ONE OF THE MOST UBIQUITOUS SOUNDS OF THE 70S AND 80S WAS THE UPBEAT R&B GROOVES THAT MIXED JAZZ, FUNK AND SOUL INTO A UNIQUE DANCEABLE STEW. ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS OF THE SOUND WAS BASSIST ROBERT “KOOL” BELL, A MEMBER OF KOOL AND THE GANG, THE BAND THAT GAVE US IRRESISTABLE AND UPBEAT TUNES LIKE “JUNGLE BOOGIE”, “LADIE’S NIGHT” AND “GET DOWN ON IT”. EVEN THE MOST HARDENED JAZZ FAN HAS THESE TUNES IN THEIR PLAYLIST.
MR. BELL HAS RECENTLY RELEASED A NEW SONG AND VIDEO, NOT JUST KEEPING UP WITH THE TIMES, BUT REMINDING THE WORLD OF A TIME WHEN MUSIC WAS UPLIFTING AND ENCOURAGING. WHEN’S THE LAST TIME THAT HAPPENED.
WE HAD A CHANCE TO HAVE A NICE CONVERSATON WITH ROB KOOL, WHO, AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT, GOT DOWN ON IT.
DURING YOUR WHOLE CAREER YOU HAVE MADE MUSIC THAT WAS UPBEAT AND POSITIVE. WAS THAT A CONSCIOUS DECISION ON THE BAND’S PART, OR SIMPLE A REFLECTION OF THE TIMES?
It was a reflection of the time period, but also an evolution of Kool and The Gang. In 1964, we were called The Jazziacs, and were part of an organization called The Soultown Review, and they were trying to be like the Motown Review. So, we became The Soultown Band, and we had to learn a lot of these Motown songs.
We then moved on to Kool and the Flames. But we had a problem with that name because James Brown had his Famous Flames, and we didn’t want to have a problem with The Godfather (laughs), so Gene Rett (sp) told us “Why not just change it to ‘Kool and the Gang”, which is what we did in 1968,
Then in 1969 our first record came out Kool and the Gang.
YOUR MUSICAL HISTORY GOES BACK FURTHER THAN THAT, WITH ASSOCIATIONS WITH THELONIOUS MONK AND MILES DAVIS
That’s from my father’s side of the family.
My father was a Count Five featherweight in Ohio. My uncle, Tommy Bell, lived in New York, both of them won Golden Gloves at times. They would both go to New York and train, and they lived in the same building as Thelonious Monk, so they became friends.
Then, Miles Davis would come around, as he wanted to be a boxer, so they all became friends. My father would spar with Miles, but he’d warn him, “Don’t spar too hard, Miles, as I don’t want to split your lip” (laughs)
My father would fight in Cuba before they had the sanctions down there. He’d go down with Miles and Dizzy Gillespie to Havana.
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“My father would spar with Miles, but he’d warn him, ‘Don’t spar too hard, Miles, as I don’t want to split your lip'”
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YOU PLAYED WITH SOME HEAVYWEIGHTS BACK IN THE DAY, BEING ON STAGE WITH PHAROAH SANDERS AND MCCOY TYNER.
There was a place in Georgia, there was a church that had a theater, and on Sundays they do some jazz. McCoy Tyner and Pharoah Sanders would come through there. I was only 13-14 years old, but they gave me a chance to do some things with them.
DID YOU GLEAN ANYTHING FROM THEM AT THAT TIME?
=My brother was into John Coltrane and my cousin really loved Cannonball Adderley. Of course, my man was Ron Carter. This was the music that we were around at the time.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE BASS AS AN INSTRUMENT?
Back in Youngstown, Ohio, my brother and I would get these old tin cans started out playing on tin cans. Depending what was on the bottom of the cans, we would get different sounds and tones out of them. We would be at Immaculate High School, and I started out first on bongos, tried the cello, didn’t like it, same with the violin. Then there was the mellophone, which just seemed odd to me, it was like the French Horn.
We were playing one day. Spike Mickens our trumpet player, was playing guitar back then, and was really into Miles and Freddie Hubbard, and he started playing “Coming Home Baby”. There was a place in The Village, the Café Noir’ and his family had something to do with that club. We’d be playing there with all kinds of people like Richie Havens. My brother said “why don’t you come up here and play bass?”
I told him I only play bongos, but he said, “You know that song ‘Comin’ Home Baby’, you can play it on one string, just follow along”
So I played that song, and that was the beginning of my bass career!
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“Our parents were a big help. They told us ‘whatever you do, stay together'”
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WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT QUESTION… YOUR OWN SONGS HAVE BEEN SAMPLED BY MANY HIP HOP ARTISTS. WHO DID YOU GET YOUR BASS LINE IDEAS FROM TO “SAMPLE” INTO SONGS?
It was a combination of my own ideas and other songs, as we started as The Jazziacs, so I knew lines from things like “Song For My Father” by Horace Silver. You couldn’t sample back then, you had to keep listening over and over to the records.
My guitarist showed me different things. We knew we were going to be a soul band, so we picked up on things from the artists in Jersey City, and listened to their bass lines. Things like “Since I Lost My Baby” and songs from the Supremes.
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“I knew lines from things like “Song For My Father” by Horace Silver. You couldn’t sample back then, you had to keep listening over and over to the records”
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YOU ALSO WROTE SONGS FOR TOM JONES AND GRANT GREEN. THAT’S A WIDE SPREAD.
