Jamiroquai

Jamiroquai - Live In Verona - 2002 - Sony Music Entertainment (UK)

"November 11th sees Jamiroquai, one of the UK's most successful bands of the last decade, release a live DVD, capturing one of Jay Kay and the band's electrifying live shows for the first time in their phenomenal 10 year career. Recorded in June, on a wild and stormy summer night in Italy's stunning Verona Amphitheatre on the European leg of Jamiroquai's 'Funk Odyssey World Tour 2002' this DVD, packed with extra features, shows exactly why Jamiroquai have sold over 20 million albums and how they earned their reputation as one of the world's greatest live acts." "Jay Kay - funk troubadour, charismatic lead vocalist and occasional stand up comedian, MC's the stormy night's affair with all the flair of a front man at the height of his powers. Busting incredible moves in the torrential rain and singing his heart out, Jay and his super-tight band play a (literally) storming 90 minute set including Top 10 Jamiroquai classics from 'Virtual Insanity' and 'Cosmic Girl' to 'Funk Odyssey' favourites 'Little L' and 'Love Foolosophy'. By the time they play their No.1 smash, 'Deeper Underground', they blow the (metaphorical) roof right off the spectacular Roman Amphitheatre." "The DVD also contains exclusive documentary footage and there is a special guest appearance at the show from the UK's finest soul diva, Beverley Knight, who sings on 'Main Vein' and the added bonus version of 'Love Foolosophy'. The filming encompasses a 15 camera shoot and extra features include 360 degree shots on DVD Rom and multi angle tracks which feature solely on Jay Kay, except for 'Love Foolosophy' which includes Beverley Knight. The unique package perfectly captures the night's extraordinary and unique atmosphere - at one moment it even sees Jay literally swimming along the stage much to the glee of the ecstatic crowd." "This DVD represents the first retrospective of any kind, live or on record, of Jamiroquai's extraordinary career, spanning five multi platinum albums. Forget the tabloid hype - this gig showcases Jay Kay doing what he does best, doing what comes naturally - performing live." [ from the press release for this video ]

Jamiroquai, the funky acid jazz band played on June 8th, 2002 at the Arena Di Verona in Verona, Italy as part of a tour to promote their "A Funk Odyssey" album. The band play an absolutely outstanding performance. There is a special guest appearance at the show from the UK's great soul diva, Beverley Knight, who sings on 'Main Vein' and the added bonus version of 'Love Foolosophy'. It has been written that "This record can be also treated as the very best of Jay-Kay". If you're a Jamiroquai fan, you will have your own opinion on this statement. If you're not familiar with the band's music, this concert is a good starting point. Listen to Jamiroquai's "Emergency on Planet Earth" and "A Funk Odyssey" albums

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

Twenty Zero One - JK
Canned Heat - JK, Toby Smith, Derrick McKenzie, Simon Katz, Sola Akingbola, Wallis Buchanan
Bad Girls - Donna Summer
Corner Of The Earth - JK, Rob Harris
Virtual Insanity - JK, Toby Smith
Little L - JK
High Times - Wheeler, JK, Toby Smith, Zender, Derrick McKenzie
Cosmic Girl - Derrick McKenzie
Main Vein (with Beverley Knight) - JK
Deeper Underground - JK, Toby Smith
Alright - JK, Toby Smith, Rob Harris
Love Foolosophy - JK
Love Foolosophy (with Beverley Knight) - JK

N.B: The band currently consists of Jason "Jay Kay" Cheetham (vocals), Matt Johnson (keyboards), Rob Harris (guitar), Paul Turner (bass), Derrick McKenzie (drums) , Sola Akingbola (percussion), Lorraine McIntosh (backing vocals) and Hazel Fernandez (backing vocals). A detailed list of the musicians on the Verona album would be welcome

BIO

Although some choose to pass off Jamiroquai as a Stevie Wonder-clone, the band has amassed a steady stream of hits in its native U.K. and has experienced chart success in just about every other area of the world with an irresistible blend of house rhythms and '70s-era soul/funk. The band has gone though several lineup changes during their career, but through it all their leader has remained singer/songwriter Jason Kay (aka J.K.). Born on December 30, 1969, in Stretford, Manchester, Kay's mother, Karen, was a jazz singer who regularly performed at nightclubs, and in the '70s had her own TV show. After leaving home at the age of 15, Kay found himself homeless and in trouble with the law (by committing petty crimes to get by). After a near-death experience (where he was attacked and stabbed) and being arrested for a crime he did not commit, Kay decided to return home, where he chose to pursue a legitimate career over crime: music. Kay didn't have a band to back up his compositions, but he quickly came up with his future project's name, Jamiroquai, a name that combined the name of a Native American tribe (the Iroquois) along with the music-based word, jam. Kay's home demos caught the attention of the record label Acid Jazz, which issued Jamiroquai's debut single "When You Gonna Learn?" in late 1992. With Kay enlisting the help of others (Jamiroquai's best-known lineup included drummer Derrick McKenzie, keyboard player Toby Smith, bassist Stuart Zender, and vibraphonist Wallis Buchanan), the single was a success and was soon followed by a long-term and lucrative recording contract with Sony. Jamiroquai's full-length debut, Emergency on Planet Earth, followed in 1993 and became a major hit in their native England (peaking at number one on the charts), spawning such Top Ten hit singles as "Too Young to Die" and "Blow Your Mind." The band's second release, The Return of the Space Cowboy in 1995, managed to steer Jamiroquai clear of the sophomore jinx that affects so many up-and-coming bands by out-selling its predecessor in Europe and was a sizeable hit in Japan, as well. With most of the world dancing to Jamiroquai's beat, America was next in line for the band's third effort, 1996's Traveling Without Moving. The album spawned the worldwide hit "Virtual Insanity," for which an award-winning video was filmed and helped the album achieve platinum status in the States by the year's end (as well as a highlighted performance at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards). Despite achieving breakthrough success, bassist Zender opted to leave the group during sessions for its follow-up, which resulted in Kay scraping almost an entire album's worth of new tracks in order to start from scratch with a new bassist (the slot would eventually go to newcomer Nick Fyffe). During the downtime, Jamiroquai contributed a brand-new track, "Deeper Underground," to the soundtrack for the 1998 movie Godzilla. But the long wait between albums seemed to kill Jamiroquai's momentum in the U.S., where a fourth release overall, 1999's Synkronized, was largely ignored (yet back home and across the globe, it was another major commercial success). Subsequently, it appeared as though the majority of Jamiroquai's U.S. media attention focused on non-music related events, such as the band turning down a million-dollar offer to play at a concert on New Year's Eve 1999, and when Kay was accused of assaulting a tabloid photographer (with the charges later being dropped). It didn't take Jamiroquai as long the next time around to issue another album, with A Funk Odyssey hitting the racks two years later in 2001. Kay also helmed a volume in the mix-album series Late Night Tales. From there, Jamiroquai spent the next two years gathering material for a sixth studio album. Dynamite, which was finally released in 2005, was written and recorded in Spain, Italy, Costa Rica, Scotland, New York, Los Angeles and Jamiroquai's own Buckinghamshire studio. © Greg Prato © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0xfuxqqgldte~T1