Back stage I met a young tech[nician]
called Tomas (?) who was marvelling at my hand speed as he had
watched me warm up for the gig. I told him that my technique on the
congas was nothing compared to the great Latin percussionist from
Puerto Rico – the grand master - Giovanni Hidalgo. I advised him to
check out some Giovanni and we had a good chat about how you find a
good teacher for percussion and how important it is to be inspired
to practice.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to see
the city because we had landed late and the gig was the next day.
Everyone else had gone on an early morning group-jog round the city,
but I missed it ‘cos I was doing my yoga. I practice a form of yoga
called astanga and I just love it ‘cos it keeps me supple and fit
but most of all it keeps my head clear and focused and helps me to
unwind when I’m on tour.
Belgrade – Serbia and Montenegro – 21st June. JK, Paul (the new bass
player) and myself discuss the war in this area of Europe - JK is a
total World War Two buff – I’m sure he’s getting ready for
Mastermind! Some of the guys take up the offer of a UN guided tour
of the war affected areas in a helicopter, but I turn it down ‘cos
I’m a bit nervous of small planes – bottle job – I know, I know……
What a crowd at this gig!. This was the loudest audience I have ever
experienced with Jamiroquai. Super bad, the acoustics were terrible
though but we didn’t care ‘cos the crowd were great. After the gig
we went to a funky nightclub - a great time - followed by a dawn
walk around a medieval fort – early morning coffee with some serious
red star Belgrade football enthusiasts – no sleep all in all!
Sarajevo – the city of tolerance –
you should be proud of your city. Beautiful warm hospitality had an
atmosphere that I usually find in places where there is such a
history and combination of cultures. I received a particularly warm
round of applause from the people of Sarajevo because they love
rhythm here - odd time signatures abound.
Met Ogden a fantastic young man with
the gig’s promoters – he took me to the old Synagogue, the Greek
Orthodox Church and the beautiful Mosque in the centre of the city.
Our performance was a little tired ‘cos we’ve been burning the
candle at both ends and the gig is physically and emotionally
demanding.
Day off in Croatia – spent the day on a four million pound yacht –
jet set millionaire crew - puff Daddy eat your heart out – the lap
of luxury never ceases to seduce.
Pula
Amphitheatre - Arenat Colisseum – what an amazing venue! We played
here two or three years ago and tonight it was a packed audience and
beautiful evening. The band seemed to be inspired by the
surroundings.
Live 8
Back in London and observing the whole build up to the Live8 gig,
wishing we were playing and that Paris hadn’t fallen through. I know
we’ve got the gig at Clapham on the 3rd July, but this issue has
really stirred me up because the question of African poverty is
close to my heart – the controversy stirs me up. I could just
imagine me coming to the front of the stage to start Use the Force
the way we used to when I would begin the song with a solo on my bata drum.
I am down with the whole Make
Poverty History agenda but I want to make sure that the problem of
African corruption and Western support for African corruption is
placed firmly on the agenda. What’s the point of increasing aid and
cancelling debt if there isn’t sufficient accountability in Africa
about how oil revenue, for example, is spent? In Nigeria there is no
excuse for poverty – why does the Western world need to help us when
we should be doing more to help ourselves.
How comes no African leaders were
coming on television to tell us what they were doing about African
poverty? I see people going without in Nigeria and I know how much
my own family there struggles, but I also see and know very many
wealthy Nigerians who aren’t defined by poverty, but they wish that
their government wasn’t corrupt and that there was a reliable
infrastructure and commitment to public services instead of money
pouring out of the country into Swiss bank accounts. Go to any
Nigerian barbers in London and listen to what the men are talking
about. Do you think it doesn’t break our hearts what’s happening in
Africa? It does but what hurts most is the corruption of our
leaders. What are we going to do about that?
Clapham Common
First London show in almost four years, nervous energy crackles back
stage – the crowd are ready - having had their appetite wetted by
the Brand New Heavies and Amy W. It’s always good nostalgic stuff to
play on home turf and also quite nerve racking because you want the
home crowd to love you a lot. Once we get the first two or three
songs over with we settle into a pumping gig playing old favourites
and showcasing new tracks from the album – how do they sound? Let me
know – analyse the gigs for me – I’m not out front – I can’t tell
how you’re hearing it. Jay sang Virtual Insanity like a bird –
deeper underground absolutely rocked – totally ready for take off.
London Bombs
Thank God I didn’t take the train/tube today as I was planning to
do. I drove up to J’s house instead ‘cos I was tired from shooting
the new video the day before. Once I knew that all my family and
friends were safe I calmed down and let it settle in that what we
had been dreading had happened – a terrorist attack on London. My
heart goes out to everyone who was injured and to those who are
grieving for lost loved one. I also feel for the families of those
young men who were persuaded that it was a good thing to become a
suicide bomber; imagine how you would feel if you were told that
your son or daughter had taken their lives in this atrocious way –
and you thought you knew them and all the time they had been
planning that behind your back – you can’t imagine. Thank God also
that the bombs in central London weren’t the distraction for a
really big attack on a larger target. I find that I want to speak to
my family several times a day now just to make sure they know that I
love and appreciate them. It certainly puts things in perspective.
I find myself wondering exactly what
those young men who died as suicide bombers were trying to
communicate to us – was it about our occupation of Iraq? Was it
about our lifestyle in general? I want to know so that I can engage
it with and understand them. It doesn’t interest me to condemn them
outright without any appreciation of how desperate they are to tell
us something about ourselves.
Meanwhile the video shoot for 7 Sunny Days in June goes on and what
a laugh that was – you’ll see the end result soon, but I bet you a
thousand pounds it’s not what you’re expecting – prepare for my
humiliation – something to cheer us all up!
Latin Tour 2006
