One of the leading forces in the acid jazz movement over the past two decades, Incognito has blended a ‘70’s jazz-funk-fusion influence with what founder and guitarist Jean Paul “Bluey” Maunick calls “an eclectic gathering of information from Africa, Cuba, British funk, American soul and Jazz.” In recent years, when the London-based band toured America, Maunick took note of the tremendous popularity of smooth jazz and conceptualized the idea of creating an offshoot of Incognito focused specifically on that soulful style of music. He teamed four of the band’s longtime members with veteran British guitarist Jim Mullen to create the dynamic new ensemble Citrus Sun. The title of the group’s Heads Up debut, Another Time Another Space, reflects Maunick’s desire to transport the listener into a retro-soul flavored musical dimension that predates his days with Incognito.

Maunick first met Mullen in the ‘70s when Mullen was a member of the Average White Band and later part of the sax/guitar fusion duo Morrissey-Mullen (with Dick Morrissey.) The music of Citrus Sun brings back warm memories of hearing Mullen’s Wes Montgomery-styled licks playing Crusaders tunes for the first time. Aside from Mullen, Citrus Sun features drummer Richard Bailey (with Incognito since 1991), bassist Julian Crampton (since ‘95), the horn section of Ed Jones (sax), Fayazz Virgi (trombone), Dominic Glover (trumpet), and pianist Tim Vine (from Simply Red) on Wurlitzer piano.

Although Maunick conceived and produced Another Time Another Space, he allowed the group to co-produce, write songs, and play freely and spontaneously as tracks were recorded live.
“The difference between my involvement with Incognito and Citrus Sun is that here I encouraged live playing and a more organic musical environment,” says Maunick. “When I produce Incognito, I dissect every sound and focus on sonic perfection. Here, I took on the Quincy Jones role, organizing and encouraging, but just letting these guys get into the studio and kick it. Incognito is 90% my own vision, but this was an opportunity for these guys to show what they can do. I was the boss, but we found a different way for me to steer the ship. It was a shared vision.”

Maunick adds a playful acoustic rhythm guitar texture to the opening track “Make Me Smile,” a brassy, breezy funk tune featuring a tradeoff between Mullen’s slick electric guitar lines and Glover’s cool flugelhorn. “Tanya’s Song” has a throbbing bass funk vibe and retro-soul feeling throughout, jazzed up by the rising horn section and Gary Sanctuary’s shimmering Rhodes coloring. Sanctuary adds a similar feeling to the moody “Budapest,” which is led by Ed Jones’ lush soprano sax. The next two tracks summarize the dreamy funk intentions Maunick originally brought to the project; the title track is led by a laid back trumpet sax duet by Glover and Jones, while “Where the Wind Blows” has a drifting flugelhorn melody over a tight bass-driven funk groove. Mullen’s crisp electric solo is the centerpiece of the reflective “So What Do I Do?” Jones switches off between soprano and tenor on the retro-minded “Blue Orchid,” which is followed by the folksy, Crusaders-styled organic funk of “Somewhere, Nowhere,” the soulful and bouncy, brass-driven “What It Is,” and the emotional guitar ballad “Full Circle.” With its distant flute texture and trance inducing sway, “Mellowed” draws ever so slightly from the gentle side of Incognito’s acid jazzy vibe.
Bluey Maunick sees his musical life as an amazing journey begun while looking off towards the horizon as a child on Mauritius Island near Madagascar. “My desire to explore and travel the world with my music comes from being an island boy, looking at the horizon all around me, watching ships disappear and wondering where they’d taken off to,” he says. “Sailors
visiting would tell me great stories about the Amazon, Bali, and the Nile and these places filled me with a sense of wonder. Music has allowed me to transport myself to these places and more, both literally and metaphorically.”

He moved with his mother to London at age ten. Inspired by the city’s rich music scene, he formed Light of the World, one of the first black R&B/jazz bands to receive critical attention. Incognito was born out of that group, debuting with the single “Parisienne Girl” and the 1981 debut album Jazz Funk. Maunick put Incognito on hold for a handful of years while producing up and coming acid jazz groups and artists like Maxi Priest. In the early ‘90s, DJ legend and early Incognito fan Gilles Peterson launched the Talkin’ Loud label, and he signed the group; the 1991 single “Always There” (with vocals by Jocelyn Brown) became a Top Ten hit and a genuine acid jazz classic, ensuring the success of Incognito’s second album Inside Life.

With 1992’s Tribes Vibes & Scribes, Maunick added American vocalist Maysa Leak, and the band scored a hit with a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing”; the album also became an American crossover hit. The follow-up, Positivity, became Incognito’s trademark success. With each successive release — including 100 Degrees and Rising (1995), Beneath the
Surface (1996), Remixed (1996), Tokyo Live (1998) and No Time Like the Future (1999) — Maunick added more musicians to create a bigger, more orchestral sound. The Best of Incognito was released in 2000.

Not surprisingly, Maunick met Heads Up President Dave Love on one of his travels. Maunick was invited by a South African radio station to do an interview along with bassist Gerald Veasley, an artist on Heads Up. Love encouraged the Citrus Sun project and agreed to distribute it Stateside. “I feel like so much of the music I make is tied to what I call my journey-making,” says Maunick. “Each project has simply found me working with the great musicians who I’ve met along the way. I’ve truly appreciated the opportunity to see the world through my music. My hope is that Citrus Sun will open new doors for all the musicians involved.” Maunick named the group Citrus Sun after the vibe he felt when he first heard the finished recording — warm, joyous, not quite sunrise but not quite noonday bright. The memorable glow of the music will no doubt linger in the listener’s mind and heart. As Maunick says, “even on the greyest of days the Citrus Sun is rising.”