ORGANIC RICE . . . WILD RICE . . .
BROWN RICE . . . NUFF RICE

Above our heads Broadway Street Market is bustling with lunchtime shoppers. There's a chill in the air of the compact, efficient studio that is home of Jean-Paul 'Bluey' Maunick, the man behind London's premier eighties and nineties jazz-funk outfit Incognito; but not for long. It's quickly driven away as the studio fills with the warming global sounds that characterize the ambitious lush funk of Bluey's latest venture, the band Inner Shade. The aptly entitled 4 Corners, is the premier release for Rice, his new label.

It's been a long road to get to where he is today. Since his childhood and that first home-made guitar in his native Mauritius, Bluey Maunick has been destined to make music. In the Seventies, he co-founded Light of the World, Incognito and Freeez, and became a catalyst in that specifically-London phenomenon, Jazz Funk. His heroes were Herbie Hancock, Lonnie Liston Smith, Roy Ayers, and Tania Maria, and it was that devotion to the principles of fusion that carried him into the Eighties, into the era of "acid jazz" and earned him a recording contract with Talkin' Loud Records. It was this medium through which the band Incognito and their critically acclaimed albums were introduced to the world stage for millions of passionate fans to partake.

In fact, the last time we'd sat and reasoned, Bluey was fresh from conquering America with Incognito. He was quietly proud of their achievements. He told us the story of playing support to Lee Ritenour and Yellowjackets in Detroit and how they'd gotten an unprecedented standing ovation. A year later, they returned as headliners, playing sold out shows on the very same stage and across the country! The substantial impact of Incognito in America is all a question of honesty, feels Bluey, who is still humbled by the idea of taking his own music to the land that gave him the likes of Miles Davis and Gil Evans, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan and Stevie Wonder. His belief that the core musicality of Incognito would always shine through has paid off. As Bluey says, "there was no definitive image, no sexual connotation, no style connotation ... we were simply Incognito."

Almost a decade has passed since Bluey signed to Talkin' Loud and during that time, he has built around him a substantial musical family. There are musicians like bassist Randy Hope-Taylor and drummer Richard Bailey, who go back - way back! There are younger players like multi-instrumentalist Max Beesley (who is currently enjoying notoriety as a thespian/heart throb in the television series "Tom Jones") and flutist/saxophonists Ed Jones and Chris DeMargary; singers like Maysa Leak and Chris Ballin; talent from the drum 'n' bass scene like Bluey's son, Daniel (a.k.a. "Venom"), who enjoys a growing reputation in London's junglistic underground. As a friend, fellow musician, and as a record producer, Bluey is committed to developing these musical relationships, as well as tapping into the endless well of new and interesting talent from around the world. A dream realised, Rice is now in place to feed his insatiable artistic appetite.

In fact, the Inner Shade project is the perfect expression of his philosophy. Listening to "Four Corners of the World", It's got all those trademark Maunick touches - great horn arrangements, sweeping strings, slick jazz guitar licks (courtesy of Verve recording artist Mark Whitfield - check him in Robert Altman's film Kansas City), fiery instrumentals, and uplifting vocals - but expect a few different flavours. A berimbau intro to "Mood to Mood" kicks into a full bossa and then, when you least expect it, mutates into an extensive slice of drum 'n' bass. Similarly, Freddie Hubbard's "Little Sunflower" rides a gently rolling tide of programmed beats and easy-snapping snare.

In these times when Britain's musical underground gravitates towards the dark-side, Bluey's production breath through the same pulse that feeds the gospel. What makes his richly textured productions unique is the way he continually blends his own rhythmic sensibility, whether it be rooted in the salsa and clavé of New York's Latino community, the sambas and bossas of Rio de Janeiro, or any of the soulful and electric grooves from his worldly palette. Listen to the end of "Are You With Me?" when it lifts off - the latin spirit of Stevie Wonder is given free reign and underpinning those subverted melodies and pushing along that tough trombone is the wicked pulse of the surdo drum. Joyous!

In most parts of the world, rice is the main course in the meal - anything else is a bonus. As his label, Rice, unfolds beyond the millennium, we can definitely expect Bluey Maunick and company to ensure that our musical appetites are satisfied, along with a whole range of exotic and truly original spices.

Written by Paul Bradshaw (1998).