1980s hitmakers set for one-night show in Torquay

Fougou Music presents Shakatak live at The Livermead House Hotel in Torquay in June.

The 1980s hitmakers will be playing songs you will remember from over the years such as Night Birds and Down On The Street and new material as well, for a night of jazz funk at its very best.

Shakatak have enjoyed a level of success and career longevity rarely paralleled in contemporary music – but then Shakatak is a particularly unusual group.

Because of the nature of their music, their fan base is one that is far reaching while always retaining an ‘underground element’.  

This paradox sees the band, who are known primarily as serious jazz/funk musicians, enjoying both high ‘cult’ status and instant recognition as a household name at the same time.

After a number of successful top-twenty singles in the UK, the band went on to score unprecedented international success with the release of the classic Nightbirds recording and the title track has now become a standard in the popular music repertoire.  This success was repeated with the top-ten hit Down on the Street and the award-winning video established the band’s personnel of Jill Saward(lead vocs), Bill Sharpe(keys),Keith Winter(gtr),  George Anderson(bass) and Roger Odell(drums). With the magic Al Jarreau/Shakatak combination, the group went on to record the track Day by Day to further international acclaim.

Along with this successful recording career, Shakatak had firmly established themselves as a vibrant live act, combining astute musicianship with a sense of fun that communicated strongly with world-wide audiences. 

Their performance in Japan’s Budoken Hall won them a Silver Award at the Tokyo International Song Festival-other awards include the Best Instrumental Album for six consecutive years and other live concerts of note have been the East meets the West Border Concert at the time of German re-unification in 1989 and the open air concert in Cape Town for the Millennium Celebrations in 2000, where they played in front of 250,000 people.

Shakatak’s sound has evolved over the years, incorporating elements of dance, soul, and smooth jazz into their music. They have released over 50 CDs plus several DVDs, maintained a dedicated fan base and continuing to perform live shows worldwide. Their longevity in the music industry, along with their ability to blend various genres into a distinctive style, has solidified Shakatak as influential figures in the jazz-funk and pop music scenes.

For live performances the band consists of original members augmented by Jacqui Hicks (backing vocals and sax) or Debby Bracknell (backing vocals and flute) producing a musically dynamic and entertaining show from the six-piece line-up.

“They are consummate professionals with seemingly unlimited stamina and an instinctive ability to hold an audience…” said BUZZ magazine.

Tickets are available online  at fougoumusic.com  and cost   £31.50. The concert is on Sunday, June 22.