Friday Oct 21 Atlantic City USA Good to be back - first USA gig since Synchronized in 1999 – a small venue called the House of Blues which is one of a chain of similar capacity venues all over North America - New Orleans, Los Angeles, Chicago, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Las Vegas, Anaheim, Cleveland, San Diego and Atlantic City - dedicated to African American blues and folk art – we are, therefore, honoured to be playing here to about 1000 hard core fans. This is the kind of folk art you find in the House of Blues clubs, just to remind you, in case you forgot that bands like the Rolling Stones and Jamiroquai are standing on the shoulders of musical giants from the American South: It’s a challenge for everyone to re-orientate themselves to playing in small venues like this after all the arenas and stadiums we’re used to. Even the techs have a whole different kind of job to do – imagine how small the stage space is on these kinds of gigs. Personally I love the more intimate vibe because the interaction with the audience is upfront and personal – there’s nowhere to hide – it’s warts and all – its humbling and the musicians have to really focus on conjuring a feeling out of the sound they can create rather than the awesome feeling fans get when they’re in a stadium of 20,000 people with a big stage show to watch.

Must say jet lag kicked in hard for me during the gig – especially during Revolution! Must do better!

Boy, was staying in the Trump Hotel ever an eye opener - it is basically a gambler's paradise - all old age pensioners glued to fruit machines, which I suppose is no different to a bingo night in Hull in England. Not that I’ve got anything against bingo or anything, by all account it’s great fun, I know some people love it to bits – I remember Jay’s ex-girlfriend Denise Van Outen used to make it a regular girls’ night! It’s just that, for me, in these places where old people are on the slot machines no one looks like they’re having much fun; it makes me think about the tragedy of working class people who are broke and gambling on their luck because they’ve got no other way of clinging onto that American dream, but I could be completely wrong about that.

By the way is that Trump as in Donald Trump? Respect to the man and everything but he needs to take a good long hard look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact that he’s balding and needs to cut that thatch off the top of his balding head – he ain’t fooling no one - come out Donald – be proud of the changes man!

Sat Oct 22
Boston Mass
Much better performance from me, felt like I had to redeem myself. Met some interesting people after the show like Michelle Burgos and her cousin from the Dominican Republic; they are both teachers and Michelle’s cousin was very familiar with West African writers such as Wole Soyinka, Amos Tutuola, Chinua Achebe etc. You guys should get onto www.amazon.com and look those authors up – get ready to enter a different world and let me know if you’re digging it.

We had a fantastic conversation since Wole Soyinka is one of my greatest cultural heroes. Lovely to be in an ivy league city like Boston and get an education from the fans – loving that.  Must say I am woefully ignorant about American history – must do better! Having said that I am currently reading Simon Schama's book called Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution which is all about the relationship between the black American slaves, their loyalty to the British and how they were betrayed in the war of independence. It just didn't turn out the way they thought it was going to. A very juicy read – check it out people!

Thinking about my bongo playing - I’ve really been focusing on it on this tour and it was better tonight but I still need something more in terms of technique – I’m always searching for ways to improve – thinking about relaxing the muscles while I am playing, keeping the shoulders down and concentrating on my breathing – music becomes meditation……

Sun 23rd Oct
Travel day to NYC

Mon 24th Oct Our first show in New York since we had to leave here immediately following the tragedy of 9/11 in 2001. Full house in a brand new venue - sold out at the Nokia Theatre NYC!! New York was rockin it out and funkin it hard!!! Did we kick it or did we kick it? Thanks again to all who braved the down pour! Jamiroquai in the House!!! A brand new theatre in Times Square and we made it the good vibe zone! Feels a bit like we’re starting all over again in America, which isn’t such a bad thing – hard work never harmed anyone and our new American manager is working his magic; I’m liking his vibe and appreciating his application.

Mr Martin Cohen owner of Latin Percussion music www.lpmusic.com – the company that supplies percussion to all the world’s premier percussionists – came to the show tonight and he loved it. He appreciated my playing and let’s face it - he's seen some cats. Mr Cohen started his company way back in the 40s/50s and he has the most incredible photographic and film archive charting the development of Cuban and Latin music in North America that you have ever seen. It is awesome – and he is a legend.

