Ahmed Abdul Malik Jazz Sahara (1958 2018)

Jazz Sounds of Africa compiles the complete contents of two early New Jazz LPs by Ahmed Abdul-Malik, which were originally issued as The Music of Ahmed Abdul-Malik and Sounds of Africa. The music on this reissue is simply captivating, as the brilliant bassist and oud player of Sudanese descent blends elements of jazz with that of Middle Eastern and African music. While the names of several of the contributing musicians are likely to be unfamiliar to many jazz fans, except for Andrew Cyrille and Tommy Turrentine, the music proves to be fascinating throughout both sessions. Any fan of John Coltrane's composition "India," which was written and performed around the same time frame, will delight in the hypnotic opener, "Nights on Saturn," with an eerie solo by an unidentified Korean reed instrument played by Bilal Abdurrahman…

Ahmed Abdul-Malik - Spellbound (1964) {Real Gone–Dusty Groove RGM-0166 rel 2013}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 197 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 76 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 22 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1964, 2013 Concord Muaic / Real Gone Music / Dusty Groove | RGM-0166 | (Status ST-8303)
Jazz / Hard Bop / International Jazz / Bass

Sublime sounds from the always-amazing Ahmed Abdul-Malik – a jazz bassist at heart, but also a musician with a great ear for Eastern instrumentation as well! Ahmed cut a few key records at the end of the 50s and start of the 60s – and this spellbinding set may well be one of his strongest – a set that moves past some of the more gimmicky use of exotic instrumentation on other albums, and focuses on a jazzy core that really shines strongly on the album's long tracks! There's still a nice sense of the East on the record – thanks to Hamza Aldeen's oud – but the set also features great jazz solos from Seldon Powell on flute and tenor, and the great Ray Nance on both cornet and violin. Drummer Walter Perkins plays with a fluid style that's perfect for the date – and pianist Paul Neves has a lyrical approach to piano that works wonders for the groove.