Porter Records digs Stark Reality

Natural Food : Siren Song
From Natural Food (Porter)

Birigwa : Yelewa
From Birigwa (Porter)





This is another obscure band project featuring John Abercrombie. Every soul fuzzy sounds crate diggers know about him since the last release (2003) Stark Reality (Now Again). Some said that the albums Now and 1969 were deeply influenced by Soft Machine, Hendrix and Sly Stone. In the early 70s Abercombie was in a jazz rock band called Dreams with drummer Billy Cobham and Blood Sweat and Tears member Randy Brecker. I never heard this before. But I read one day that in the early 70s Miles Davis have to make a decision between drummers Buddy Miles and Billy Cobham. By the way, Dreams first album was released before Miles Davis's Live-Evil. With a doubt, I suggere anybody who like Stark Reality to dig this new Porter Records release : Natural Food. Birigwa is the second release. More afro, jazz, folk. In a sense, some tunes recall me some afro jazz sounds from South Africa like Dudu Pukwana, Chris McGregor, Johnny Dyani, Assagai. And the Yelewa some Pharoah Sanders influence.

*** UPDATE *** UPDATE *** UPDATE *** UPDATE *** UPDATE *** UPDATE *** UPDATE ***

With a friend we try to dig some tunes featuring John Abercrombie ***

[mp3]

1. Souljazz Orchestra "Insurrection" Freedom No Go Die (Do Right Music)
2. Mulatu Astatqe "Netsanet" Ethio Jazz (L'Arome)
3. Dogliotti "Negro en sol menor" Candombe (Vampisoul)
4. Dave Cortez with the Moon Peo "Happy Soul With A Hook" (Fania)
5. Orlando Julius and the Modern Aces "James Brown Ride On" Orlando's Afro Ideas 1969-1972 (Soundway)
6. Birigwa "Yelewa" Birigwa (Porter Records)
7. Dreams "Dream Suite: Asset Stop/Jane/Crunchy Granola" Dreams (Columbia) ***
8. Stark Reality "Dreams" Stark Reality (Stones Throw) ***
9. Eddie Fisher & the Next Hundred Years "Either Or" (Chess)
10. Jesse Gresham Plus 3 "Shootin' The Grease" (Head)
11. Jean-Claude Vannier "Le roi des mouches et la confiture de Rouse" L' Enfant Assasin des Mouches (Finders Keepers)
12. Natural Food "Fair Breeze on Buzzard's Bay" Natural Food (Porter Records) ***

+ Dave Liebman "The Iguana's Ritual" Drum Ode (ECM) ***

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1) In February Natural Food and Birigwa will be "Officially" released.

2) Check this post linked by Colin Dilnot - In Dangerous Rhythm.

African Voodoo

Manu Dibango: Afro-Soul and Wa-Wa
From Africadelic (?, 1976)

In 2003, Africadelic was a "best of Manu Dibango". Recently re-edited in France by Hi&Fly Records (same french label for this post), Africadelic is a reedition of Manu Dibango original album. Above all, an obscure album. Between Soul Makossa and Obossa, the saxophonist produced Africadelic and African Voodoo. Whose album your can hear an extract on Paris Djs site. But it is the first version. The other version said that Africadelic was released in 1976 probably during his recording at Decca for Manu 76 and Super Kumba.

Liner notes of album I bought focuses on the first version. "A few years later, after the breakthrough of Soul Makossa all over the world, and under pressure from fans spellbound by the Afro-Soul-Thing, everyone agreed that it was not only obvious, but necessary to release Africadelic nationwide. So, it was through a misunderstanding, and thanx to the record company Mondiophone, that Manu Dibango's Africadelic became available in most good record shops in 1972".

Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road

Bappi Lahiri & Salma Agha: Come Closer
From Indiavision (Buda Musique, 2005)

Vern Blair Debate: Ooh Ah Ee
From The World's Rarest Funk 45s (Quantic, 2006)

Robert Wyatt: Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road
From Rock Bottom (Hannibal, 1974)

Mulatu Astatqe: Netsanet
From Ethiopiques Vol. 4: Ethio Jazz 1969-1974 (Buda Musique, 1998)

Nothing really coherent between these Bollywood Disco, Deep Funk, Prog-Rock and Ethiopian Groove tunes. No have the time to post something as usual. I only hope you'll enjoy the psychedelic sound. Ten years ago, a cousin offered me Rock Bottom and wow! still today I don't really hate listen it again and again. It is the second Robert Wyatt album solo. Maybe his greatest one for the former drummer of Soft Machine...

Ghana Soundz

Rob: Make It Fast, Make It Slow
Oscar Sulley & The Uhuru Dance Band: Bukom Mashie
From Ghana Soundz: Afrobeat, Funk and Fusion in 70's (Soundway, 2003)

After his excellent tribute to James Brown, Benn Loxo du Taccu post an excellent remix of The Uhuru Dance Band’s song, Olufeme, with the original. Check this if you want more details about Natural Self Ghana Soundz Remixes EP release in 2005. The original version of Olufeme is also available on the excellent compilation Ghana Soundz Vol.2. Be sure, the first the volume is also great. 'Bukom Mashie' is five minute afro disco tune and 'Make It Fast, Make It Slow' breaks reminds me Santana.

Ain't no particular

Lefties Soul Connection : Organ Donor
From Huspot (Melting Pot Music, 2006)
Orgone : Funky Nassau
From 7" (Nuffrope records, 2006)

Both available on Party-Keller Vol. 2 (Compost, 2006)

Compiled by Florian Keller, Party-Keller is a selection of Funk, Boogie, Soulful Reggae and Afrobeat. Lefties Soul Connection and Orgone are actual groups, its sound like a very very deep funk. Lefties Soul Connection is a group from Netherlands. I think Hupsot is their second album. "Organ Donor" which is a take on DJ Shadow's song of the same name, itself in turn a take on Giorgio Moroder's "Tears" (1972), which Keller had included on his previous volume. And "Funky Nassau", a classic tunes from The Beginning Of The End, that Orgone mixed with afro sound.

The Lafayette Afro Rock Band

The Lafayette Afro Rock Band: Afon and Heels And Soles
From Afon (Les Disques Superclasse, 1999)

Aside funk fuzzy sound, sometime I already post some tunes about afro soul sound, look here, here and here. I remember PUNK-CHO said he prefered the post about Funk Fuzzy Sounds Of West Africa compilation. If you liked it too, I have some good fresh to you today.

The Parisian-based Lafayette Afro Rock Band is known to have issued two great album Malik, in 1972, and Soul Makossa in 1973. Today I propose you two unreleased tunes from 1971 to 1974. Two intense and polyrythm afro funk tunes grooving as hell. If you enjoy it, see also soul sides post.

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Jah Shaka Sound System it's tonight in Paris, click here for more news.

Afro Fuzz Psych Sound

Demon Fuzz: Past Present And Future and Disillusioned
From Afreaka! (Dawn(UK)/Janus(US), 1970)

Fu@# ! Yousendit change his link's properties. Please, click on the link to get the tracks. I'll see how to settle with later.

Sorry, didn't be there for a time, I was searching some good tunes for you. Above all, I wanted to react on what cHUCk dA fONk tell me few days ago "Adlib, more cowbells please!". By chance I find Demon Fuzz Afreaka!'s album. Perhaps you discover it with djmaru's great post. --- Just djmaru wrote some errors, I forgive him ;) ---

"Released in November 1970, their sole album, the extraodinary Afreaka!, saw them mash up and master various musical genres - stoned psychedelic soul, Afro jazz, blackacid rock/blues, dub-heavy funk, free festival-era progressive rock. (...) But despite the heady nature of their rampant musical cross-pollination, and the notwithstanding a vigoros live schedule that saw them participate in many of the leading UK underground of the era. (...) In common with various other rock-oriented, British black music acts of the time (Black Velvet, Assagai, Cymande, Noir), the band faded from view almost before anyone had noticed them, leaving the lighter, more upbeat Osibisa as the token UK-based act to introduce African rythms into the mainstram music scene." (by David Wells, June 2005)

Enjoy !!!

