As Kool & The Gang prepare to get Clockenflap grooving tonight, Coconuts Hong Kong pinned Robert “Kool” Bell down for a chat about influences, the Jacksons, John Travolta, and the possibility of their own musical.
They’re one of the most sampled groups ever (at an estimated 955 and counting) and celebrate their 50th anniversary this year. The funk-jazz-R&B and, yes, disco journey that Kool & The Gang have been on also means they have diverse appeal; they opened for hard rockers Van Halen last year and for The Jackson 5 way back when.
“We were listening to James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles—and a lot of the jazz guys—Coltrane and the rest,” says 64-year-old Robert “Kool” Bell by phone from his home in northern New Jersey.
In the process, the Jersey City-based act created a sound that was utterly danceable; just check out the James Brown influenced guitar licks on“X-Rated”, the jazz vibe (bop to the horns) on “Chocolate Buttermilk” and, ultimately, the itchy feet qualities of all their chart toppers.
After two decades of groove, the group got a lead singer, JT Taylor, stormed the eighties charts (“Celebration” for a start) and ended up with nine #1 pop singles in all.
These are the treasures the Clockenflap audience in Hong Kong is likely to hear on Saturday night when the four remaining original Kool & The Gang members team up with the rest of their band (11 in all) and turn West Kowloon into the ultimate dance floor for over an hour.
Though Bell admits he doesn’t know what to expect when it comes to Clockenflap, he’s no stranger to the region. The group performed in Macau six months ago and seem glad to return. “We haven’t been to Hong Kong in at least a couple decades and look forward to seeing how it’s changed,” he says. “We did play Malaysia, Bangkok and Bali recently though.”
In short, festival attendees are in for a treat as the group’s anniversary seems to have signalled yet another new wave of success and energy. Just last week they appeared on US talk show “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and the guys are due for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year.
“We’re also looking to do a Broadway musical in the vein of ‘We Will Rock You’ with Ben Elton,” says Bell. “We had a couple meetings and that would likely take place in 2016.”
This comes nearly two decades after their last resurgence, following the memorable musical appearance of “Jungle Boogie” in Quentin Tarantino’s seminal 1994 film Pulp Fiction.
“It was definitely a surprise,” chuckles Bell at the memory. “It was a second boost to our career. ‘Saturday Night Fever’ was our biggest soundtrack before that. And there John Travolta was, involved in both projects.”
Of course, there were the live tours throughout, as The Gang emulated James Brown and then some. They toured with The Jacksons at the height of their collective fame.
“It was a great tour, a great show. You know how popular they were,” recalls Bell. “That motivated us to get a lead singer. We didn’t think about it before and then we went on to have the big hits in the 80s.”
And more recently they mixed it up with Kid Rock and did 48 dates with Van Halen in 2012 after lead singer David Lee Roth thought it would be a way to get the ladies to the show.
“People were wondering how it would work,” says Bell. “Van Halen! Who thought of that?! But it went off and all worked.”
In short, the group know how to play live. Their appearance at Clockenflap sits amidst a tour that began in Switzerland at the start of the year and will end with a New Year’s Eve gig in Sri Lanka.
“We do what we do,” says Bell while talking about how the industry has changed over the years. “You see a lot of bands out there that you didn’t see before, boy bands and such. But there aren’t a lot of legendary acts, very few like ‘Earth, Wind and Fire’ and other contemporaries like us.”
Kool & The Gang are playing on Saturday from 7pm to 8pm at Harbourflap stage. See you there!
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