Latest news with #Kool&TheGang
Ya Biladi
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Ya Biladi
Jazzablanca day two : Seu Jorge grooves, Kool & The Gang celebrates
The second day of Jazzablanca's 18th edition set the crowd and festivalgoers ablaze, with a lineup that screamed «It's Friday, let's party». And the party started slowly but surely, first with some classical music played on guitar by Polish percussive fingerstyle guitarist, composer, and producer Marcin Patrzałek. Known by his stage name Marcin, the young guitarist blessed the crowd at Scène 21 with real guitar magic, playing arrangements of major classical pieces, rock arrangements, and original compositions. «I'm here to show that one instrument, a guitar, can fill a stage like this», he told a buzzing crowd that kept asking for more. With him, the audience a number of solo acoustic guitar arrangements, like Carmen, before he closed his set with Mozart's Requiem. Brazil's pop samba comes to Jazzablanca After that elegant and emotional start, the energy picked up. It was time for some Brazilian pop samba. And who better than Brazil's Seu Jorge to set the tone at Scène Anfa Casablanca, starting at 9 p.m. The show opened with a dazzling horn trio before Seu Jorge took the stage and the party really began. He sang a mix of his classics and newer hits, Carolina on acoustic guitar, Everybody Loves the Sunshine, which the crowd recognized from the very first note. Behind him, the trumpeters danced in sync, and Jorge himself threw in some freestyle moves. The show wouldn't have been complete without a bossa nova moment, a Brazilian specialty that blends samba and jazz. Seu Jorge's band each took a turn in the spotlight : solos on flute, electric guitar, trombone, bass, keyboard, saxophone, and trumpet gave every musician their moment to shine. Seu Jorge ended the show with a heartfelt bow to the audience that had flocked to Jazzablanca to see the Brazilian icon. Partying with Kool & The Gang Next up was primetime: American soul and funk legends Kool & The Gang, delivering a show that transported the audience through decades of groove and party energy. From the moment they hit the stage, the ambiance was pure magic. This wasn't just a concert, it was a full-blown celebration. «Are you ready to party with Kool & The Gang?» and «Let's get ready!» rang out as fans danced, clapped, and sang along all night long. Musicality took center stage, with fiery horn solos lighting up the stage, a funky bassline keeping it all grounded, and electric guitar and drum solos setting the crowd on fire. They moved seamlessly from hit to hit : Fresh, Too Hot (cue the crowd screaming «run for shelter»), and Get Down On It, which had everyone on their feet. The crowd loved it so much they played it twice. Nostalgic moments followed with Joanna, which Kool & The Gang dedicated «to all the ladies», and Cherish the Love, which turned into a moving singalong lit by a sea of phone flashlights. Older generations especially were touched by the timeless ballad. From there, the band took the audience on a virtual trip to Jamaica with Let's Go Dancing (Ooh La La La) before bringing it back to disco with Ladies' Night. From start to finish, it was an all-out celebration. And just when it felt like it couldn't get any better, Kool & The Gang closed their set with Celebration, a perfect finale to a night full of joy, groove, and dance. Like on opening night, the second day of Jazzablanca ended with a shower of confetti, signaling the end of the show, but not the end of the party. Tonight, the celebration continues with none other than the Black Eyed Peas on the lineup for Day 3.
Ya Biladi
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Ya Biladi
Jazzablanca day two : Seu Jorge grooves, Kool & The Gang celebrates
The second day of Jazzablanca's 18th edition set the crowd and festivalgoers ablaze, with a lineup that screamed «It's Friday, let's party». And the party started slowly but surely, first with some classical music played on guitar by Polish percussive fingerstyle guitarist, composer, and producer Marcin Patrzałek. Known by his stage name Marcin, the young guitarist blessed the crowd at Scène 21 with real guitar magic, playing arrangements of major classical pieces, rock arrangements, and original compositions. «I'm here to show that one instrument, a guitar, can fill a stage like this», he told a buzzing crowd that kept asking for more. With him, the audience a number of solo acoustic guitar arrangements, like Carmen, before he closed his set with Mozart's Requiem. Brazil's pop samba comes to Jazzablanca After that elegant and emotional start, the energy picked up. It was time for some Brazilian pop samba. And who better than Brazil's Seu Jorge to set the tone at Scène Anfa Casablanca, starting at 9 p.m. The show opened with a dazzling horn trio before Seu Jorge took the stage and the party really began. He sang a mix of his classics and newer hits, Carolina on acoustic guitar, Everybody Loves the Sunshine, which the crowd recognized from the very first note. Behind him, the trumpeters danced in sync, and Jorge himself threw in some freestyle moves. The show wouldn't have been complete without a bossa nova moment, a Brazilian specialty that blends samba and jazz. Seu Jorge's band each took a turn in the spotlight : solos on flute, electric guitar, trombone, bass, keyboard, saxophone, and trumpet gave every musician their moment to shine. Seu Jorge ended the show with a heartfelt bow to the audience that had flocked to Jazzablanca to see the Brazilian icon. Partying with Kool & The Gang Next up was primetime: American soul and funk legends Kool & The Gang, delivering a show that transported the audience through decades of groove and party energy. From the moment they hit the stage, the ambiance was pure magic. This wasn't just a concert, it was a full-blown celebration. «Are you ready to party with Kool & The Gang?» and «Let's get ready!» rang out as fans danced, clapped, and sang along all night long. Musicality took center stage, with fiery horn solos lighting up the stage, a funky bassline keeping it all grounded, and electric guitar and drum solos setting the crowd on fire. They moved seamlessly from hit to hit : Fresh, Too Hot (cue the crowd screaming «run for shelter»), and Get Down On It, which had everyone on their feet. The crowd loved it so much they played it twice. Nostalgic moments followed with Joanna, which Kool & The Gang dedicated «to all the ladies», and Cherish the Love, which turned into a moving singalong lit by a sea of phone flashlights. Older generations especially were touched by the timeless ballad. From there, the band took the audience on a virtual trip to Jamaica with Let's Go Dancing (Ooh La La La) before bringing it back to disco with Ladies' Night. From start to finish, it was an all-out celebration. And just when it felt like it couldn't get any better, Kool & The Gang closed their set with Celebration, a perfect finale to a night full of joy, groove, and dance. Like on opening night, the second day of Jazzablanca ended with a shower of confetti, signaling the end of the show, but not the end of the party.