Tues 25th Oct
Spent the morning at the LP headquarters in Belmont New Jersey; it was great to see Martin and his colleague Steve Nigohosian and to meet the staff at LP. There was an amazing feeling of continuation and sense of purpose in that building with everyone dedicated to continuing a legacy of excellence.  Martin showed me his photo collection of some of the Latin greats - Tito Puente Piencete Candido, Potato Valdez, Jose Mangual, Chuco Valdez to name but a few (get onto those google searches for those of you who know nothing about the history of Latin American percussion!). To be involved with LP one feels part of a serious level of craftsmanship and musicianship and, in Martin's words, I know am extremely fortunate to be performing around the world with such an amazing band. Add to this the support I get from a company like LP with individuals like Martin and co. doing such a great and inspiring job for us all it is no wonder that I am so psyched for the gig tonight!

The LP practice pad for congas has been a revelation for me – it really helps me to warm up like nothing else I’ve ever tried so I feel so much more relaxed on stage. Although I am suffering the tortures of the damned with callouses on my hands from all the playing – one of the hazards of the job.

Oct 26
Travel to Montreal

Oct 27
Montreal at the Metropolis. What a reception – the crowd were chanting like a football crowd and get this - people were surfing the crowds like a full on rock concert!! Loving that – it is a real competition between the French fans and the Canadian fans as to which are the more crazy – I mean really going for it at the gig, getting a crazy vibe going for us to ride on.

It was my greatest pleasure to meet up with my old friends and colleagues Joel Cambell and his wife Starre and Slim Williams who, and you would never believe it to see him, will be 50 on November the 12th.  I worked with Joel and Slim on Ronny Jordan’s Light to Dark album which was recorded at Morin Heights in Montreal. If you’ve got that album you will catch me in full flow on the Light to Dark album, on a track called “I See You”, a track I wrote way back in the day!  Man was that studio beautiful out there in the middle of the snow – we would leave our apartments trek through the snow and hook up in the studio – it was like a retreat – no wonder it’s been used by the likes of Ian Rush and Sting.

Joel and Starre looked amazing, he is one of the most talented key board players I have ever come across – I mean jaw dropping soul – recently I’ve been digging John Legend’s album – that’s a must buy people – and the keyboard playing reminds me of Joel.  His wife Starre is beautiful and they have three lovely kids now – wow life rolls on and on – and as for Slim I want some of that elixir of youth!

Friday 28th
Toronto
Met up after the show tonight with some close family friends Phil and Pat, who live in the beautiful Ontario countryside, usually I go and hang out there for a couple of days when I’m in Canada, but no time on this tour – it's all gig, after-show and back on the road, but no matter how brief it is, it is always heartening to see family and friends and familiar faces.

Oct 29th
Chicago
At last, hooked up with my cousin Ade who I am very close to and who emigrated from London to the US to live with his lovely American wife last year.  It was a great opportunity to hook up and spend a bit of time together - he took me to a Nigerian party – the 70th birthday of the former head of the Nigerian Television Authority - Mr Victor Maduka. Great party!  So nice to see professional affluent Nigerians relaxed and ease with themselves because they have stability and an opportunity to fulfil their potential. God Bless America. Unfortunately, the same is not so easy in Nigeria, but don’t get me onto the subject of African politics or we’ll never get off it!!

Oct 30 Sunday
Chicago
Awful acoustics at the gig, but the fans were great – they didn’t care and gave out to the max.

1st Nov Tuesday
Denver, Colorado
Woah - an incredible 18 hour drive to Denver.  Check out the tour bus – outside and inside – could you imagine how much we have to have faith in the driver – in this case – thanks are due to our driver Cajun – BIG UP!

And inside, this is our capsule where we have to just get on with getting on – could you hack it?  It’s cosy; a little tight maybe but we manage.  The only privacy you get is that little curtain – where you lie down and hide when it’s all too much!!!!!

          

Live at the Fillmore - where some of the greats have trodden the boards. The crowd rocked once again. Derrick and I hooked up with Nikka Costa who is one of the funkiest and most soulful of the female US funksters. If you don’t know about her get onto google and check it out and then get on and get hold of her CDs – awesome. I sooooo think that Jamiroquai should do a collaboration with her – it would lift off! Give me some feed back! Can you see it? Nikka Costa featuring Jamiroquai, or Jamiroquai featuring Nikka Costa - whatever! Lets just do it!

