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I am sat opposite a music legend. He has been famous since the late 60's and his music is instantly recognizable to everyone who's grown up with a radio in their home.
Here he is: do you remember him?
Kool from "Kool and the Gang" is exactly that. He is very Kool. Just like someone out of a movie, he looks you up and down when you first meet him, as if appraising your Kool-ness. I sit down and his bouncer/ PR person doesn't fling me out. So it looks like I passed the first Kool test.
He is in town to start the publicity around his 1980's themed tour of Europe. Over the next few months Kool will be touring with Sister Sledge, T'pau. Go West, the Christians, Go West, Howard Jones, ABC! All these acts will be performing in an amazing musical feast, that is almost a who's who is 1980's hits!
Kool is very relaxed about the whole affair, and sees it as another stage of his career, this branch into memory and nostalgia.
"I see my musical career as one of dips and troughs, it goes up and down, at the moment I'm doing a lot of live work. Playing Jazz festivals all over the world. So it's nice to be doing a bigger stadium tour. It adds to the variety"
These huge shows as part of the 1980's rewind tour are a chance to play with a different type of artist.
"Coming though the 1980's I didn't meet a lot of the other 80's rewind artists, except Sister Sledge who we've worked with before. But I've heard some of them now and I know their music, it's in my head, I just didn't know I knew it!"
Some people would give the same compliment to Kool and the Gang. You might not think you know you know them - but you do. Hear a few riffs from their hits "Celebrate!" or "Jungle Boogie" (from the "Reseviour Dogs" soundtrack) or "open sesame" (from the "Saturday Night Fever" sound track) and you'll find yourself going. "ah! So that's who Kool and the gang are!". Trust me you know and love their music.
He said it's an interesting thing being part of so many people's memories.
"People come up to me and have so many memories of our songs, of how they affected them over the years. They have big smiles on their faces. It's nice. We've had so many different incarnations, from playing jazz and then funk in the early 70's to disco in the late 70's and early 80's back to jazz again recently, and now this tour. "
He's most definitely keeping busy:
"I've been touring pretty constantly for 7 years now, and I do everything from this kind of arena tour to smaller festivals - in fact I've just come from the Macho Jazz festival"
So for a real 80's experience this Christmas you could do a lot better than get to the 80's rewind tour. There's more information here
It's playing in London, Birmingham, and Bournemouth among other places.
This Christmas, it's surely the Kool place to be!
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