear for a hit

Of course, it's not just music's young hopefuls that have turned to Bluey to help their career along. Some of music's greats have also recognised his innate ear for a hit. As well as helping to produce for guitar legend George Benson and Philip Bailey of Earth Wind & Fire fame, he has also collaborated with Chaka Khan and Maxi Priest. But it was working Stevie Wonder that remains a highlight of Bluey's career.

"Stevie Wonder is every bit the star that you know he is," he says. "He is a gifted man who has time for people, who is honest with his words and still to this day nurtures his talent."

Wonder contributed to several Incognito tracks as well as performed live with the band. "I wasn't expecting it, it was a surprise for me," recalls Bluey of their onstage meeting in 2006. "I actually had my eyes closed at the time he came on stage and started singing. I didn't even know he was going to be up there and there he was, on stage with us in Los Angeles at The House of Blues. It's stuff the dreams are made of."