Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Franck Biyong & Massak - Visions of Kamerun
Biography
Born of Cameroonian Parents in 1973, Franck Biyong was attracted to music at a very early age. He spent most of his childhood in West Africa (Gabon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast) where he learned music. He initially attended piano lessons but liked better drums, percussions and rhythms that he heard everywhere while he was a youngster. The roots of his sound can be traced back then.
He left Africa at the age of 14, discovering new musical landscapes as he settled with his family in Europe. He switched to bass, then finally guitar and joined his first bands. In the meantime, he started recording and submitting his first demo tapes to various French and European labels. His works obtained better reception in England where he then settled for a couple of years and found inspiration in the newly born electro scene.
After Fela's death in 1997, Franck decided to return to France and pursue the musical struggle of the Black President in his own way. He formed his first band, launched the Afrolectric Music label and released his first records. As his reputation kept growing, he released crossover Afrobeat songs as singles. Distributed by some of the most influent independent labels these recordings helped him to gain more and more attention.
Franck released 8 albums comprising Afrobeat, Rock influences, ambitious African jazz suites beyond the boundaries of world music, and wrote an Afro-opera based on the history of African diasporas living on the French soil. The Paris' premiere of "Knowledge Identity Reconstruction" created a great deal of controversy, while adressing the issues of French colonial history and the shapes of African Art forms to come
Biyong operates outside the lines which map the trajectories of African musicians in and out of the continent. Fueled by the sound of West African rhythm and the energy of the West London broken beat, he brought his African musical roots into new directions.
Doing so, he layed down the fundaments of the Afrolectric sound of his various bands and gained a reputation over the last ten years as one of the very few authentic innovators of modern African Music leaning towards rock, jazz and electro sounds.
He left Africa at the age of 14, discovering new musical landscapes as he settled with his family in Europe. He switched to bass, then finally guitar and joined his first bands. In the meantime, he started recording and submitting his first demo tapes to various French and European labels. His works obtained better reception in England where he then settled for a couple of years and found inspiration in the newly born electro scene.
After Fela's death in 1997, Franck decided to return to France and pursue the musical struggle of the Black President in his own way. He formed his first band, launched the Afrolectric Music label and released his first records. As his reputation kept growing, he released crossover Afrobeat songs as singles. Distributed by some of the most influent independent labels these recordings helped him to gain more and more attention.
Franck released 8 albums comprising Afrobeat, Rock influences, ambitious African jazz suites beyond the boundaries of world music, and wrote an Afro-opera based on the history of African diasporas living on the French soil. The Paris' premiere of "Knowledge Identity Reconstruction" created a great deal of controversy, while adressing the issues of French colonial history and the shapes of African Art forms to come
Biyong operates outside the lines which map the trajectories of African musicians in and out of the continent. Fueled by the sound of West African rhythm and the energy of the West London broken beat, he brought his African musical roots into new directions.
Doing so, he layed down the fundaments of the Afrolectric sound of his various bands and gained a reputation over the last ten years as one of the very few authentic innovators of modern African Music leaning towards rock, jazz and electro sounds.
The most successful album Nuevo Afropean Jazz , designed by the heir of FELA. A jewel of humanity.
Listeners, listeners, here is the soundtrack of your future summer getaways: May 20, 2010, the talented and remarkable Franck BIYONG big band Massak reveal an album of correctness and a pleasing humility, a jewel of humanity defended by the new label Colored-Inc.
Ever an album World had reached such a balance between exploration Jazzy, rhythmic vivacity, depth Soul and cultural immersion. Visions Of Kamerun called, this disc explodes the boundaries and leads us to define a style of music that we call healthy Nuevo Afropean Jazz *. However, the transversality of the sixth album by Franck BIYONG can classify the radius World Pop Jazz & Soul of your store.
Visions Of Kamerun because is a perfect synthesis of different influences, provided a surprising maturity: registered in Cameroon with an undeniable spontaneity, 18 pieces consisting of nine ballads supported and spoken interludes 9 how to Talking Blues Bob Marley tell the story and a link with the South Europe, pose a questioning look and perplexed on this.
This year when we prepare to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Independence and the African World has eyes on South Africa during the World Cup Football, Franck BIYONG offers us a refreshing trip to the land of his ancestors to better understand the heart of Africa, their sensibility, their nostalgia, their hopes. The result is an intelligent but not intellectual music, both air and deep, haunting but catchy, transporting you on the road to the beach Douala, dreamy soul. You can see the blue ocean, ocher, green franc in the trees, benevolent smiles and glances.
