2010-06-14
Strut Records concludes a three-CD set of early South African music by highlighting that country's jazz musicians of the '60s, '70s and '80s. While many prominent artists fled South Africa for the safer and richer shores of the U.S. and Europe, these musicians stayed and kept jazz alive. Some interesting stuff here -- you can hear the roots of what Hugh Masekela wound up doing with "Grazin' in the Grass" in 1968. The Malombo cuts are the ones that fuse jazz and African rhythms the most extensively. That these artists could play so skillfully during a time of great repression is amazing. Such is the power of music. 06/10 Michael J.Bob Merrill and Roswell Rudd
Cheerin' Up The Universe
KAHIL EL’ZABAR’S INFINITY ORCHESTRA
Transmigration
DAN SIEGEL
Departure
THE REBIRTH
This Journey In
SHUFFLE DEMONS
ClusterFunk
THE GODFATHERS OF GROOVE FEATURING REUBEN WILSON, BERNARD “PRETTY” PURDIE, AND GRANT GREEN JR.
The Godfathers of Groove
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