Bob Jones, London, England 2002 - The Official Interview

The Great Doctor Bob Jones - 2002

Name:Bob Jones (Dr)
Age:52 years old
Sex:Male
Born: England
Location:CHELMSFORD, ESSEX

It's a Saturday afternoon in Athens. The whole past week it's been really sunny, but today it's quite cloudy. As if the weather is being nice to the newcomer from London. He is not used to the sun afterall...

I pick up the phone at the lobby of his hotel and talk to him directly. "Dr Jones?" "Yeah.." "We've been expecting you!" "I'll be right down!"

That's our first conversation. Can't say I'm not nervous... But I'm a patient too. Black music fanatics aren't beyond any cure... But who cares? I'm in good hands after all! The Dr is in the house!

What impresses me is his big friendly hug the minute he meets me at the lobby. "We haven't met before..." I say, thinking he is mistaking me for someone else. "Oh yes, I know". Ok. Now I know. He is as friendly as a real doctor should be. That's good. Our conversation will be as amazing as I thought it shoud have been. Thank God!

........ We drive by Acropolis, the Parthenon and the old neighbourhood of Plaka. He like the whole atmosphere a lot. We decide to sit down at a jazzy caffe in Thissio, one of Athens' old places. He likes it a lot, especially because some Isaac Hayes tune flows over the speakers at the moment. Good vibe for beginners, don't you think?

1.Good evening Dr Jones!

Good evening!

Welcome to Greece!..

Thank you!

2.First of all there is something I want to make clear just from the start: I'm not the typical interview type. I prefer discussing with people I meet, rather than interviewing them. Is it ok with you?

Ok!

3.Being a part of the black music lovers comunity and after all those years in the business, please tell me something: what is that keeps you going on all those years? What is soul music for you?

When I was young I knew black music through books and dictionaries. As I grew up older and my mind opened up I realized it was all about feeling. I found feeling and soul in many things, especially black music, whatever that was Funk, Soul or Jazz. It's all about feeling. It made me feel the spiritual thing.

4.I know that you had interviewed many black performers, like Isaak Hayes, Luther Vandross, Alexander O'Neil... But I know that you have a special relationship with Terry Callier.

Terry is a good friend! I met him when I played on London's first black radio station that is KissFM. It was a pirate station back in the middle 80s. There were so many pirate radio stations in London. It switched on legal on September the 1st 1990 and it was a black station whether you were into house music or R&B or reggae. You could listen to Norman J or Jazzy B of Soul2Soul. I played on Kiss from 1990 to 1999. When I met Terry he came to London to perform a concert. I phoned Acid Jazz, talked to Eddie Piller and asked him if I could interview him for my radio show. Terry came over and it was a prerecorded interview. I remember that Sunday afternoon when I walked up at Terry and he houghed me! I knew there was something special going on between us. We discussed about music and the early days, about his relationship with Curtis Mayfield -they went to school together- and Jerry Butler that was a friend of his too. Terry is very special. If you have the chance to catch him perform live, you can see he's a phenomenon. There can be 300 people in thw room but you can feel him sing to you!! (Yeap! That's Terry Callier!) Since then we became friends. That was back in 1991-92.

5.What's the feel of East West Connection then. I know you use live instruments...

We use many musicians on percussions, guitars, bass. We don't want to make just studio albums, we want to bring a live feel. The influences are very jazz oriented.

The Great Doctor Bob Jones

6.Do you do concerts with all those people? I mean live acts and shows?

Yeah! East West Connection played at London's Jazz Cafe. We toured England last year, we played 3 or 4 dates in Scotland. We have a nine piece band (!!)

7.What about the Surgery?

The Surgery is a club night.

Does it have anything to do with the DR stuff? (loughs...)

(Laughs...) Yeah it does. Maybe. It's a spiritual thing...

8.So tell me more about the Surgery nights. Do you play all sorts of black music when you play live? I mean soul, jazz and all?

Yes, everything!

9.How do you prepare your club nights? Do you just carry your records out, or do you have something in your mind? Are there any musical styles you like better than others -in terms of black music that is?

The Great Doctor Bob Jones

The Surgery was back in the middle 90s. It incorporated all the roots that I had grown up with, apart from Blues. We never played Blues. We played qulaity jazz, funk, boogies and lots of what was coming out in Chicago and New York, that is jazz-house. That's what I call "modern days soul dance music". That was the whole thing with the Surgery. Lots of musical tastes under one roof... Now there's two Dr Bob Jones hearts. One soulful dance that is house music, and the other is roots-retro heart with the old soul and the old jazz.

10.Do you really love jazz house?

Totally! I have a very open mind towards dance music, 'cause a lot of purists in England and Europe think it's just 4/4 beat. But to me there is no difference between what Salsoul was doing or Philadelphia International was doing, The Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes were doing. Those were dance records. For me a good vocal, a US Garage record or a US House record with heavy bassline or minimal rolling drums it's the same with what we were doing back in 1978...