Nov 2nd Wed
Las Vegas
Last time we played here was when we were supporting the Rolling Stones at the MGM Grand. What a night that was!  Jack Nicholson was in the house with two young ladies and Ronnie Woods was a complete gentleman and beautiful soul – we all went to his hotel rooms for the after the show party where he spun tunes to take us through the history of the blues - and he drew a profile portrait of me while I listened to Robert Johnson.

This time things have been a little scaled down and we are back at The House of Blues.  We were invited, by Hugo, one of the cast members, to watch the Cirque du Soleil show – Mystere. Hugo was one of the main dancers in the Jamiroquai All Right video all those years ago - what a small world - he was a fantastic host to us all. The show was spectacular and we were then shown around the backstage area where we were able to witness the mind boggling attention to detail in the costumes, design moulds for masks, embroidery, five set of shows, gymnasium computer generated lights and so on and so on – a proper show!  I’ll never forget seeing the Russian juggler in the Cirque show I saw in London – it was a phenomenon – I am totally fascinated by all the techniques that human beings can apply their bodies to in mastering their various crafts whether it be football, circus skills, musicianship or whatever – blows me away.  Apparently a lot of the performers in Cirque are ex-Eastern European gymnasts.

Thur 3 Nov The show was off the hook! Apparently the manager had never seen a Vegas crowd go-off like they did on this night!

Check out The Ancestors from the South - Funky or What!! I was in my element:

Fri 4th Nov
Day off – just chilling and hiding from the world in the hotel – gets like that sometimes.

Nov 5th - Guy's Fawkes
San Francisco

This is the real Fillmore - who hasn't played here?  Remember that San Francisco was the main Bohemian city of the United States in the 60s and this venue has seen all the major acts when they were just starting out including James Brown, Ike & Tina Turner and so on and so on, I didn't make the trip to Alcatraz this time or the Golden Gate Bridge because I got a problem with my right wrist – like a repetitive strain injury and had to get it looked at – the tour manager hooked up this guy who practices Reiki – you heard of that – it was far out, but it worked! Are you cats feeling these US posters? I can’t believe I didn’t get hold of one of those for y’all.

Mon 7th
Tonight with Jay Lenno the infamous chat show host – Jay didn’t get interviewed, we just played but I heard that Prince Charles got the full dressing down recently when he was in America. Jay Lenno had been talking about the Prince’s views on global warming and had said but how can we trust what the Prince thinks about this issue, he thinks Camilla is hot!

Ha ha!

We performed Seven Sunny Days in June, nice and tight and groovy.

Nov 8th Tuesday
Day off - watched a great movie about the history of the development of cardiac surgery with Most Def and Alan Rickman. It was awesome – completely revealing about black peoples’ involvement in scientific breakthroughs – something we don’t hear enough about – and also about the corruption of power – my favourite theme! Now what was that movie called?  Can’t remember.

Spent the rest of the day walking around La Cienaga Boulevard – this is just my favourite pastime on tour – to walk – and I mean serious walking – miles and miles – hours and hours – just soaking up the vibes and seeing what’s going on.  Don’t bother to go into the malls though - I find them to be soulless places – just can’t breathe in their for capitalism.

Wed 9th Nov
Wiltern LA

Had the pleasure tonight of meeting the great Mr Jonathan sweet-foot Moffet. This legendary drummer has played with everybody from The Jacksons to Whitney Houston.  You have to appreciate that in America all musicians are in awe of the legacy of black American musicianship and achievement.  That is a history not to be messed with and you make sure that you are on your Ps n Qs all the time.  In my dreams I go to Berkeley and just fall off the planet into some serious back to basics music schooling.

Nov 10th
TV – Jimmy Kimmel

Performed 5 numbers - one for TV and then four for a special audience – Revolution, Canned Heat, Space Cowboy, High Times.


Sat 12th
In the sky on the way to Tokyo – Land of Rising Sun - bye bye USA – you rocked!

If you’re feeling it everybody say yeah yeah!

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