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An acid jazz project rooted in the Brit-funk scene,
Incognito are led by
Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick, a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and arranger who has guided an ever-changing lineup since 1979. The group appeared to be a one-and-done deal after
Jazz Funk (1981) but returned early the next decade to record and perform at a steady rate, continually refining their feel-good hybrid sound with
Jocelyn Brown,
Maysa Leak, and
Tony Momrelle among an assortment of featured and longer-term vocalists. Although
Maunick and company have placed 15 singles on the U.K. pop chart, including a Top Ten version of
Ronnie Laws' "Always There" and Top 20 cover of
Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing," their devotion to modernizing '70s soul, funk, disco, and crossover jazz has fostered a larger following in the U.S. Beginning with
Tribes, Vibes and Scribes (1992) and continuing through Amplified Soul (2014), over a dozen of their albums have hit the Top Ten of Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart.
Incognito closed out their fourth decade with
Tomorrow's New Dream (2019), on which
Maunick was joined by
Leak and other regulars such as
Imaani,
Joy Rose, and Vanessa Haynes.
Incognito were founded in 1979 by
Light of the World members
Jean-Paul Maunick and
Paul "Tubbs" Williams. They debuted the next year with the single "Parisienne Girl" and followed it with the full-length
Jazz Funk (1981), but were inactive during the rest of the '80s.
Maunick continued to write material for his group, even while working with the likes of
Maxi Priest and
Nia Peeples. (Williams later moved to Finland.) Signed to
Gilles Peterson's fledgling Talkin' Loud label,
Maunick reactivated
Incognito in 1990, assisted by fellow multi-hyphenate musician
Richard Bull. Their subsequent update of
Ronnie Laws' "Always There" (based on
Side Effect's vocal version), featuring bona fide disco diva
Jocelyn Brown, became a number six U.K. pop hit as part of the booming acid jazz movement. This prompted the release of
Incognito's second album overall, Inside Life (1991).
Maunick and
Bull directed a large cast with many of the best musicians in Britain's fertile groove community, setting a standard for all of
Incognito's future recordings.
Tribes, Vibes and Scribes (1992) added vocalist
Maysa Leak to the lineup. A cover of
Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" reached number 19 in the U.K., and in the U.S., the album ascended to number five on the contemporary jazz chart. After third album Positivity (1993),
Leak recorded a solo album for Blue Thumb/GRP.
Maunick consequently sought
Joy Malcolm and Pamela Anderson to contribute most of the vocals for
100° and Rising (1995), highlighted by the number 23 U.K. single "Everyday." The following year,
Leak returned to appear on Beneath the Surface, on which
Imaani made her first of several appearances. During the latter half of the decade,
Incognito expanded their discography with
Remixed (1996), Tokyo Live (1998), and
No Time Like the Future (1999), the last of which brought
Ski Oakenfull into the fold.
The group's first two albums of the 2000s, Life, Stranger Than Fiction (2001) and
Who Needs Love (2002), were made without
Leak. The former was the first to feature long-term associate
Tony Momrelle, while the latter -- the first of several releases through Dome in the U.K. -- added another,
Joy Rose, along with contributions from Paul Weller and
Ed Motta.
Leak returned for
Adventures in Black Sunshine (2004), a set that also boasted a guest appearance from key
Incognito inspiration
George Duke.
Bees + Things + Flowers (2006) mixed cover versions along with re-recordings of four
Incognito classics. More Tales Remixed (2008) involved remixes from
Dimitri from Paris and
Mark de Clive-Lowe, among others.
Incognito began the 2010s by acknowledging a major group milestone, most notably with the two-CD
Live in London: The 30th Anniversary Concert, as well as their 14th studio set, Transatlantic R.P.M. (2010), featuring performances from
Chaka Khan,
Leon Ware,
Mario Biondi, and
Leak. Surreal (2012) was followed by
Maunick's first proper solo album, Leap of Faith (2013).
Incognito nonetheless remained
Maunick's primary creative outlet. Through the remainder of the decade, they released three additional double-length studio albums -- Amplified Soul (2014), In Search of Better Days (2016), and
Tomorrow's New Dreams -- supported as usual by dozens of instrumentalists and singers. ~ Andy Kellman & John Bush