11.There is a connection...

Absolutely! You join the dots let's say... In the year 2002 you have to move forward.

12.It is hard to explain why people don't consider House Music to be the modern expression of soul and jazz music. I feel house can be the basis to create lots of nu soul and jazz tracks. Don't you think?

Exactly.

13.Do you believe that?

I firmly believe that! If you look at the roots of House music back in the 80s, that started in 1984-85. People like Frankie Knuckles and Larry Levan pioneered Dance music, Modern Dance music as we know it today. The roots of that music have always been from the black side.

14.Black music is a very spiritual thing (everyone knoes that) but also has the groove feeling, it's the music you always want to dance to.

Exactly. It's because of the feeling. It's a spiritual thing, a mental thing. It's a natural thing that comes within you that makes you dance. From my personal point of view (which is mine too, I have to say) it's the feeling within that makes you feel good.

15.The same thing that happens when you listen to "The more I Get, the More I Want" by the East West Connection... I feel this is one of the most particular vocal tunes in house I've ever heard for years... It was a huge global success! How did you come up with this tune?

Back in 1995-96 Lofty was running a record shop in Kensington, London which is now known as Flying Records. He came to me and said "let's talk". He told me that he intended to start a record label called Chili Funk and wanted me to make a record for him. First of all I wanted to do "Bad Luck". If you listen to it you realize that it has a musical structure that goes up and down. It changes all the time, that's why it is very tough to cover it in the studio. A friend of mine who was djing at that time told me "why don't you do a version of 'The more I Get...'"? As it is easier to cover it. So we did it. And Lofty said we have to find a name. So I said it's easy. Lofty comes from the west side of London, I live at the east side. So we decided to call ourselves the East West Connection!.. We took Eugene Hideaway Bridges who is an american Blues singer but lives in England and sings like Muddy Waters. Although he doesn't really sings uptempo house records, he did the vocals of that song at ne take! (I had to immagine that...) Phenomenal! That's how the tune was born and when we mixed it we realized it had a feeling. That was a tribute from us to Teddy...

The Great Doctor Bob Jones

16.That was then, this is now. What about new releases from East West?

East West has done two albums now. If you follow the history of East West Connection you can see that the first album is mostly instrumental, meanwhile the second one is more vocal. This year we are going back and make more jazz house tunes, more instrumental. Chili Funk has also got a new very talented artist called Nathan Haines who comes from New Zeland but lives in England. His album is called "Sound Travels" and came out last year. Everybody loved it, from MAW to Kerri Chandler. Nathan opened the door for Chili Funk in America. Kenny Dope made a mix of "Believe" which is very good. In America "Earth is the place" is one of the big tunes from Nathans' album and it goes with a rmx from Jon Cutler. It's amazing.

17.Is he preparing a new album?

Yes. Nathan goes to the studio in the beginning of March to prepare a new LP for Chili Funk. But that's not all. We just signed two guys who come from the West side of London and record with Phil Asher (there's a lot of new talents comin out from that side of the city). One of the singers in Nathan's album called Vax, a young white singer who sings like a black guy...

18. ..oh God!..

...yeah, he's got a track on the album under the name of Daniel Vacchio. We signed him for Chili Funk to make an album. And then we got a new act from America called "All time Magic" with friends from Washington DC like T-Kolai (who is making tunes for Groovilicious) and we're planing to make an album with them on Chili Funk.

19.That's ok with Chili Funk, but what about Black On Black Records (Dr Jones' acclaimed label back in the 90's)?

BOB was my first record label back in 1993-94 but unfortunately doesn't exist anymore. Because of my regular show on Kiss Fm people from England sent me unreleased material of records that they made. I decided that lots of that material had to be released. So BOB was born in order to release UK black underground music talent. I had 13 or 14 releases and 2 or 3 albums, but financially it became very hard for me asthe label didn't make much money and all the expenses were comin out of my pocket. So I had to close BOB back in 1996, just before the days when I started working with Chili Funk. Anyway all the material is still there so maybe one day I can do a 'best of" Black On Black Recs...

20 ...that's what I had in mind too!...

...yeah, it won't cost us nothing as all the material is still there.

The Great Doctor Bob Jones

21. Alright. Tell me about Bob Jones in the year 2002...

Well... (deep breath...) 2002 finds me djing for 35 years -I started back in 1967- so we are planing to throw a party and bring out a special double cd on Chili Funk, one with old material and stuff that influenced me growing up and the other one with tunes and stuff that I like 2day. It's gonna be a sort of 'then and now'.

22. What is the date of that party?

I think it's gonna be May the 9th,. We're gonna have a huge party in London with lots of friends playing records, having a good time playing anything from old to new... We're gonna have a very opened mind of black music.

23. Talking about 'open-minded black music', is there any old tunes that you would like to remake?

Probably it's an obvious tune. I would like to have mixed Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On".It was so ahead of its time. It was made back in 1968 but wasn't immediately released as they didn't like it (!!!!!) It was finally released in 1971 after a lot of persuading from Smokey Robinson and others (God thank them!!!). There's something peculiar going on with that tune... Half of my brain says go on and do it and the other half says leave it alone! (totally understandable!). You can not perfect it!..

