African Jazz

[BeBop]

Winston Mankunku

Yakhal'Inkomo: Yakhal'Inkomo, Dedication, Doodlin', Bessie's Blues. Spring: Spring, Before the Rain and After, Look Up, The Birds, You Don't Know What Love Is.

Mankunku Quartet: Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi: tenor saxophone; Lionel Pillay: piano; Agrippa Magwaza: bass; Early Mabuza: drums. Chris Schilder Quintet: Chris Schilder: piano; Winston "Maknunku" Ngozi: tenor saxophone; Garry Kriel: guitar; Phillip Schilder: bass; Gilbert Matthews: drums.

One of my favorites. A bit of Shepp, some Trane and - listen for it - Tubby Hayes.

Careful with the Mankunku: his output varied considerably over the years, becoming "poppish" at points. Look for the Yakhal'Inkomo album as one of the best.

Pulled Crossroads out of $1 bin. It's NOT recommended. Really smooth jazz pop-ish.

[king ubu]

lupe and anyone else: this is a great opportunity to get a fine overview of South African music:

Next Stop... Soweto - Volumes 1-3 Limited Edition Box Set

Vol. 3 is the actual jazz volume and the only one that's two discs worth of GREAT music!

The rest will appeal to anyone with open ears and a liking for African music, as well! Lots of it goes into similar directions than the jazzy grooves that are so enjoyable in South African music!

The price is more than right! I picked it up locally for about the same price today, but had Vol. 3 separately before (paid the same as for the whole set today... will pass it on to my parents who ignited my love for South African music in the first place).

Edited to add: Vol. 3 is the same that MwtGA recommends in post #6!

[lupe]

Thanks king ubu, the box looks indeed a good deal, though the volume 3 is the one I'm really interested to. I am currently listening to some of the other suggestions of this thread, which are very good.

One thing I regret is that most recommendations concern older musicians and albums. I suppose this is not by accident, and one can feel it only by watching what kind of music Africans themselves like to listen to today. However, almost all the favourite albums that I included in my initial post are contemporary; and I'm sure that there are some more out there.... :blush2:

[sidewinder]

This one is not bad at all, Guy Warren of Ghana - Afro Jazz.

Nice, accomplished band, too.

Agreed. Stands up equally well as both an 'Africa' album and a 'jazz' album.

Now when is someone going to reissue this one as well as the Regal Zonophone 'Emergent Drums'?

Edited December 8, 2010 by sidewinder

[king ubu]

Thanks king ubu, the box looks indeed a good deal, though the volume 3 is the one I'm really interested to. I am currently listening to some of the other suggestions of this thread, which are very good.

Buying Vol. 3 is almost as costly as getting the whole box (at least over here where I live), so I suggest you go for the whole set - trust me there's plenty to appeal to a jazz fan's ears in that music!

One thing I regret is that most recommendations concern older musicians and albums. I suppose this is not by accident, and one can feel it only by watching what kind of music Africans themselves like to listen to today. However, almost all the favourite albums that I included in my initial post are contemporary; and I'm sure that there are some more out there.... :blush2:

True! Though I think with myself, I'll rather go for some African music with more contemporary stuff, rather than for African jazz. Ali Farka Touré, Toumani Diabaté... here are a pair though:

Can Walk On Sand

Omri Ziegele Where's Africa Triow/Irene Schweizer & Makaya Ntshoko

Tommi Meier - Root Down

and their second one (which I don't know yet):

Tommy Meier - Root Down: The Master and The Rain

Root Down is a pretty wild mix of grooves, horns, some electronics... some Fela Kuti, some Chris McGregor & BoB... it's quite great, in my humble opinion!

The Where's Africa Trio release I mentioned before elsewhere. It's a solid and likeable release.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Just in case any board members are in the vicinity, I'm on the road with Mulatu Astatke's new project at the moment...we're in Nijmegen tonight; Heidelberg tomorrow; Helsinki on Friday; and Minehead(!) on Sunday...

[king ubu]

Wow, great gig you got there! Would love to see you but there's no stop in Zurich, alas...

