Mirror
Magazine 
|
||||
|
Koolin’
it Larger than life, but amazingly unassuming, the 34 veteran artistes in total, literally overwhelmed us, as they checked into the hotel. Exhausted after their long flight, but bubbly as ever, they were more than ready to socialise, and share their thoughts on their careers and performance. Kool & the Gang was a highly successful R‘n’B, Funk, Soul and Disco group, they originally formed in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964. Going through several musical phases in their career, they wound up successfully recording tunes that were a mixture of pop and R‘n’B. The band now has 17 members and from them, we were fortunate enough to meet up with founder member Robert (Kool) Bell, Curtis Williams, George Brown, Amir Bayyan, Shawny Mac and Skip. “People need to have fun and enjoy themselves, and this sense of enjoyment should continue. You shouldn’t let things get you down,” said George, one of the members of Kool & the Gang, who has been with the band since its inception. Probably the craziest member in the group, and almost impossible to get serious with, he insisted that he had not had a shower in five days, and also that he was originally from Kandy, Sri Lanka! Finally calming down, he went onto to say that it was the people who make them what they are. “We come up with the idea for the song, put the music in and perform, but it’s the fans that really make it happen.” “The present R‘n’B is a sample of what we have, and it’s a real honour for us to have younger artistes do remakes of our songs. It actually helps us keep in touch with the younger generation of artistes like P. Diddy,” said Kool, founder member of the band, who’s one cool individual indeed. Flying into Sri Lanka one day after a successful concert in Bombay, they will be heading straight to Budapest, Hungary, for yet another performance. The band does an astounding 80 to 100 gigs per year. Surviving for three decades, what is it that gels this ensemble together? “Passion,” offers George, while for Shawny, success comes with “patience,” and “perseverance” for Kool. By now determined to invent a formula for success, beginning with the letter p, the “Gang” were on a roll throwing in more words and winding up with George’s final contribution – “Pay check!” They also repeated that the fans (or “People”) played the biggest role in keeping them together. With Kool and George, both with the band from inception, and all the others around for two decades or more, this was truly one amasingly dedicated band. While Kool plays the bass guitar and Amir Bayyan the rhythm guitar, Curtis Williams handles keyboards. Shawny Mac specialises in vocals and guitar, and George goes in with keyboard and percussion. “Most of our music is a collaborated effort of the whole group,” said Kool, adding that they change their line-up of songs at concerts depending on the audience, mood and time span. Future plans? “Our new album “Kool & the Gang is still cool,” is set to be released in June, and we’re also planning on releasing a new single called “Stepping Into Love”, in March. A movie of our lives is on the way too, as well as a musical titled Ladies’ Night, said Kool. Performing off and on with Kool & the Gang, Al McKay Allstars, comprising 14 members, arrived in Sri Lanka after the same successful concert in Bombay. “The mood was good in Bombay, and we’re expecting a good response from Sri Lanka as well,” said Al McKay, in his signature laidback style. Five-time Grammy Award winner, guitarist, songwriter, producer and former Earth, Wind & Fire member, Al, is from New Orleans, Louisiana, and has performed with the likes of great artistes such as Tina Turner, The Jackson Five, and Celine Dion. While with the legendary Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF), he played a big part as guitarist and co-writer of some of EWF’s biggest hits, including “September”, “Saturday Nite” and “Singasong”. Forming the Al McKay Allstars in 1990, they have been touring the world, performing the endless musical marvels of EWF, as well as their originals. ‘Al Dente,’ his first solo album, comprising remakes of some EWF hits, as well as original recordings of recent McKay compositions, was yet another milestone in their journey. “The key to our success I suppose is the fact that people don’t get tired of these songs,” said Al, going onto say that probably the biggest challenge they faced was getting over the whole Earth Wind & Fire mystique. He added that EWF taught him the concept of unity, which has helped him a great deal. That a Sri Lankan is an integral part of Al McKay Allstars is definitely a highlight! Having played in clubs till he was about 19 years old, Hussain Jiffry left for Switzerland, playing with bands such as Fame and Amazing Grace, before he joined the Los Angles Musicians’ Institute to study music. “I’ve been living in L.A. since then, and I tour with different bands; Al McKay Allstars being one of them,” said this bassist. “It’s wonderful to come to Sri Lanka, and perform with Al,” he added. Getting bored with monotonous routines, Hussain prefers to be consistently different. “I hate change. If I’m in something for too long, I get bored,” he said. Whether you want a “Celebration,” a “Ladies’ Night”, a complete “Fantasy,” or to just stay with the romantic mood of the day and “Cherish The Love”, Kool & the Gang, along with Earth, Wind & Fire, featuring the Al McKay Allstars, are a set of international artistes sure to leave their mark among their many Sri Lankan fans of all ages. |
||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
They
were funny, lively, and of course cool – or kool if you like,
’cos they are Kool & the Gang. Together with Earth Wind
& Fire and Al McKay Allstars, they were in Sri Lanka. Vidushi
Seneviratne talks to them