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An acid jazz project rooted in the Brit-funk scene, Incognito are led by Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick, a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and arranger who has guided an ever-changing lineup since 1979. The group appeared to be a one-and-done deal after Jazz Funk (1981) but returned early the next decade to record and perform at a steady rate, continually refining their feel-good hybrid sound with Jocelyn Brown, Maysa Leak, and Tony Momrelle among an assortment of featured and longer-term vocalists. Although Maunick and company have placed 15 singles on the U.K. pop chart, including a Top Ten version of Ronnie Laws' "Always There" and Top 20 cover of Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing," their devotion to modernizing '70s soul, funk, disco, and crossover jazz has fostered a larger following in the U.S. Beginning with Tribes, Vibes and Scribes (1992) and continuing through Amplified Soul (2014), over a dozen of their albums have hit the Top Ten of Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart. Incognito closed out their fourth decade with Tomorrow's New Dream (2019), on which Maunick was joined by Leak and other regulars such as Imaani, Joy Rose, and Vanessa Haynes. They've continued performing into the 2020s with singles such as "Simple Pleasures" (recorded with singer Brettina) added to their lengthy discography.

Incognito were founded in 1979 by Light of the World members Jean-Paul Maunick and Paul "Tubbs" Williams. They debuted the next year with the single "Parisienne Girl" and followed it with the full-length Jazz Funk (1981) but were inactive during the rest of the '80s. Maunick continued to write material for his group, even while working with the likes of Maxi Priest and Nia Peeples. (Williams later moved to Finland.) Signed to Gilles Peterson's fledgling Talkin' Loud label, Maunick reactivated Incognito in 1990, assisted by fellow multi-hyphenate musician Richard Bull. Their subsequent update of Ronnie Laws' "Always There" (based on Side Effect's vocal version), featuring bona fide disco diva Jocelyn Brown, became a number six U.K. pop hit as part of the booming acid jazz movement. This prompted the release of Incognito's second album overall, Inside Life (1991). Maunick and Bull directed a large cast with many of the best musicians in Britain's fertile groove community, setting a standard for all of Incognito's future recordings.

Tribes, Vibes and Scribes (1992) added vocalist Maysa Leak to the lineup. A cover of Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" reached number 19 in the U.K., and in the U.S., the album ascended to number five on the contemporary jazz chart. After third album Positivity (1993), Leak recorded a solo album for Blue Thumb/GRP. Maunick consequently sought Joy Malcolm and Pamela Anderson to contribute most of the vocals for 100° and Rising (1995), highlighted by the number 23 U.K. single "Everyday." The following year, Leak returned to appear on Beneath the Surface, on which Imaani made her first of several appearances. During the latter half of the decade, Incognito expanded their discography with Remixed (1996), Tokyo Live (1998), and No Time Like the Future (1999), the last of which brought Ski Oakenfull into the fold.

The group's first two albums of the 2000s, Life, Stranger Than Fiction (2001) and Who Needs Love (2002), were made without Leak. The former was the first to feature long-term associate Tony Momrelle, while the latter -- the first of several releases through Dome in the U.K. -- added another, Joy Rose, along with contributions from Paul Weller and Ed Motta. Leak returned for Adventures in Black Sunshine (2004), a set that also boasted a guest appearance from key Incognito inspiration George Duke. Bees + Things + Flowers (2006) mixed cover versions along with re-recordings of four Incognito classics. More Tales Remixed (2008) involved remixes from Dimitri from Paris and Mark de Clive-Lowe, among others.

Incognito began the 2010s by acknowledging a major group milestone, most notably with the two-CD Live in London: The 30th Anniversary Concert, as well as their 14th studio set, Transatlantic R.P.M. (2010), featuring performances from Chaka Khan, Leon Ware, Mario Biondi, and Leak. Surreal (2012) was followed by Maunick's first proper solo album, Leap of Faith (2013). Incognito nonetheless remained Maunick's primary creative outlet. Through the remainder of the decade, they released three additional double-length studio albums -- Amplified Soul (2014), In Search of Better Days (2016), and Tomorrow's New Dreams (2019) -- supported as usual by dozens of instrumentalists and singers. Incognito continued to simultaneously tend to their back catalog and release new material in the 2020s, during which Maunick also found time collaborate with Gilles Peterson as STR4TA, a project contemporizing early-'80s Brit-funk. Incognito's most extensive anthology, the eight-disc boxed set Always There: 1981-2021, was released in 2021. They teamed with emergent vocalist Brettina in 2022 with the single "Simple Pleasures," and later in the year covered Idris Muhammad's disco classic "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This." Tokyo Dreams, a two-disc set issued in 2023, combined a live recording from the late '90s with rarities -- all previously compiled for the boxed set. ~ Andy Kellman & John Bush