24.It's a perfection in itself!

Exactly!

25. All you could do is take the song to a new dimension, give it a new perspective

Yeah, yeah.

The Great Doctor Bob Jones

26. You must know how to bring things into a new dimension I suppose. That's how the "History Of Black Music" documentary on BBC Televison must have come out. Or the LIFT...

There's a british black commedian called Lenny Henry -Birmingham, England, he has passion for black music. He did a film about the history of black music on television and I was interviewed for that show, that was back in the mid-90s. LIFT started 6 years ago, is still going on in London in a new venue. The first LIFT in London was in 1996 at the Blue Note (it went on there for 3 years), I 'took' it with me since I moved at the countryside for 2 years. Now it's going back to London again. The new London LIFT is scheduled for the 9th of February. LIFT is all about new music with two rooms. One full of 60s, 70s, 80s maybe and the second room will be 80s, 90s and 2000s.

27. Since you have always been interested in quality black music of any style, what's you opinion about new electronic black music. Music beyond analog sounds. Black music from the soul of synths...

When I first listened to electronic music, in terms of black music, early electro, I didn't like cause for me it was too mechanical. But now I appreciate it a lot more. Still some electronic music I like, some not. It has to leave up to some sort of feeling...

28. ...always! Take Glenn Underground for example. He never uses live instruments but still leaves up a lot of spirituality after all...

Yeah, he's very deep!

29. Or Ron Trent. Is he incredible?

Absolutely incredible, yeah!

30. Or the phenomenal Joe Claussell...

Oh, yes.

31. Or there's another guy from Puerto Rico leaving in New York, Antonio Occasio......wonderful music!...

...yeah, very deep! He's a friend of Kerri Chandler's and Joe Claussell, he plays lots of percussions for them. There's also Osunlade. Do you know Osunlade?

32.The man behind Yorumba Records?

Yes. He comes from Africa, his parents come from Africa, he's settled in New York. He's quite a character in a sense that he djs and plays music. When you see him he looks like an African. He has big bones and big afro hair, but he talks like an american. He is an incredible guy, his music is very percussive, very deep. Everything comes from the drum. (in the meantime we sip our coffee and describes to me how he first met Ron Trent at the Miami Winter Music Conference. Wonderful experience believe me!..)

33. I suppose you can very easily come close with all these marvellous guys, can't you...

Yes you can! When you're into quality music, no matter where you come from, you can get attracted to them and they can get attracted to you. It's like a family all around the world. The amazing thing is that when you meet people for the first time, even though you know them only by name, it feels like you've been knowing them for years... They reach for you, you reach for them...

34. (totally agree!. After all it's the doctor speaking).

34.One last thing Dr Jones, After that I'll shut down the MD... (lol! don't be amazed, the display on the MDrecorder reminds me that our conversation is reching 65 minutes - only 9 minutes left!).Explain to me how the "Dr" thing came out! I agree with that but how did you got named as Dr?

Back in the late 1970s, when all I played was soul and jazz, my friends used to call me "Dr Soul". It was just a nickname. And I didn't like that 'cause people came over and told me "oh so you're a doctor and you know everything. In 1992-93 Blues&Soul magazine asked to write a page on jazz for them on every issue, 'cause jazz-dance was starting out in England and it was very big. I wanted to call the page "The Bottom Line" (that's the name of a jazz club in NY- Curtis Mayfield's live album was recorded there). So I called the name of the page "DrJazz". So everybody started calling me Dr Bob Jones! After that I used that name a lot, especially at the pirate radio (Dr Bob Jones' Soul Surgery -cool!).

The Great Doctor Bob Jones

Ok Dr Jones! Thanks a lot for your time!

_Oh thank you! Thank you for your time and respect.

................ Now you think our conversation is ended. You wish! The Md recorder my have suddenly stopped because of its limited time, but I hope you don't think 74 minutes are enough when you have the real doctor of the soul in front of you.

Off the record Dr Bob Jones talked to me about several other things. We discussed about his relationships with Ann Nesby of The Sound Of Blackness, DJ Spina, Jerome Sydenham -Joe Claussell's close music partner. He described me what's going on with the "untouchable" Flower Records, tha mostly acclaimed jazz japanese label. We discussed about his huge record collection (the dr ownes 75000 records, 25000 45s and quite 20000 jazz LPs - phew!!).

But most of all we discussed about life, friendship and spirituality. Now I know I can count on my new 52-years-old-recordcollector-blackmusiclover-dj-producer-recordbagcarrier-doctor of the soulfriend from the UK. Hope to be present at his 35-years of djing party on May the 9th. Really hope so... Fairwell DrJones!

The Great Doctor Bob Jones

Interview conducted by Dr.Bob Jones, London, England

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