War’s Lonnie Jordan: “I have not changed…except for my moustache”

Via faroutmagazine.co.uk

Music scenes come and go, as certain genres fall out of favour with audiences to be replaced by vibrant new sounds. Conversely, some musical styles and eras never seem to drop out of favour, spurred by their generation-spanning grooves and innate danceability. That is the case for the incredible world of funk music, which has never totally subsided, even if its 1970s heyday has long since passed.

When looking at the most iconic funk groups of all time, there is one name in particular which is virtually unavoidable: War. From their formation in California back in 1969, the funk and soul collective penned some of the most enduring and recognisable songs of the era – including ‘Low Rider’, which was immortalised by its use in the film Dazed and Confused. Now, the group are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their defining album, The World Is A Ghetto, with the release of a deluxe collector’s edition and a run of impressive live performances.

In celebration of this landmark anniversary, I was able to sit down on a video call with Lonnie Jordan, the man who first founded War and remains their only consistent band member. As a disciple of funk and soul music, the thought of talking to such a hero of the genre was fairly daunting – coupled with the fact that the unstoppable earworm of ‘Low Rider’ was gradually pushing all of my prepared questions out of my head. Thankfully, though, when the beaming face of the 75-year-old multi-instrumentalist filled my screen, the nerves quickly subsided.

Jordan was in London gearing up for a show at the Royal Festival Hall, one of the band’s first performances on this side of the Atlantic in years. Even after all these years immersed in the musical world, the songwriter’s excitement over playing the show was immediately evident, even if an unavoidable sheen of jet lag masked it. Part of Jordan’s excitement over the show, as he said, came from the fact that he never expected War to take off in the way that they did.

Reflecting upon the early successes of the group, Jordan revealed, “I didn’t even think it was gonna be anything, then,” explaining, “It was so different back then than anything that was on the radio. So I was really amazed that they even played us on the radio, or anyone would like it. Let’s put it this way. I went into shock that the radio would keep playing it.”

So, why did the radio keep playing War when other artists would seemingly fall in and out of favour with DJs? Jordan puts it down to the unique nature of the band’s music, which was characterised by an eclectic mix of funk, soul, Latin jazz, rock and everything in between. In addition, Jordan and company also purported a certain message within their music: hope, defiance, and, above all else, joy.

Explaining the enduring nature of the band’s music, Jordan theorised, “I think a lot of people love our grooves, which were a little different –  of its time and today too. The message that is a part of our music, nothing’s changed. We’re not a political band. We’re not trying to be into politics or trying to change anything; we just wanted to make people aware. That’s all.”

The musician had a particular way of speaking, which I can only assume comes from decades spent immersed in art, lyricism and rubbing shoulders with wordsmiths. Throughout our chat, he would throw in profound musings on life with apparent nonchalance, at one point declaring, “I only have one life to live. Listen to the music, enjoy it, the message is there for you, however you want to take it, and it’s on you. Everybody’s different. Every heart is different. Everyone’s different”.

In the five decades since War’s formation, the band have cycled through various different musical styles, band members and albums. Throughout it all, though, that inherent message has remained the same. Jordan himself affirmed to me that “I have not changed…except for my moustache” and that he is still the same kid growing up in the eclectic surroundings of 1950s Compton. In fact, that upbringing was vital in deciding the musician’s later career path.

“Back then, in the ’50s,” Jordan recalled, “there were a lot of musicians in Compton. A lot of blues players, a lot of gospel. Jazz players, there was country and western, believe it or not. There was a lot of musical talent in Compton back then,” adding, “Compton was like an enclosure. You didn’t really know much of what was going on outside of Compton, except for on television”.

The funk music that arose from Compton during that time is often overshadowed by the hip-hop that later followed. Still, artists like War were vitally important in establishing the euphoric genre. Throughout their discography, there is a real sense of organic improvisation and togetherness within the grooves of War. According to the band’s leader, that organic quality largely came from the unique recording process – particularly on The World Is A Ghetto.

“As long as you turned the tape on, we jammed,” Jordan said, “I guess you would say we were probably one of the first few jam bands. Once we started playing something, you had to push the record button. Otherwise, it gets lost”. Of course, there had to be somebody holding these chaotic jam sessions together, and invariably, that glue came in the form of Lonnie Jordan. “I always had an idea of coordination of the music,” he said, “And the guys listen to me because of, you know, because I’ve got a keyboard, you know, and I, I had the mother chords”.

It makes sense, therefore, that Jordan has been the driving force behind War since the band’s inception. According to the multi-instrumentalist, though, the current touring line-up of the band shares a great deal in common with the band members who made up the ‘golden age’ of War. “I would say that the new guys are pretty much into the same attitude as what we had before,” he told me, revealing the advice that he instilled upon them, “One thing that I told them to do, I told them to look at the audience and play as if the audience wrote the song – which they did. They were part of the writers too”.

Another essential piece of advice Jordan gave to his bandmates was to keep their heads clear while on stage. “I tell them to not think,” he insisted, with a certain sense of authority that had not yet revealed itself during our conversation, “That’s a disease. Do not get up on stage and start thinking. Just play, improvise, jam. You know the song, you know the tune, so just jam it, and the people will participate,” he once again reiterated, “Don’t start thinking”.

An outsider might assume that it gets pretty tiring, playing the same songs over and over for decades on end, but Jordan has seemingly never lost the spark for funk and soul. “As far as having a good time, that doesn’t change,” he shared, “I have a good time every night. It’s always a different crowd, and that crowd is very inspiring also – they’re all my Rock and Roll Hall of Fans. They’re there for a reason. So I’m with them, and they’re with me. We’re one, under one roof”.

By all accounts, the band’s show at the Royal Festival Hall in London the following day was unimpeded by Jordan’s jet lag, with the songwriter putting on an awe-inspiring performance, rattling through a wide range of War’s best-loved tracks. Even in his seventh decade, Jordan clearly knows how to put on an infectious live show. However, he asserted multiple times during our conversation that he is only as good as the audience allows him to be. He might have been celebrating the 50th anniversary of The World Is A Ghetto, but it is difficult to imagine the record falling out of favour anytime soon.