Tom Jones would do “Ladies Night”. He told me “we’ve got to do something for a show coming on.”
My guitarist, the late Charles Smith was a fan of Grant Green and would listen to a lot of his albums, as well as Wes Montgomery.
YOUR EARLY MUSIC WAS UPLIFTING, AND YOUR LATEST SONG/VIDEO IS UPBEAT. WHAT KEEPS YOU ON THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THINGS?
Learning positive things from The Nation of Islam, but mostly just being involved in the neighborhood.
YOUR BAND WAS ABLE TO EVOLVE OVER THE YEARS. WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHANGES IN MUSIC AND THE INDUSTRY THAT YOU’VE OBSERVED SINCE YOU STARTED?
Back in 64 we were more of a jazz band and then in the 1970s we developed our own sound. On our first album we did things like “Since I Lost My Baby” as that was what was going on in the soul scene. We also did a couple of songs by the Delfonics. Then we’d do our own songs, with crazy names like “Raw Hamburger” and things like that, and “Funky Man”.
WHAT DO YOU LISTEN FOR IN A BASS PLAYER OR BAND? DO YOU HAVE A PET PEEVE ABOUT THEM?
You first have to learn the lines, like James Jamerson did. I like what Jaco Pastorius did with the bass, and Ron Carter is still my guy.
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“All you need is a melody! What is a hit record? One with a melody; that’s all you need”
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THE THING THAT IS INTERESTING IS THAT R&B GUYS LIKE THE JAZZ MUSICIANS, AND JAZZ GUYS LIKE MILES WANTED TO BE LIKE SLY AND THE FAMLY STONE!
James Brown wanted to sound like Billy Eckstine. And we used to follow The Godfather.
WHAT GIVES YOU THE BIGGEST JOY IN YOUR L IFE RIGHT NOW?
Staying healthy, being successful in what I have done. I’ve lost my brother, wife and mother. I’m still here to appreciate the accolades. I’m still alive to celebrate 50 years of things like “Celebrate” and “Jungle Boogie”.
I’m even able to have my own champagne, called “Kool Champagne”.
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“I don’t like to be categorized. That band is what it is in terms of the business that it relates to; is it “rock”? Is it “this or that”?”
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THERE AREN’T MANY MUSICIANS ALIVE THAT HELPED START A GENRE.YOU’RE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE
It’s a blessing that we took the route that we did, and created our own sound. We took from jazz and R&B until we were our own thing.
I don’t like to be categorized. That band is what it is in terms of the business that it relates to; is it “rock”? Is it “this or that”?
People look down on Country and Western. But why can’t we do it? Why don’t we do rock? Why just do R&B? We were about music; we went around the world with that and were blessed to do it.
AS DUKE ELLINGTON SAID, “THERE’S TWO KINDS OF MUSIC, GOOD AND BAD”
All you need is a melody! What is a hit record? One with a melody; that’s all you need.
NOT ONLY HAVE YOU SURVIVED MUSCICALLY, BUT ALSO FINANCIALLY. A LOT OF GUYS WENT BANKRUPT OR WORSE DUE TO PERSONAL PROBLEMS OR BAD ASSOCIATIONS. HOW DID YOU AVOID THE MAJOR PITFALLS?
We didn’t avoid ALL of them (laughs)
But we stayed clear of dealing with things like Morris Levy and the Mafia. I’m trying to be real about that. We survived that.
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“People look down on Country and Western. But why can’t we do it? Why don’t we do rock? Why just do R&B? We were about music; we went around the world with that and were blessed to do it”
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WAS THERE ANY BOOK OR ADVICE SOMEONE HAS GIVEN YOU THAT HAS HELPED YOU GUIDE YOU THROUGH LIFE?
Our parents were a big help. They told us “whatever you do, stay together”
My partner, George, wrote a song called “Let’s Party”, which was a celebration after COVID, as people were just happy to see each other again.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR LEGACY TO BE, AND WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE PEOPLE TO SAY AT YOUR MEMORIAL SERVICE?
The fact that Kool and The Gang had songs like “Love and Understanding” and “Who’s Going to Take The Weight”. A lot was going on at that time, and we needed to hear a message. Someday, somethings going to come, and people will want to know what to do.
That’s still what’s going on today
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“I always try to stay on the positive side of the street. If you go down into a dark alley you don’t know what might happen”
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YOU CAN GIVE A MESSAGE IN A POSITIVE WAY, OR IN A COMPLAINING WAY. YOU’VE ALWAYS CHOSEN THE HIGH ROAD
I always try to stay on the positive side of the street. If you go down into a dark alley you don’t know what might happen.
IF THERE IS ONE THING MISSING IN TODAY’S MUSIC (AND THERE’S MORE THAN ONE!), IT’S A SENSE OF CELEBRATION. BASSIST ROBERT BELL HAS RETURNED TO THE SCENE LIKE A MODERN PROPHET, SHOWING THE WORLD THROUGH MUSIC HOW FAR IT HAS STRAYED BY BRINGING BACK A PLUMB LINE OF OPTIMISM AND JOY. CHECK OUT HIS LATEST ALBUM, AND TAKE PART IN A MUSICAL WORLD VIEW THAT IS WORTH “CHERISH”ING!