Funky sounds of West Africa

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou Dahomey : Minsato Le, Mi Dayihome
Tunji Oyelana and the Benders : Ifa
From World Psychedelic Classics 3 : Love's A Real Thing (Luaka Bop, 2004)

It's the third volume of the World Psychedelic Classics compilations. Vol. 1 is about Os Mutantes, a brazilian band, Vol. 2 is focused on Shuggie Otis and WPC 3 sounds like afro-delic funk from West Africa in the 70's.

If I had to resume the musical and political context in few words... By the late sixties, in 1967 John Coltrane performed his last live at the Olatunji Center for African Culture (OCAC) in Harlem, psychedelism merged with soul/rock, Marcus Garvey's message crossed the ocean to Africa, some africans musicians studied in London or were recording in Brooklyn studios, a new generation of black artists discovered the music of James Brown and Jimi Hendrix, ..., and, of course, the ideology of the Black Panther Party was contemporary of the anticolonialist rebellion in Africa.

When I listened "Ifa" for the first time, the drum recall me "Slipping Into Darkness" covered by Dayton Sidewinders on the compilation Cold Heat - Heavy Funk Rarities, Vol. 1: 1968-1974 and the latino-funk "Guajira Bacan" by Azuquita. Ressemblance is probably due to the drum rythm, brass section and guitar riff. By the way, Ifa was performed in 1975 by the Lagos based Tunji Oyelana and the Benders. While "Minsato Le, Mi Dayihome", written by Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou Dahomey, a band from Benin, which you can see the clip video on youtube, seem to be an Afro-groove which combine James Brown and Hendrix in one.

A Band of Afro Soul

The Budos Band : The Volcano Song et T.I.B.W.F.
From Budos Band (Discograph, 2005)

A première écoute, on se croirait à l'heure où l'afro soul funk teinté de psychédélisme faisait rage au début de l'année 1970. Et plus particulièrement à s'y méprendre on se croirait revenir aux sources de l'afro-beat. L'album Aiye-Keta de Third World sorti en 1973, un classique du genre, et qui vit l'apparition du guitariste Steve Winwood, semble avoir pris une seconde jeunesse avec ce premier album du Budos Band. Ce disque est une pépite ! D'abord appelé Los Barbudos, les Budos mélange Afro-Beat, funk et psychédélisme. Le groupe nous vient tout droit de Brooklyn, New York, et réalise son premier album Budos Band en 2005. Thomas Brenneck, connu pour tenir la guitare au sein du Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, a également rejoint le Budos qui compte au total 11 membres.

Pour plus d'infos, voir aussi Myspace.

Afro Soul

Thievery Corporation : The Lagos Communiqué
From African Groove (Putuyamo World Music, 2003)

Mamani Keita (feat. Nicolas Repac) : Lado
From Yelema (No Format, 2006)

Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra : Ya Fama
From Boulevard de l'Indépendance (World Circuit, 2006)

Manu Dibango : Bayam Sellam
From The Rough Guide To Manu Dibango (World Circuit, 2004)

Le Continent Africain a souvent provoqué des avant-gardes musicales. Déjà au milieu des années 70, l'Afro-Disco valait toutes les productions Disco de l'époque et nombre de musiciens alignaient une série de morceaux et propulsaient le genre bien loin dans le futur. Les décennies défilent et les musiciens du Contient continuent d'accoucher des albums aux antipodes du "musicalement correct" du moment. Simplement rappelez-vous de la rencontre entre Roy Ayers et Fela Kuti en 1980... Pas étonnant alors qu'en 2006 Mamani Keita et Toumani Diabaté retiennent l'attention de tous. Voyez plutôt !