Perfectly orchestrated compositions using traditional percussion delicate, supported by a battery of the most subtle jazzy afro: rhythm is present and captivating, just enough to create movement, small double. The bass is round about it and comforting, halfway between Funk and Ska, always trot. Minimalist riffs played by Franck BIYONG the guitar are delicious, subtle but always placed himself chaining tirelessly as dribbling the Indomitable Lions. Already noticed, the brass section Massak one of the best in the world of its kind, remember the energy of Sun Ra Arkestra, Art Ensemble Of Chicago, Fertile Ground or French fanfare of Those Who Walk Stand: adding power and gravity imperial nature of the thing, the more tropical moisture. Impressive sincerity, highlight the afro and soulful vocals, to attention to enable Franck BIYONG, Sandra Nkake and Gladys GAMBIA express their vocal solos on a velvet carpet, in perfect harmony with the group to release the better tune. Finally, between travel, relaxing interludes give us to learn and reflect on the words of the ancients, on a continent where knowledge is transmitted orally from generation to generation, it is surprising to enjoy the stories as if we were there, the time no longer matter.
Without no demagoguery, Visions Of Kamerun fascinate her positive energy, strength, African and jazz harmonies, its singularity, its mystery, its universality and accessibility. Valuable to a wide audience, it is never boring disc, to listen without moderation in your secret garden or on the road vacation. An endearing album essential, a real classic to share with friends.
Listeners, listeners, here is the soundtrack of your future summer getaways: May 20, 2010, the talented and remarkable Franck BIYONG big band Massak reveal an album of correctness and a pleasing humility, a jewel of humanity defended by the new label Colored-Inc.
Ever an album World had reached such a balance between exploration Jazzy, rhythmic vivacity, depth Soul and cultural immersion. Visions Of Kamerun called, this disc explodes the boundaries and leads us to define a style of music that we call healthy Nuevo Afropean Jazz *. However, the transversality of the sixth album by Franck BIYONG can classify the radius World Pop Jazz & Soul of your store.
Visions Of Kamerun because is a perfect synthesis of different influences, provided a surprising maturity: registered in Cameroon with an undeniable spontaneity, 18 pieces consisting of nine ballads supported and spoken interludes 9 how to Talking Blues Bob Marley tell the story and a link with the South Europe, pose a questioning look and perplexed on this.
This year when we prepare to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Independence and the African World has eyes on South Africa during the World Cup Football, Franck BIYONG offers us a refreshing trip to the land of his ancestors to better understand the heart of Africa, their sensibility, their nostalgia, their hopes. The result is an intelligent but not intellectual music, both air and deep, haunting but catchy, transporting you on the road to the beach Douala, dreamy soul. You can see the blue ocean, ocher, green franc in the trees, benevolent smiles and glances.
Perfectly orchestrated compositions using traditional percussion delicate, supported by a battery of the most subtle jazzy afro: rhythm is present and captivating, just enough to create movement, small double. The bass is round about it and comforting, halfway between Funk and Ska, always trot. Minimalist riffs played by Franck BIYONG the guitar are delicious, subtle but always placed himself chaining tirelessly as dribbling the Indomitable Lions. Already noticed, the brass section Massak one of the best in the world of its kind, remember the energy of Sun Ra Arkestra, Art Ensemble Of Chicago, Fertile Ground or French fanfare of Those Who Walk Stand: adding power and gravity imperial nature of the thing, the more tropical moisture. Impressive sincerity, highlight the afro and soulful vocals, to attention to enable Franck BIYONG, Sandra Nkake and Gladys GAMBIA express their vocal solos on a velvet carpet, in perfect harmony with the group to release the better tune. Finally, between travel, relaxing interludes give us to learn and reflect on the words of the ancients, on a continent where knowledge is transmitted orally from generation to generation, it is surprising to enjoy the stories as if we were there, the time no longer matter.
Without no demagoguery, Visions Of Kamerun fascinate her positive energy, strength, African and jazz harmonies, its singularity, its mystery, its universality and accessibility. Valuable to a wide audience, it is never boring disc, to listen without moderation in your secret garden or on the road vacation. An endearing album essential, a real classic to share with friends.
Tracklist
01. Crossback
02. Mbengue The First
03. Bassa Land
02. Mbengue The First
03. Bassa Land
04. Sanaga
05. Assiko
06. Calling
07. Native
06. Calling
07. Native
08. Dance Life
09. Ndokoti
10. Jingo
11. Essos
09. Ndokoti
10. Jingo
11. Essos
12. To The Lakes
13. Language
13. Language
14. U.P.C.
15. Ritual
16. Independance
17. Um
16. Independance
17. Um
18. Bessima
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Boye 'PapaGee' & Colours Afrobeat Orchestra
Gboyega 'Papa Gee' Akerele is a band-leader, singer/song writer, drummer/percussionist, and saxophonist born in Nigeria in West Africa.
