Saying “Kool & The Gang” is the immediate start of humming some of them immortal hitYes Celebration, Put It Down, Ladies Night Y Jungle Boogie. However, the band has more than half a century of history and began recording in the ’60s. unbelievable one of its founding members is playing liveat age 71: Robert Bell.

Creator of the group’s unique sound along with his brother Ronald, who passed away in 2020, Robert was a bassist and face of Kool & The Gang, until using the word “Kool” as a nickname.

Now the group will be back in the country, after 24 years, with all its loads of funk, soul, R&B and arrangements with addictive horns and chorus. The show will be Thursday 21 at Luna Park, with Argentinians Palta & The Mood as the opening act. tickets are sold through www.ticketportal.com.ar

Kool & the Gang sounds so unique that they used it in movies like Rocky, Saturday Night Fever, Pulp Fiction Y Ralph is the destroyer. His hits are the soundtrack of an era.

Currently, the band continues to play all their successes and on this tour they will also be showcasing some songs from their latest album, Perfect Union.

The legendary Robert Bell, by Zoom

Calm and in a good mood, Robert “Kool” Bell earnestly chatted about the group’s beginnings and the bands they admired in the early years. “I am very excited about going back to Argentina,” he says after greeting. “It’s been many years since we last went.”

And he immediately added: “It’s great to know that we’re constantly having an audience that loves us around the world, and they’re viewers from different generations. We’ve been doing this for over 50 years, since we started in 1964. , when we were called Jazziacs and then The Soul Town Band, until we settled into Kool & The Gang in 1969 “

What was the music scene at that time?

-In the ’60s we were just starting out, so I listened to a lot of artists from the Motown label, like The Temptations and The Miracles. We also listened to a lot of jazz. My brother likes John Coltrane and other classmates like Herbie Hancock.

-Speaking of jazzers, let’s see what they say about you: is it true that your godfather is Thelonius Monk and that Miles Davis is often in your house?

-Yes. My dad is a top 5 featherweight boxer and he is famous and has traveled all over the world. And in our building lives Thelonius Monk, who wants me to be a bass player. And because Miles Davis loves boxing, he often goes to the rink with my dad as a sparring partner.

-Which artists do you want to watch live and which one seems best?

-We saw James Brown at a stadium in Jersey, where he got all his hits and it was incredible. Later, over the years, I was amazed to see Stevie Wonder live. Another memorable experience was sharing a 48-date tour with Van Halen and another at Kid Rock. We also occasionally work with Elton John and Dire Straits, they are all great.

Disco music and big hits

“The’ 70s were great — he said — because in the early years of that decade we had big hits like Jungle Boogie, Funky Stuff Y hollywood swinging. We were touring with The Gap Band and The Jackson Five, where Michael Jackson was there, so our manager suggested that we have a lead singer in our group. There JT Taylor came in and we hit it off Women’s Night. My husband and I went to Studio 54 and Regine every night!

-Who is currently in the band from the beginning, just you?

-Me and George Brown, from the original. Everyone else is gone, but there are members we call new and they have been here for over 30 years! We currently have eleven musicians in the band, and on some shows we are adding horns.

-Let’s see, how many songs can you leave on the list of songs of a recital?

-Many, and if we were to play them all we would have to do 8-hour concerts! (laughs) There must have been those I mentioned before the early ’70s, but also summer madness Y Open Sesame. Later, from the ’80s they could not pass up Ladies’ Night, Too Hot, Get Down On It, All Dancing, Love and of course the most popular of all: celebration.

-Are you proud that the band is going on and the one with the high torch?

– I just have to do my thing. As the friend said, every problem has a solution. And we’re still going strong despite the adversity, but we’re still Kool & The Gang.

The opening act on the Moon

The band that manages the presentation of opening of the long -awaited show Kool & The Gang Avocado and The Mood, which since 2014 has combined different genres such as Jazz, blues and funk. This is an Argentine group that is just facing their second album Patience. at the Ciudad Cultural Kónex and at three sold-out performances in Niceto.

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