African

Nowhere is the beat of a drum more symbolic of a culture than in Africa, where it’s forever been the heartbeat of daily life. From the trance percussion of South Sudan to the gnawagroove of Morocco, this is an exploration into a continent’s rhythmic life source.

African Herbsman is a 1973 Trojan Records repackage of Bob Marley and the Wailers' 1971 album Soul Revolution Part II produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry, which had had a limited Jamaica only release. African Herbsman was released shortly after the band's major-label debut album Catch a Fire had been released by Island Records.

Johnny Clegg & Savuka - In My African Dream (The Best Of)
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 484 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: EMI # 7234 8 30073 2 5 | Country/Year: Europe 1994
Genre: Folk, Pop | Style: World Pop, Folk Rock

Globally, Clegg is probably best recalled for "Scatterlings of Africa," understandably the leadoff track here. If not his manifesto (which was established long before his international fame), it makes his point, the mixing of rock and Zulu music, quite succinctly and wonderfully – and he was doing it long before it became fashionable (indeed, while it was illegal under South Africa's apartheid laws). (…) Johnny Clegg & Savuka were always about more than the music, however; they put it together politically, too, a huge act of defiance that was reflected in the lyrics and sound. As the man said, think and dance.

African Herbsman is a 1973 Trojan Records repackage of Bob Marley and the Wailers' 1971 album Soul Revolution Part II produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry, which had had a limited Jamaica only release. African Herbsman was released shortly after the band's major-label debut album Catch a Fire had been released by Island Records.

On this unusual project, vibraphonist Stefon Harris performs three excerpts apiece from Duke Ellington's "New Orleans Suite" and his lesser-known "The Gardner Meditations" plus two pieces from the Duke's "The Queen's Suite." The sensitive "Single Petal of a Rose" is the best known of these selections. Rather than use a big band, Harris is joined by viola, cello, flute, clarinet, trombonist Steve Turre (who is wonderful on "Portrait of Wellman Braud"), and a piano-bass-drums rhythm section. The arrangements are colorful and inventive, with Harris (who doubles on marimba) usually being heard as the lead voice. African Tarantella serves as further proof that Duke Ellington's music, in addition to being enormous in quantity, can be interpreted in an infinite number of colorful ways.

Dollar Brand - African Breeze (1974) {2015 DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000 UCCJ-9132}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 220 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 96 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 141 Mb | 5% repair rar | DSD Mastering
© 1974, 2015 East Wind Music / Universal Japan | UCCJ-9132
Jazz / Post Bop / International Jazz / Piano

Reissue with the latest DSD remastering. Dollar Brand playing solo – but with a vibrancy that hardly makes you miss the other instruments at all! Most of the record features solo piano, but there's also a bit of bamboo flute as well – leading off the set and establishing this great organic vibe to the whole thing, which is then followed by Brand's long-spun, completely hypnotic lines on piano! The recording quality is wonderful – very clear and strong, and quite resonant too – and the set features two side-long long suites – "Africa" and "Reflection" – with shorter passages that move through the warm range of moods you'd find in Brand's other strong work from the time. Titles include "Ancient Africa", "Msunduza", "Single Petal Of A Rose", and "African Sun".

These last years, Omar Sosa has been travelling a lot. In seven African countries, he met some musicians and recorded with them. The result is a remarkable album, a true symbiosis between traditional African musics and jazz.

In the mid-1960's, Abdullah Ibrahim (then known as Dollar Brand) was an avant-garde pianist influenced by Thelonious Monk who was not yet displaying much of his South African heritage in his music...