Downtown Brooklyn will be the place this
summer for soul, jazz, funk and reggae fans as the Brooklyn Academy
of Music and Metrotech Center present another sizzling roster
of world-famous artists in their annual Rhythm & Blues Festival.
The noontime concerts on the Metrotech Commons, which begin June
10 and run through Aug. 12, will be launched by the seminal go-go
band Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers, and followed by the
legendary Chic with Nile Rodgers on June 17.
Rodgers tells GO Brooklyn the show will be as special for him
as for his audience.
"When we started Chic, we [Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards]
were living in Brooklyn," says Rodgers. "None of us
were born in Brooklyn. My girlfriend lived on Ocean Avenue and
Ditmas. Bernard Edwards lived down the street on Flatbush and
Church. So we could write the songs in my living room.
"We played in Brooklyn a lot," recalls Rodgers. "In
the mid- and late-’70s, live shows were in almost every bar.
A lot of the clientele were working at the Navy Yard. We used
to play at a place called Rudy’s Night Owl. We used to also play
at 2001 Odyssey where they filmed ’Saturday Night Fever.’"
Although Chic is most closely associated with disco music (songs
like "Le Freak," and "Good Times" are still
heard on dance floors around the world), Rodgers said Chic is
much more than that. "We are an R&B dance band,"
says Rodgers. "There weren’t any real disco bands. They
were traditionally producer-driven groups and solo artists. We
are real musicians."
In fact, Rodgers has collaborated with many artists. He produced
"We Are Family" for Sister Sledge, "I’m Coming
Out" for Diana Ross, "Let’s Dance" for David Bowie
and "Like a Virgin" for Madonna.
"Some of our songs have been sampled by rap artists,"
said Rodgers. "Our record ’Good Times’ was the official
beginning of hip-hop." (In 1979, "Good Times"
provided the bass line for Sugar Hill Gang’s "Rapper’s Delight,"
the first rap song ever to hit the top 40.)
Most recently Chic has supplied a song for the animated film
"Shrek 2" and Rodgers produced the band Maroon 5. Chic
is currently cutting its own album with the working title "Let’s
Bounce."
"The greatest thing about my life is that I have balance.
When one part of my life becomes frustrating, I have another
part. When I’m making a record, I can’t wait to play it live.
When I’m playing live, I can’t wait to make my next record,"
says Rodgers.
But whatever side of the stage he’s working on, Rodgers has one
goal – to entertain.
"I believe in the power of music to transform the way you
feel," he says. "Our basic job is to make people feel
good. Ninety percent of the songs I’ve written are feel-good
songs that reflected a time in America when we were really happy.
Our music takes you back to the time when you could be an individual
– get on the dance floor and do what you feel like doing."
Chris Thomas King, who will perform on June 24, also talked about
his upcoming Brooklyn gig – where he’ll slip easily from New
Orleans funk to urban rap – in a telephone interview with GO
Brooklyn.
King, who began singing professionally at the age of 9, and recorded
his first album "The Beginning" (re-released as "It’s
a Cold Ass World") while he was still in his teens, got
a big career boost playing blues legend Tommy Johnson in the
Coen Brothers’ film "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"
"It gave me a wider audience for my music," he said.
"I’d have to play for the next 20 years every night to reach
the same amount of people."
King’s Metrotech concert is part of an East Coast tour.
"I’ll be appearing with my band DJ Spin. We’ll do favorite
songs people expect from me [including songs from his latest
album "Dirty South Hip Hop Blues"]. But I’ll also try
to throw in new material. I’m working on a new album right now.
I just might throw in a few of those songs."
King says he’s a "modern blues man," and his music
is neither typically blues or hip-hop, but "something in
between."
"My style comes straight up from Louisiana. We’re not Sunday
school, we want everyone to have a good time. But we’re not rap.
We mix blues poetry with rap poetry so it gets deeper than what
you hear on radio," he said.
King’s biggest Louisiana influence may be his own father, Tabby
Thomas, who he says is "not playing as much as he used to,
but still around."
"I learned about blues at his joint [Tabby’s Blues Box]
as a kid. I was playing music with the old folks. I was exposed
to that music on a daily basis," he recalled. At the same
time, King says he was also influenced by MTV and the music his
friends were listening to. The result is a very unique blend
that comes with some very expressive guitar playing which has
elicited comparisons to Jimi Hendrix.
On his new album, King says he’s "cranking up the blues
guitar. My new album has a dance beat under the rap melodies."
In addition to his East Coast tour and his new album, King has
a role in Universal’s fall movie, "Ray," the story
of Ray Charles.
The rest of the Rhythm & Blues Festival schedule is as follows:
The Soul of John Black and Ellis Hooks in a double bill on July
1; Oumou Sangare on July 8; Bettye LaVette on July 15; The Neville
Brothers on July 22; Lucky Dube on July 29; the Ohio Players
on Aug. 5; and Roy Hargrove and the RH Factor on Aug. 12.
The BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival
runs June 10 through Aug. 12, every Thursday, from noon to 2
pm, on the Metrotech Commons, located at the corner of Flatbush
and Myrtle avenues. Admission is free. For information call (718)
636-4100 or visit www.bam.org.
