The call to their management in July was unexpected. The American funk group Kool & the Gang were in the middle of a world tour in Morocco when they received an invitation to travel to Dubai a few weeks later for a television performance.
“This just happened, so I don’t know really too much,” said Bell, backstage at the Mawazine Festival in Morocco during the summer. “We plan to come to Dubai for 48 hours and record a song with one of the Arab world’s top singers. I think the show is produced by Coca-Cola.”
As it turned out, the request came from the producers of the MBC 4 music series Coke Studio Middle East and the mystery Arab singer was revealed last week to be none other than the Syrian diva, Assala.
While such last-minute requests might unnerve some artists, Bell said the members of his group take it all in their stride.
“We are always touring and playing, so it doesn’t matter to us,” he said. “We are happy to play anywhere and have a good time.”
Kool & the Gang are known for their many killer hits through the years, including Fresh and Cherish. Considering that you have been touring consistently for 50 years, is it a challenge to maintain the enthusiasm on stage?
It does become a challenge because you have to know which songs to add and which songs to take out. We can get bored playing the same thing, but at the same-time people want to hear what they want to hear – songs such as Fresh and Jungle Boogie. The challenge is to play with the song a bit, but not to take it too far from its original style.
Original article by Saeed Saeed
Continue reading at The National:
Kool & the Gang to star on Coke Studio Middle East
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