The Star
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Kool & The Gang's Michael Sumler dies in car crash at 71
In its statement, Kool & The Gang described Michael Sumler (far left) as 'our longtime wardrobe valet' and said he worked with the band from 2000 to 2015. Photos: Facebook Michael Sumler, who spent years working with the venerable soul-funk group Kool & The Gang as both an onstage hype man and a behind-the-scenes stylist, died Sunday in a car crash in Georgia. He was 71. His death was confirmed by a spokesman for the band. 11Alive, a TV station in Atlanta, reported that Sumler was killed after his car collided with another vehicle as he was travelling on Veterans Memorial Highway in Georgia's Cobb County. Sumler, who was known as Chicago Mike, had performed Sunday evening in Mableton, Georgia, with the group Con Funk Shun, whose Michael Cooper paid tribute to Sumler on social media. "We had no idea that Sunday night's Love's Train would be your last ride," Cooper wrote. "Rest in heavenly piece." In its statement, Kool & The Gang described Sumler as "our longtime wardrobe valet" and said he worked with the band from 2000 to 2015, "making sure the guys looked their best on stage every night." Sumler "also hyped the crowd with his energy and dance moves at the top of the show," the group added. Known for hits including Ladies Night, Jungle Boogie, Get Down On It and Celebration , Kool & The Gang was formed in the mid-1960s in Jersey City, New Jersey, by brothers Robert Bell (who went by Kool) and Ronald Khalis Bell along with several neighbourhood pals. Last year the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which called Kool & The Gang "the most sampled group in hip-hop history." Information on Sumler's survivors wasn't immediately available. – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michael Sumler Of Kool & The Gang, Dead At 71
Michael 'Chicago Mike' Sumler, longtime member of Kool & The Gang, died in a fatal car accident in Cobb County, Georgia over the weekend. He was 71. Fox5 Atlanta reported that Sumler was driving when his car 'collided with another vehicle just before midnight Saturday on Veterans Memorial Highway near Buckner Road.' He was pronounced dead at the scene. 'It was a devastating blow,' Adrian Meeks of Song Source Music Group told the outlet. 'It's like, no, no, not Mike. He always wanted to see other people succeed in the business that he'd been around most of all of his life. He was the bridge, you know, for inspiring artists and songwriters and producers and musicians to the legends […] He'll be dearly missed.' Meeks also described Sumler as 'always jovial, always just kind, always wanting to make sure everybody else around him was good.' Greg Williams of Switch Entertainment added, 'He was the hype guy out of the group, getting the audience going.' Sumler was part of Kool & The Gang for over three decades, but his loved ones confirmed that his true impact went 'far beyond the stage.' They shared how active he was in regard to mentoring the youth and helping rising acts maneuver the industry. Williams considered Sumler to be 'one of these people God put on a planet to teach people how to act because he was kind, he was thoughtful, he was intelligent, he was articulate and he was the life of the party.' With many of Sumler's family still in Chicago, his friends are waiting to speak with them before proceeding with memorial arrangements. VIBE sends our deepest condolences to all those from A Tribe Called Quest To Be Honored By Busta Rhymes During Rock & Roll HOF Induction Jordin Sparks, Lynda Dawn, Fousheé, And More New R&B Music With No Restrictions Mary J. Blige Talks Hall Of Fame Induction: "We Did It, My Fans And I"
USA Today
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Zurich Classic karaoke returns as Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak sing 'We are the Champions'
Zurich Classic karaoke returns as Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak sing 'We are the Champions' It's the tradition unlike any other at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans we never knew we needed: champion karaoke. Thanks to Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry joining the volunteer party on Sunday night last year after their victory in the PGA Tour's lone two-man team event and belting out Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin,' it has become a thing for the winners to take to the stage and celebrate with a diddy or two. If it wasn't already a thing, it officially is now. That's because Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, who won for the first time on Tour, were up to the challenge. Asked in a post-victory TV interview to rate their karaoke abilities, Griffin said, 'Andrew looks a little bit concerned. I'm ready to take on anything. I feel unstoppable right now.' 'I can't sing,' Novak said. 'I can try to sing. I just can't sing.' But when the winning duo reached the stage, they chose another all-time classic in Queen's 'We are the Champions.' Novak was right — he can't sing. But the band and its lead singer covered as best they could. 'We've got to put some moves into it,' the lead singer told the audience. 'Y'all want to see these brothers, get down?' And with that the band busted into Kool & The Gang's 'Get Down on It.' Griffin rose to the occasion. Novak? He shook his champion's belt and played along. 'I give myself like an A-,' Griffin said afterwards. 'Singing and dancing is bottom tier for me. That was a pretty good effort on my part,' Novak added. 'Ben's got it down, I don't. That's why we're a team.' A winning team on the PGA Tour and with a passing grade for their first victory celebration under their belt.