[lupe]

One thing I regret is that most recommendations concern older musicians and albums. I suppose this is not by accident, and one can feel it only by watching what kind of music Africans themselves like to listen to today. However, almost all the favourite albums that I included in my initial post are contemporary; and I'm sure that there are some more out there.... :blush2:

True! Though I think with myself, I'll rather go for some African music with more contemporary stuff, rather than for African jazz. Ali Farka Touré, Toumani Diabaté... here are a pair though:

Can Walk On Sand

Omri Ziegele Where's Africa Triow/Irene Schweizer & Makaya Ntshoko

Tommi Meier - Root Down

and their second one (which I don't know yet):

Tommy Meier - Root Down: The Master and The Rain

Root Down is a pretty wild mix of grooves, horns, some electronics... some Fela Kuti, some Chris McGregor & BoB... it's quite great, in my humble opinion!

The Where's Africa Trio release I mentioned before elsewhere. It's a solid and likeable release.

You certainly have a point. I indeed have a lot of contemporary African music - actually so much that it starts to sound quite repetitive and it becomes more and more difficult to be surprised.

However, both Omri Ziegele and Tommy Meier are completely unknown to me and I'm looking forward to discover them; especially the first one looks quite close to what I'm looking for. Thanks very much !

[king ubu]

However, both Omri Ziegele and Tommy Meier are completely unknown to me and I'm looking forward to discover them; especially the first one looks quite close to what I'm looking for. Thanks very much !

They're both locals on the scene in Zurich, Switzerland. Ziegele has been working with Schweizer among others for some time, and Schweizer goes back to the 60s when Dollar Brand (and other exiles from South Africa) were appearing in town.

[Van Basten II]

Not always great but it has its moments.

[seeline]

lupe and anyone else: this is a great opportunity to get a fine overview of South African music:

Next Stop... Soweto - Volumes 1-3 Limited Edition Box Set

Vol. 3 is the actual jazz volume and the only one that's two discs worth of GREAT music!

The rest will appeal to anyone with open ears and a liking for African music, as well! Lots of it goes into similar directions than the jazzy grooves that are so enjoyable in South African music!

The price is more than right! I picked it up locally for about the same price today, but had Vol. 3 separately before (paid the same as for the whole set today... will pass it on to my parents who ignited my love for South African music in the first place).

Edited to add: Vol. 3 is the same that MwtGA recommends in post #6!

I've missed this thread 'til now - many thanks for this rec!

I'm curious - do you know if there are 4 discs in this set, or only 3? Amazon lists it as a 3-disc set, and I really don't want to order until I'm certain that both discs from Vol. 3 are included...

Ideas?

[seeline]

Regarding Anouar Brahem... I like some of his albums very much, but I honestly don't consider him to be a jazz artist per se. His music is mostly through-composed, although some of the artists who collaborate with him (like Barbaros Erköse and John Surman) improvise, as does Lassad Hosni (percussionist on his 1st few ECM releases).

I heard him live when he was touring on "Astrakhan Café," and I was kind of stunned - it was like sitting there listening to the recording. (I realize that the group may have been tired, but still...) Getting to hear Erköse live was nice, but he does so much more on his own albums (mainly of Turkish Gypsy music - that's his background).

Rabih Abou-Khalil and Gilad Atzmon both seem to have much more "jazz" in their approaches, though they are both certainly rooted in Middle Eastern classical, folkloric and pop music. (As well as exploring other approaches, like Balkan brass band music.)

As far as African jazz... the term can be very misleading when you start looking at bands with "jazz" in their names (like Ry-Co Jazz), because they're not playing jazz per se, but pop music from their own country/ies.

But Guy Warren - a jazz player for sure, though he did many other things, along with other Ghanian musicians of his era. I love highlife music!

Edited December 11, 2010 by seeline

[king ubu]

lupe and anyone else: this is a great opportunity to get a fine overview of South African music:

Next Stop... Soweto - Volumes 1-3 Limited Edition Box Set

Vol. 3 is the actual jazz volume and the only one that's two discs worth of GREAT music!

The rest will appeal to anyone with open ears and a liking for African music, as well! Lots of it goes into similar directions than the jazzy grooves that are so enjoyable in South African music!

