Singer/keyboardist, Lonnie Jordan is best known as a founding member of WAR. One of the most popular funk groups of the '70s, WAR were also one of the most eclectic, freely melding soul, Latin, jazz, blues, reggae, and rock influences into an effortlessly funky whole. Although WAR’s lyrics were sometimes political in nature (in keeping with their racially integrated lineup), their music almost always had a sunny, laid-back vibe emblematic of their Southern California roots. WAR kept the groove loose, and they were given over to extended jamming -- in fact, many of their studio songs were edited together out of longer improvisations. Even if the jams sometimes got indulgent, they demonstrated WAR’S truly group-minded approach: no one soloist or vocalist really stood above the others (even though all were clearly talented), and their grooving interplay placed WAR in the top echelon of funk ensembles.

Even beyond WAR’s catalogue releases, in the great search of the groove, countless numbers of musicians, producers, remixers and DJ’s have turned to WAR’s unique Afro-Cuban, Jazz-Funk character to provide structure for their own musical impulses. From Offspring’s “Pretty Fly For A White Boy” (Remix of “Low Rider”), to Tupac’s “Young Black Male” (“Where Was You At”), new artist on a quest for hidden gems are pilfering WAR’s catalogue and producing their own unique musical expressions while retaining the pass.

For WAR, the rise of sampling culture has ushered in a rebirth of sorts as well as a sense of attribution for the bands profound influence on contemporary American music. The end result is a long list of sample credits as well as a revived interest in the music. Recent examples of sample usage include Janet Jackson’s “You” (Cisco Kid”), TLC’s “I’m Good At Being Bad” (“Slippin Into Darkness”), Macy Gray’s “Do Something” (Heartbeat”) and Macy’s video for “Been Around The World” (“Galaxy”).

Along with sampling, WAR has seen a dramatic increase in the number of covers being produced over the past few years by wide variety of artist from an eclectic mix of genres. From Alternative bands (Smash Mouth “Why Can’t We Be Friends” / Korn “Low Rider”) to rap/urban artists (Redman/Method Man “Cisco Kid”). WAR timeless melodies are still being heard on multi-formatted radio stations around the country.

More than 30 years after they first appeared on a Los Angeles stage, WAR can still "deliver the word." The multi-platinum performers came to Rhino recently to celebrate the release of the new THE VERY BEST OF WAR collection on Avenue/Rhino Records. The two-CD set features 34 of their best songs, including "Why Can't We Be Friends," "All Day Music," and "Slippin' Into Darkness" -- as well as a handful of hits that the group played for a large and appreciative audience of Rhinos.

Though such in-house performances usually take place in the 2nd floor commissary of Burbank's Pinnacle building (Rhino's home), it would've been a WAR crime to try to squeeze the seven-man line-up and its full electric sound into such a confined space, so a stage was erected on the front lawn outside the lobby. On the grass, basking in the L.A. sunshine -- right next to a newly installed sculpture that proved the perfect perch for a couple of onlookers -- it was an idyllic setting for an afternoon of live music.

As last-minute adjustments were made to the sound system, the rhythm section (drummer Salvador Rodriguez, percussionist Marcos Reyes, and bassist Francisco "Poncho" Tomaselli) launched into an extended groove to bring WAR co-founder Lonnie Jordan to the stage for one of the band's biggest hits, "The Cisco Kid." With Fernando Harkless on clarinet doubling the harmonica lines, "Cisco" sizzled, as did the following number, "Me And Baby Brother," highlighted by Jordan's fine keyboard work.

WAR then slowed the pace a little with a moodier take on "The World Is A Ghetto," in which Fernando ventured out into the crowd for an extended saxophone solo, and Lonnie - still in exceptionally fine voice - added an improvised speech to the still-topical song before bringing it to a close with harmonies from the group. That there are other fine singers in WAR was further underscored by the next two numbers sung by Salvador from behind the drum kit: "Cinco De Mayo" from 1982's Outlaw and "So" from the Why Can't We Be Friends? album.

As Lonnie explained, the song that followed was written because the band always seemed to be away from home during the holidays. "Gypsy Man" typically features acoustic guitar, but given the setting, guitarist Stewart Ziff played lead on his trusty electric guitar this time. The soothing "Don't Let No One Get You Down" came next, in which Harkless showed he was also a skilled flute player. "Ain't nothin' like a War groove," remarked Lonnie Jordan -- and the band drove the point home with a hit from its early years with Eric Burdon, "Spill The Wine." In an extended rap about a dream he had, the singer proved a captivating frontman. The group brought the show to a close with the classic "Low Rider," throwing in band member intros and a snippet of "I Wanna Take You Higher." On this hot July afternoon, WAR certainly accomplished that.

Their sound captured the heart and soul of America's streets. From the late-'60s all the way to the present day, Los Angeles-based WAR played the music that made people dance and think. Fusing rock, Latin rhythms, funk, blues, jazz, and soul into a distinctive sound all their own, WAR, the self-described Afro-Cuban-rock-jazz-blues band, was a righteous force coming straight out of "the neighborhood."

Avenue/Rhino's THE VERY BEST OF WAR is a triumphant collection of hits-songs that resonate with the youth of today as well as those who can say they were there at the dawn. "Spill The Wine," "The World Is A Ghetto," "The Cisco Kid," "Gypsy Man," "Why Can't We Be Friends?," "Low Rider," and many more classics can be found in this ultimate collection of groove, color, and passion.

Producer-songwriter (and the guiding force behind WAR since the beginning) Jerry Goldstein enthuses, "This is the 'I didn't know they did that song too' package. Over the years, I've found that a lot of people don't connect WAR with all the great music we've made and they know. The group's many influences make each song sound different from the next. I think everyone will get it when they see and hear it all together in our TV-advertised campaign and live concerts".

The group was created in the late-1960s by Goldstein and British singer Eric Burdon, who was then living in Los Angeles and eager to seek out new collaborators after several years with The Animals. In the future members of the band that would be known as WAR, Burdon found musicians who were able to back his improvisational flights-of-fancy with the ease of jazz masters, and, as such, the albums Eric Burdon Declares WAR and The Black-Man's Burdon soon became cultural touchstones of the '60s.

After Burdon moved away from the group, WAR's career skyrocketed in the early '70s, as their exhilarating sound spoke to millions of Americans about the troubled times of Vietnam, Watergate, racial strife, and the tensions of the inner cities. "The diversity of influences on us was not only musical but was social as well. As a result we tried to be entertaining while also spreading the word of peace, harmony and brotherhood," says singer-keyboardist Lonnie Jordan, who has been there since the group's inception. “Our instruments and voices became our weapons of choice and the songs our ammunition. We spoke out against racism, hunger, gangs, crimes and turf wars, as we embraced all people with hope and the spirit of brotherhood”.

WAR would one night find themselves mingling with Hollywood luminaries, sports legends and show business millionaires, and next see themselves back in their warehouse rehearsal spaces, playing till dawn for their pals in the 'hood.

WAR is a band that spans social classes, races, and causes. THE VERY BEST OF WAR traces this revolutionary band's free-form beginnings on into their journey through cultural shifts in taste and styles. Two full CDs worth of hits that still sound as fresh as the day they were recorded.

While currently touring the world this year, WAR will once again enter the studio to do what they do best: Make Music. After thirty years of pushing the harmonic envelope, the band’s twenty-fourth album release can be expected sometime in the not too distant future!!

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