On a Saturday morning Joe Bowie wrote me: ‘We invite the press, media and selected fans to witness and be involved in this ‘LIVE Studio’ session and participate in the creative energy culminating in a unique, Groundbreaking recording and the birth of an international Funk/Jazz/Groove FREEDOM concept! James White/Joe Bowie meet Hollands finest Sax Pistols; Dulfer-Wirtz-Schouten-Honing-Houtkamp with R&B specialist Chazzy Green fuelled by Defunkt Powerhouse: Kim Clarke,Tobias Ralph and Rocco Zifarelli.’ A concept from Hilarius Hofstede (writer/artist) and Executive producer – Arthur Herman (Zip Records).

 

Funk for awareness is a concept that is still growing

The ‘new / no wave Underground Music Scene is alive and kicking in Amsterdam. It is an exceptional musical collaboration represented by 4 corners of the world musicians from Los Angeles, New York, Rome and Holland. A visionary concept of writer and artist Hilarius Hofstede. This unique manifest will be held in Amsterdam on the 29th and 30st of August. And guess what.. all press and some fans are invited to be part of this new phenomenon.

 

A fresh new concept in modern music.

A new sound… a new concept… with a strong message. In the line of fire where FUNK meets, contemporary, radical jazz in a groovy formation which is unheard. This special event brings artists together from NY-LA-ROME-AMSTERDAM for this Funky unique new song and sound structure.Amsterdam is the headquarter of this unique global project. Hilarius Hofstede and Joseph Bowie are validating the standard in the music of Funk with the Jazzy Groove of Freedom. Special about this project is that it started from an artistic and humanistic point of view. While working on the Opera ‘Sweat’ something else drove their inner move. Of course we all know times change but are we also aware what thats means? 

 

How come that this project is called ‘Allergy for the US?’

JB: ’ Sax Pistols Allergy for the US’  is the short version pre-amble of the old battle between good (funk) and evil (anti-funk) scripted in ‘SWEAT’ a futuristic Opera, which is coming soon from our collaboration. I am really a fan and I do like Hofstede and his concepts and views of this phenomenon. And that is not all, Hofstede and I share two major common denominators, FUNK and the concept of ANTI-FUNK. For both of us Funk is being Natural, Humanistic and in balance with the Earth. The good things in live and ANTI-FUNK is being everything else. You also can say the Ying Yang. The purpose and concept of Allergy for the US is to create the awareness of alternative thinking musically and socially. Why?… because all these items were prevalent in the US in the first part of the 20th Century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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There must be room for innovative and creative offerings of music/art/culture/politics in our society.  We must NOT fall into categories of “the acceptable” and “status quo”. We must nurture fresh and original concepts and individualism contrary to the dictates of mass society nurturing complacency and similarity.’

 

HH: It all started through human interaction and exchange of the ideas we have. This idea Sax Pistols for the US is actually the bundle of ideas we had floating between us. There was enough to communicate about ‘Allergy for the US’ and to develop the track. One thing in the progress became clear, we want to send out a clear message to the United States. The message in terms of this concept and lyrics is -despite the end of the disastrous Bush years the US- still leaking its aggression and insanity into this world and its cultural imperialism is so much stronger than before. Obama has not been able to bring the change in the world what we all hoped for – for whatever reason… Since we do live in a globalization world, a bit less Americanization would be welcome. At the same time – given Joe’s standing and heritage – ‘Allergy for the US’ is a tribute to its great music and traditions and magic.

 

A collaboration in every stage

It is a unique kind of team play, sharing, developing in every stage in the process but also for the song. That is why it is so great to work with people we know and care about. This creating synergy makes the music more powerful. In fact it is never done before here.

JB: We bring artists from NY-LA-ROME-AMSTERDAM together with a FUNKY, unique new song sound structure. It is where FUNK meets jazz, contemporary, radical, groovy in a new formation unheard of.. All these musicians have great knowledge of musical idioms and are brought together in one big Project.

