Courtesy of Shout!

Over the last decade, Osaka Monaurail have emerged as perhaps the greatest interpreters of James Brown’s legacy. The group’s organist and vocalist, Ryo Nakata, forged the band from a college jazz combo into a tight soul juggernaut whose reputation now circles the globe. Metropolis spoke with Nakata (above, center) about the band’s aspirations and its two new albums: Reality For The People, and I Am What I Am, on which OM backed James Brown backup singer Marva Whitney on her first record in decades.

WHAT DID JAMES BROWN DO FOR MUSIC?
He is one of the most important figures in black music, along with people like Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Miles Davis, but sadly is not regarded as such. What he did was to provide the foundation for dance music of the 20th century.

HOW DID HE ACHIEVE SO MUCH FROM SO LITTLE?
The US is a country where money means power. Japan is not like that, but in the US if you want to be somebody, you got to be rich. If you want to be rich, you got to be good at something. James Brown had the determination to get out of poverty by being good at something. He did three things in his youth: boxing, baseball—and singing. Music became his way to get out of poverty.

WHAT DID JAMES BROWN MEAN TO JAPAN?
Japan is a country that’s allied with the US, but in reality we are like a colony of the US. We can learn a lot from the history of black people and their experience of Western colonialism.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH JAMES BROWN?
The first time I heard James Brown I was 15, around 1987. That was the era of the British “rare groove” movement in which people started digging the soul and funk of the early ’70s. So the music was not introduced to Japan directly from the US; it went to London first and then the movement landed in Tokyo.

HOW DID HE COME TO MEAN SO MUCH TO YOU?
As a country boy from Nara Prefecture, I was listening to Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and hip-hop stuff like Fresh Prince. I thought it was hip but didn’t understand any of it. I went to Osaka every weekend to buy records. When I ran across James Brown, it clicked in my mind. I cannot put it into words: it just blew my mind. I don’t know why that happened, but it did.

HOW DID OSAKA MONAURAIL COME TOGETHER?
Osaka Monaurail was originally a college band. I was playing trumpet then because I thought I wanted to be like Miles Davis, but I realized I was not a good trumpet player and quit. I decided I wanted to do something else and that jazz was too complicated. I wanted to form a band, so I told the guys in the club what I was going to do and they joined me. The first gig I did was at university and I had an almost 30-piece band. But I fired most of them a couple of months later and then it was a 13-piece band, and then a few years later in 1993 I fired some more again, and it became a ten-piece band.

SO YOU’RE A STRICT BANDLEADER LIKE JAMES BROWN?
I have to be, but I’m not that strict. I played that role for about ten years, but found out it’s not the best way to get the most out of the band. Now sometimes I’m strict and sometimes not.

TELL ME ABOUT REALITY FOR THE PEOPLE.
What I have in mind is to find out if Japanese can play black music. Our recording is an exploration of learning: every day is learning, you find something new, and then your playing will be different tomorrow. This album is a selection from our recording. We do recording sessions every two or three months. It’s like a diary: you record what you can. You don’t plan an album, because making an album means you’re trying to make money.

HOW DID THE MARVA WHITNEY PROJECT HAPPEN?
She was one of the funky divas and was with James Brown from ’67 to ’70. She has been my idol for years, so I was so excited when I went to Narita to pick her up. DJ Pari, Marva Whitney’s manager, heard one of our 7- inches and thought he’d found a perfect band to back her. So he sent me an email, and that was the start of it. We toured Japan together and recorded an album.

TELL ME ABOUT THE UPCOMING TRIBUTE.
“Searching” is a great event. It’s inspired by DJ Keb Darge, who started the “deep funk” movement. We’ve performed two or three times for the party and it’s a nice audience. As it’s a tribute event, we’re going to play 90 percent James Brown tunes. La Fabrique, Feb 23. See concert listings (popular) for details.

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