The price is more than right! I picked it up locally for about the same price today, but had Vol. 3 separately before (paid the same as for the whole set today... will pass it on to my parents who ignited my love for South African music in the first place).

Edited to add: Vol. 3 is the same that MwtGA recommends in post #6!

I've missed this thread 'til now - many thanks for this rec!

I'm curious - do you know if there are 4 discs in this set, or only 3? Amazon lists it as a 3-disc set, and I really don't want to order until I'm certain that both discs from Vol. 3 are included...

Ideas?

All four are in there! It's three jewel cases, three volumes... but volume three contains two discs (in a regular-sized jewel case).

[seeline]

Thanks for letting me know - it looks like a great deal!

[lupe]

Regarding Anouar Brahem... I like some of his albums very much, but I honestly don't consider him to be a jazz artist per se. His music is mostly through-composed, although some of the artists who collaborate with him (like Barbaros Erköse and John Surman) improvise, as does Lassad Hosni (percussionist on his 1st few ECM releases).

I heard him live when he was touring on "Astrakhan Café," and I was kind of stunned - it was like sitting there listening to the recording. (I realize that the group may have been tired, but still...) Getting to hear Erköse live was nice, but he does so much more on his own albums (mainly of Turkish Gypsy music - that's his background).

Rabih Abou-Khalil and Gilad Atzmon both seem to have much more "jazz" in their approaches, though they are both certainly rooted in Middle Eastern classical, folkloric and pop music. (As well as exploring other approaches, like Balkan brass band music.)

As far as African jazz... the term can be very misleading when you start looking at bands with "jazz" in their names (like Ry-Co Jazz), because they're not playing jazz per se, but pop music from their own country/ies.

But Guy Warren - a jazz player for sure, though he did many other things, along with other Ghanian musicians of his era. I love highlife music!

I did not have the chance to see Anouar Brahem live, but I enjoy very much some of his albums. Though we can argue a lot about how much improvisations he and his musicians apply, I do not particularly consider this fact important for "labelling" his work. His music - as well as the one of Rabih Abou-Khalil and Gilad Atzmon - is definitely jazz; of course they are rooted on the traditional music of the Middle-East region, as much as American jazz is rooted in traditional music of America.

You are right about the (mostly Congolese and West African) bands who used the world "jazz" in their names, thought they were playing pop music and rumbas. In order to avoid any misunderstanding, I included a list of albums that I had in my mind when asking for recommendations in my initial post.

[seeline]

I guess I see Brahem's music as being part of his culture - N. African Arabic music, for the most part, mixed sometimes with Turkish music, and sometimes with European as well.

So... to me, it has jazz elements at times, but I think the predominant strain is Arabic.

However, as you point out, it's possible to see (or should I say hear?) his work in more than one way, from more than one viewpoint.

btw, are you familiar with Amir ElSaffar? He's an Iraqi American who plays both jazz and Arabic classical music (Iraqi style, of course ). I really like his piece "Blues in E Half-Flat." (He plays trumpet for his jazz pieces; for classical, he sings and plays santoor.)

http://www.amirelsaffar.com/

Edited to add: I think a lot of Rabih Abou-Khalil's music is what I might call "Arabic with a jazz sensibility," or maybe a kind of Middle Eastern-European fusion. (And even South Asian, given some of the sidemen on his earlier CDs, like percussionist Ramesh Shotham.)

I guess maybe I would put him a bit more in the "jazz" category due to the fact that he sometimes uses a very "jazz" lineup - saxes, brass, etc.

But it's all new music, a kind of fusion - like a lot of Anouar Brahem's discs, though not all. Somehow I feel like he is closer to Arabic classical music, given his technique and the way he writes, though I am certainly no expert on this stuff - it's just how I hear it.

But... I'm glad that these folks - and others - are doing what they;'re doing!

Edited December 14, 2010 by seeline

[king ubu]

How 'bout Dhafer Yousef?

I have a few of his discs and once saw him live - astonishing!

How he mixes his pure oud sound, amazing (wordless) voice and adds ambient elements and some electronics (via his bands, not himself... Eivind Aarset, Markus Stockhausen...).

