Afrique - Soul Makossa (1973)

Born from Cameroon-born and Paris-based jazz saxophonist Manu DiBango`s "Soul Makossa" track and with the participation of heavy studio musicians that could keep the grooves on, this 1973`s album is one of the killer instrumental funk ever!

The 13 artists involved include the baterist Paul Humphrey (also played with Marvin Gaye, John Coltrane and others), the guitarist David T Walker (played with Aretha Franklin and Pharoah Sanders), the organist Charles Kynard (some pleople say he could have rivalled Richard 'Groove' Holmes in speed and accuracy) and 10 others who created not only a hit of the Dibango`s original, but an entire set of groove-driven instrumentals. "Soul Makossa" and "House Of Rising Funk” are certainly true gems that have been sampled all around.

A real dreamy 70`s-afro-jazz-funk mixture! Highly dangerous! Highly recommended too...

Tracklist
1- Soul Makossa
2- Kissing My Love
3- Sleepwalk
4- Let Me Do My Thing
5- Slow Motion
6- Hot Mud
7- House Of Rising Funk
8- Duelling Guitars
9- Hot Doggin’
10- Get It

DL 320

This is worth value!! BUY!

1# Due to a failure to register copyrights the album title track have many differents version around of different groups from that time (I`ve already listened some but I read there are 23 versions or more).

2# Unfortunately, these high-minded musicians got gathered just once and this is their only release. (Do your homage: play it out loud!!)

"Soul Makossa" (poor audio but it`s nice to see the people dancing..)

"House of Rising Funk"

VA - Gilles Peterson in Africa (2005)

I`ve been searching something to post here that could express, at least in my own solitary cell of mind, the ideia of "Root" instead of "Beginning" which was a little bit boring.

So, as you might know, I`ve been on a journey through african sounds...

I wasn`t much successful until I faced this double-CD compilation. Maybe some of you may not know the man responsible for this selection of tracks, that is, Gilles Peterson.

So i`ll briefly present him:

Gilles Peterson is a DJ, record collector and record label owner from London. Although his trajectoty started far away in the mid- and late- 80`s as an exponent in acid jazz, jazz-funk and latin music, he`s mostly recognised by his radio program at BBC`s Radio 1 station from 1998 to the present and by his Worldwide project.

As a record label owner he`s integrally linked to 3 labels. At Acid Jazz Rec he was was responsible for huge names like Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai, James Taylor Quartet and Snowboy. In his second label, Talkin' Loud , the list of released projects include Young Disciples and Incognito, just to mention some. And, his current Brownswood Recordings has produced Ben Westbeech and the japanese jazz band "Soil & Pimp Sessions", among other releases.

He`s also considered one of the biggest record digger in the world, collecting lots of 70`s, latin, afro music.
That`s enough!!

In this compilation you can listen different sets of afro oriented sounds.

CD 1 (or "The Soul") contain some old-fashion-afro-tracks, mainly afrofunk and afrobeat tunes with that jazzy flavor from heavy artists like Manu Dibango, Fela Kuti, Mulato Astaque and Miriam Makeba. In CD 2 ("The Spirit") there`s a shift to more comtemporary but still afro-rooted sounds and include names such as Master At Work, Konono N°1, Carl Craig and Thievery Corporation.

Tracklist:

"The Soul"
1.Intro
2.Oscar Sulley - Bukom Mashie
3.Peter King - Ajo
4.Manu Dibango - New Bell
5.Fela Ransome Kuti & Africa '70 - Ye Ye de Smell
6.Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra - Indictment
7.Fegadu Amde-Mesgel - Asmarina
8.Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu
9.Miriam Makeba - Samba
10.Letta Mbulu - Mahlalela
11.Abdullah Ibrahim - Did You Hear That Sound (Toshio Matsuura remix)


"The Spirit"
1.Masters At Work feat. Wunmi - MAW Expensive (A Tribute To Fela)
2.Osborne - Afrika
3.Konono No. 1 - Lufuala Ndonga
4.Lekan Babalola - Aso Kere (IG Culture mix)
5.Cesaria Evora - Angala (Carl Craig remix)
6.Thievery Corporation feat. David Byrne - The Heart's a Lonely Hunter
7.Dennis Ferrer - Funu (Hi-Life mix)
8.Blaze & Palmer Brown - Jump 4 Luv (Shelter Main mix)


If your ears just started salivating,
Listen it!
Part 1, 2, 3, 4 (320)

Then BUY IT!



Just for curiosity:

#1 A long time ago, Gilles Peterson was one of artists invited to play at Peter Gabriel`s wedding party in a private beach. Phil Collins was presenting before Gilles and Phil was playing some african music. So he decided to play some afro sounds too, but it lasted just about 10 minutes. The wife`s family literally cut Gilles` tracks and started playing musics like The Birdie Song by The Tweets (how dare them??). I totally refuse to embed this music video here!!

#2 I know some of my friends don`t know these names above but I`m sure they recognise this Miriam Makeba`s melody:


Get Rooted!!