Soundway Records present Kenya Special: Selected East African Recordings from the 1970s & ‘80s - a treasure-trove of rare and unusual recordings from East Africa. Spread out over two CDs and one triple LP, Kenya Special is accompanied by detailed liner notes, original artwork and photographs.It follows on from Soundway’s much acclaimed African ‘Special’ series that to date has focused on the highlife and afrobeat output from 1970s Nigeria and Ghana.
In Memoriam: Hugh Masekela (1939–2018). South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela died on January 23, 2018, at the age of 78 after a long battle with cancer. I was briefly introduced to South African Jazz by watching the HBO series, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Some of the scenes took place inside local jazz clubs in Botswana. So when I saw this album, I decided to give it a try. What a wonderful surprise! The music is unique and distinct, but a close listen will give hints of American Jazz artists, such as George Benson or Herbie Hancock. This album is my new favorite.
Reissue of a 1979 duo recording of legendary South African bassist Johnny Dyani (of The Blue Notes) and drummer Clifford Jarvis (who played with Sun Ra for over two decades).
African Sketchbook is a superb example of the kind of solo concerts Abdullah Ibrahim (then known as Dollar Brand) performed early in his career. They were lengthy, non-stop affairs with pieces strung together end on end, sometimes repeated, sometimes with interpolations from Monk or Ellington, and always supremely creative and moving. He would often introduce the evenings with a composition for flute, as is the case here with the gorgeous "Air." After that, it's wave upon wave of songs. Some are rhythmically propulsive numbers with Ibrahim vamping for all he's worth with the left hand while deftly evoking aspects of South Africa with the right. The songs tend to have a basis that may strike Western listeners as gospel-related while, in fact, it's gospel that shows these same African roots…