A Disco Diva and True Bass Pioneer

I was asked to music direct and play bass on a show recently called "Disco Ladies," featuring Ms. Maxine Nightingale ("Right Back Where We Started") and A Taste of Honey featuring Ms. Janice Marie ("Boogie Oogie Oogie"). Ms. Maxine called me to do it since I've worked with her before. She's really great. And her big hit is the feel-good anthem of 1976. It's an instant dance-floor filler.

This was my first time meeting and playing with Ms. Janice Marie. She wrote, sang, and played BASS on the great Grammy-winning A Taste of Honey 1978 smash disco hit "Boogie Oogie Oogie." I don't need to tell you how few women there are rocking the bass at all, much less actually changing the world with their bass lines. Ms. Janice Marie is a true innovator and a great bass hero of mine. She was a very big influence on a young Funkboy. It was a genuine thrill to be able to tell her that after we played together.

On this show Ms. Janice played bass on the Taste of Honey dance hits. For those songs I conducted the band and sang backing vocals ("Get down, boogie oogie oogie!"). But mostly I just listened to her phat groove on the bass and TOOK NOTES! Clearly I've stolen so many of her licks over the years that I owe her money....

But for her other smash hit, the 1980 ballad "Sukiyaki," she put on a kimono and did a very elegant Japanese fan and ribbon dance. So I actually got to play BASS with A Taste of Honey. (See photo above.) It was truly one of the great moments of my career.

Special thanks to Ms. Maxine Nightigale for the call, and to the excellent band with me onstage that evening: Jim Dower and Ron Oswanski on keyboards, Mark Newman on blazing heavy metal guitar, Joe Goretti on drums, and Chrissi Poland and Naomi Margolin on backing vocals.

Your pal,
Ivan

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