Thanks to Arthur Herman of ZIP Records finally support of viable alternative musical thinking. Hofstede is the visionary and thinker of the concept who asked me to work with him. I created the song/music with all participants in mind including the personality of Hilarius Hofstede and especially the exploits of James White, Hans Dulfer and the Sax Pistols. The base of the sound is FUNK, a term mostly associate with early concepts developed by James Brown, George Clinton, Sly Stone and many more later perfected and cultured by Prince and most predominately by Michael Jackson.

 

However, FUNK for awareness is a concept that is still growing and developing in the hands of Defunkt and other forward thinking musical groups. It is an idiom that exemplifies “Ancient to the Future”. The lyrics are ideas, pictures, phrases and connections written and offered by Hofstede and edited into song form by myself. We collaborate at every stage of the song development from pre-demo recording to many versions of the lyrics until the final demo was prepared to present to the participants. Once the song (rhythm section parts) is solid, I will dictate the horn parts in the studio! The parts are learned and played from memory!  I want the energy that comes when a musician knows the piece thoroughly in his mind and body. So no written music is necessary.

This is and old concept of performance originating in ancient cultures but still used in the highest forms of popular music from Motown to the Beatles.     

HH: The way we do this project has not been done before. Joe Bowie is a visionary producer with a fusional ernergy that made up the Defunkt sound at the beginning. It brings Bowie/ White underground scene to Amsterdam and connects its with outstanding jazz musicians in the Dutch scene. In that perspective I have to say that foreigners bringing the real deal to the Dutch scene.

 

Why a sax session?

JB: Saxophone is a compelling part of modern music jazz/pop. In ‘Allergy’ the sound of the sax is animated with 7 players (3 alto saxes, 3 tenor players, 1 Baritone sax) to achieve an extravagant and exaggerated, super sax sound.  

HH: Sex pistols, Sax pistols, James White’s sax maniac, enough verbal rumble to go with the saxophone. There are many great players in Holland to substain the unique formation of 7 players, powered by the Defunkt sound and Rhythm section.

Record companies, writers, promoters need to renew trust in the ‘Artists’  for creative direction and abandon creation for the sole purpose of profit. Artists need to develop true skill and creativity born from individualism and historical/genetic connection. 

JB: The players were chosen from past & present collaborations. They are special for me. I have performed with each player. James White aka James Chance I performed with him during the NYC NO WAVE scene in the pate 70′s early 80s. This collaboration would open the way for Defunkt  (youtube-Downtown 81-James White and the Blacks). My cousin Charles ‘Chazzy’ Green is a family member and has an enormous R&B experience (Johnny Guitar Watson, Ray Parker Jr., Bobby Womack) as well as performing and touring with Defunkt. The Dutch jazz legend Hans Dulfer offered me my first gigs in NL upon my arrival in 2003. You never can forget that. We met in the late 70′s at De Kroeg in Amsterdam and he shares a unique political approach as well as musical depth with un-parelled in Holland. I spent a period here in NL working with Luc Houtkamp with the POW Ensembleand various creative musical and visual Projects.Yuri Honing invited me for a project of his in my early days in here.  Bart Wirtz and I were colleagues in the Rotterdamse band “Monsieur Dubois” and we played many concerts together in the Netherlands and Italy. Koen Schouten whom I first met in Tunesia during a Hans Dulfer concert over there. Later Koen asked me to join a cd of his Dutch group ‘The JIG’.

 

We are pleased to be working Arthur Herman ZIP Records in this unique and creative though commercial offering. We hope for wide exposure that would facilitate follow up work with more songs and a full CD/DVD. We hope for a return to the encouragement of creativity and dedication to originality which has inspired the participating musicians in their respective career.
 

With special thanks to Joe Bowie, Hilarius Hofstede and Arthur Herman for creating this unique project.

 

Video 

'Allergy for the US'