I can't listen to it on any day, but every now and then I love his stuff!

[seeline]

You know, I've only just started to listen to him, and I like a lot of what I'm hearing, though sometimes I think (rightly or wrongly) that he gets a little gimmicky.

I need to give his music some time and not rush to judgment.

Edited December 14, 2010 by seeline

[king ubu]

I think it does go beyond that... but I can imagine hearing it, too... to me I guess seeing him live was the decisive moment that made me "get" him. No gimmicks, serious stuff, yet not without humour.

[seeline]

I'm sure that would make all the difference. : )

[Chalupa]

There looks to be a really interesting album coming out on Thrill Jockey records next month by Sidi Touré. The album is called Sahel Folk. Check out this video

Edited December 15, 2010 by J.H. Deeley

[lupe]

How 'bout Dhafer Yousef?

I have a few of his discs and once saw him live - astonishing!

How he mixes his pure oud sound, amazing (wordless) voice and adds ambient elements and some electronics (via his bands, not himself... Eivind Aarset, Markus Stockhausen...).

I can't

listen to it on any day, but every now and then I love his stuff!

Dharef Yousef seems a good suggestion, King ubu. Thanks

[lupe]

I feel the duty to come back to this post and thank everyone who contributed. Throughout the year, I discovered and repeatedly listen to some of the suggested albums, mostly with great satisfaction. This is a list of the ones recommened by you - hope I don’t forget any :

From the South-African scene:

• 
  
  
• Next Stop Soweto Vol 3: amazing compilation; there is not a single average track. The 16-minute Batsumi’s “Itumeleng” is simply a masterpiece.
  
• Louis Moholo “Spirits Rejoice”: a classic indeed.
  
• Masekela's 'Home is Where the Music Is': made me change my mind about Masekela’s overall contribution to the evolution of SA jazz
  
  

From the north:

• 
  
  
• Roswell Ruud/Toumani Diabate “Malicool”: exactly what I was looking for! A great fusion between two styles of music. The opening “Bamako” has one of the most beautiful melodies I’ve ever heard.
  
• Dhafer Yousef “Malak”: sometimes goes beyond my taste, but overall a good album from a very talented artist
  
• Trio Ifriqiya ”Petite Planete”: great record, with good impros and a very human feeling; I would have dropped the singing...
  
  

From elsewhere:

• 
  
  
• Mombasa- African Rhythm & Blues: One of my favorite African groups. Solid playing, great inspiration.
  
• Henri Texier “Suite Africaine”: A very enjoyable album, successful experimentation and very atmospheric.
  
  

Again, thanks to everybody who posted, and ... I'm ready for more suggestions !

[kh1958]

Next Stop Soweto, volume 3, is excellent.

I recommend a recent reissue on Soundway entitled Black Goddess. It's a superb African jazz soundtrack.

"Soundway Records are proud to present the original soundtrack to Ola Balogun’s legendary movie ‘Black Goddess’ from 1978. The film was written and directed by Balogun (recognized as one of Nigeria’s most renowned directors) but shot and cast in Brazil.

The soundtrack, Soundway’s deepest venture into experimental afro-jazz, was composed and produced by one of Nigeria’s most successful and original musicians Remi Kabaka (who has played with Steve Winwood, Paul Simon, Paul McCartney and Ginger Baker amongst others).

The record was originally issued in both Nigeria and Brazil, but recorded in Lagos, using four of the Nigerian music scene’s most innovative players: Remi Kabaka himself, alongside Biddy Wright, saxophonist Dele Okonkwo and Mono Mono frontman Joni Haastrup.

The resulting soundtrack created by these prestigious musicians is a truly unique and experimental afro-jazz recording that has been out of print for many years, until now.

“One of the finest moments in Nigeria’s experimental Afro-jazz scene – at least until Soundway unearth a better one.” Time Out"

[kh1958]

The recently released double CD anthology on Strut, Spirit of Malombo, featuring various groups led by drummer Julian Bahula from 1966-1984 (except the final track from 2007, perhaps the most amazing track on the whole set), is quite excellent.

Interview with Julian Bahula: http://thequietus.com/articles/17036-julian-bahula-interview