Unless you've been living in a cave since the late '70s, you have likely heard Jocelyn Brown's voice at one point or another. Brown's immensely power-packed and impassioned voice has been at the fore of several definitive and timeless disco classics, and it has also been present in background roles on numerous others. Short-lived disco groups like Inner Life and Musique hit the upper reaches of the club charts in large part due to Brown's contributions, and she has also had success as a solo performer. Producer Patrick Adams, an associate of Brown's during her time spent with the above-mentioned acts, has referred to her as one of the greatest vocalists he has ever known. After becoming familiar with the vocalist's scattered but rich discography, it's hard to disagree with that observation.

It comes to no surprise after hearing Brown's voice to learn that her background is rooted in gospel. Born in 1950 in Kingston, South Carolina, Brown grew up in a very musical and religious family. Several members of her family participated in church choirs and performed as minstrel singers, but it was her aunt, Barbara Roy (aka Barbara Gaskin), a member of Ecstasy, Passion & Pain, who helped inspire her to move on to secular music. Though Brown had been familiar with studio settings since the age of 14, she began working prolifically during the latter half of the '70s and set aside her aspiration to become a teacher. Session work with stateside groups like Machine, Kleeer, and Disco Tex & the Sex-O-Lettes was just as steady as work with international artists like Italy's Cerrone and Change. During this period, the then-married Brown was often credited as Jocelyn Shaw.

One of Brown's most noteworthy runs of success came as a member of Patrick Adams' Musique, a group that scored a pair of major club hits in 1978 with "Keep on Jumpin'" and "In the Bush" (or "Push, Push, in the Bush," as some know it). A Prelude-released 12" with both songs on one platter reached number one on Billboard's club chart. The following year, Greg Carmichael and Patrick Adams initiated the longer-lived Inner Life. With Brown front and center, the group's debut single, "I'm Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair)," hit number seven on the club chart before cracking the Top 25 of the R&B chart the next year. A version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," remixed to sweeping effect by DJ Larry Levan of the Paradise Garage -- an underground dance mecca where Brown often performed -- and "Moment of My Life" followed, respectively, in 1981 and 1982. Though neither one charted as high as "I'm Caught Up," they too became disco classics.

Brown finally broke as a solo artist in 1984 with "Somebody Else's Guy," a number two R&B smash written with her sister, Annette Brown. Vinyl Dreams issued an LP that year that collected Inner Life material with her recent solo work. An album for Warner Bros., One from the Heart, didn't perform commercially and got her bumped from the label. More solo singles followed in 1986 and 1987 that charted but didn't fare nearly as well as her earlier success. During this hot period from the late '70s to the close of the '80s, Brown also kept a busy schedule as a session singer for a wide range of artists: Bette Midler, Manu Dibango, Chic, Candido, Steve Winwood, Lou Reed, Culture Club, Mick Jagger, and Diana Ross represent a small fraction of the artists who used Brown's talent during this period.

Brown continued to work steadily throughout the '90s and early 2000s, and her vocals were frequently sampled as well. Snap's "The Power," an unavoidable dance-pop single from 1990, sampled the singer's voice from her own "Love's Gonna Get You," a song that was also appropriated by Bizarre Inc. in 1992 for "I'm Gonna Get You." Through the remainder of the '90s, Brown worked extensively with the likes of Todd Terry, Incognito, and Masters at Work, and began working as a jingle artist. A number of anthologies sprouted up during those same later years -- Deep Beats and Moment of My Life among them. Brown was featured on another assortment of dance recordings during the 2000s and 2010s, and she recorded a contemporary gospel album, True Praise, released in 2010. ~ Andy Kellman