Boye formed Odura Afro Jazz band in 1999. Odura an 8- piece band with own original songs played in major cafes, cities and main festivals in Belgium and Holland. Odura African Jazz Band performed at the big stage in the 'Gentse feesten' 1999-a festival of world Culture and it was a huge success. 'Boye moved to the Rep. Of Ireland in January 2004 and Studied Music performance/sound technology at the Kylemore College in Dublin where he was awarded a FETAC level 5 certificate in Music performance & Sound technology in May/June 2005. Boye has Higher National Diploma in Media Production and Music/Events Management from Balyfermot College of Further Education in Dublin-Ireland, He is also a graduate with B.A (Hons) in Music Entertainment and Arts Management from Buckinghamshire New University, United Kingdom. His long years of experience as a freelance musician in different bands both in Nigeria and Europe inspired him into introducing a new and fresh sound in the Irish Jazz scene. After over 1 year of living in Drogheda-Ireland and musically active, Boye formed Colours Afro-beat Orchestra with friends and fellow musicians in 2005. After 3-months of intensive rehearsals, the band was ready to hit the stage with their music-if its groovy, if its Jazzy, that is Afro-beat!. Colours Afro-beat Orchestra combines all the colours in the traditional West-African music from the 60’s in a compact modern form. Colours Afro-beat Orchestra was formerly launched at the Drogheda Arts Centre in April 2005 with support and cooperation of the Arts office of the Drogheda Borough council, Drogheda Partnerships, the society of St. Vincent de-Paul and the Drogheda Arts Centre-It was a success as the show was completely sold-out. Since the band's launching 'Boye (as fondly called by his friends and fellow musicians) and his 15-piece multi-national band has played club/festival gigs and also performed at the Drogheda Samba Festival in July 2005, as well as played the Main stage at Dun-Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures-Dublin in 2006-It was also a huge success.
Colours AfroBeat Orchestra was formed by Boye ‘PapaGEE’ with musicians from all over the world: Cote Calmet (Peru) on Drums, Frailan Moran (Cuba) on Congas, Jose Dominguez (Spain) on Bass, Julien Colarossi (Italy) on Guitar, Gianpiero Quartarone (Italy) on Trumpet, Segun Akano (Nigeria) on Drums, Gbenga Akinborewa (Nigeria) on Piano, Clare Carolan (Ireland) on Baritone Sax, Ronan O'Donell (Ireland) on Tenor sax, and Taiwo Wilson, Kenny Wilson, Joy Chinwego & Praise Chinwego on backing vocals (Nigeria).
Colours Afrobeat Orchestra is a fusion of American-Jazz, funk/soul, Hi-life, Rock & Roll and Reggae blended with heavy African/Latin/Cuban percussion rhythm-as long as it grooves, such that moves the body and soul- that’s Boye ‘PapaGEE’ & Colours Afro-beat Orchestra-the music makes perfect live sound for Festivals and live music venues, guaranteed to bring massive happiness as experienced by the Drogheda Samba Festival 2011 and Castlepalooza 2011 audiences in Tullamore respectively.
latinsoundentertainment.com
Sunday, September 23, 2012
The Souljazz Orchestra - Solidarity
Reviews
After the success of their last record, the all-acoustic, instrumental outing, Rising Sun, the Orchestra returns to electric, vocal-driven compositions on Solidarity, inviting in a selection of singers with whom they have collaborated at different times over the last decade. Hailing from diverse musical backgrounds, the guests were the catalyst for memorable artistic exchange, allowing each party to feed off the other and venture beyond their usual realm of experience into fresh musical territory.
The album’s cast includes singer, percussionist and songwriter El Hadji “Élage” M’baye, originally from Saint-Louis off the coast of Sénégal, now resident in Gatineau, Québec, a descendant of a long line of griot minstrels, acknowledged for his fusions of traditional Wolof sounds with modern popular music; singer, songwriter and guitarist Rômmel Teixeira Ribeiro, hailing from São Luís in North-Eastern Brazil, now living in downtown Ottawa, recognised for his unusual mix of native Brazilian styles with North American, West African and Caribbean influences; vocalist and songwriter Slim Moore, born in Overbrook, Ontario to Jamaican parents, better known for his soul-oriented work with the Mar-Kays but exploring here reggae-tinged original Patois material; brilliant jazz trumpeter Nicholas Dyson; versatile singer Amelia Leclair on backing vocals; and the full Souljazz Orchestra core complete the line-up, with vocal contributions by drummer / conguero Philippe Lafrenière and baritone saxophonist Ray Murray.
The compositions that arose from the sessions are in a variety of Afro, Latin and Caribbean styles, all connected by a consistent thread of North American soul and jazz sensibilities. Featuring lyrics sung in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Wolof (with borrowings from French and Arabic), the songs touch on subjects ranging from social and political issues to relationships and traditional folk tales.
The plugged-in direction of the new album also provided the band with an excuse to dig out some of their dusty, forgotten electric instruments from the attic: an ancient vibrato-heavy transistor organ, pawn shop hollow-body electric guitars, a warbling psychedelic tape-echo machine, a cavernous surf-guitar spring reverb unit, even an old Italian-made Elka electric piano rescued from a garbage can. The album was recorded onto a temperamental Tascam 8-track tape machine inherited from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at a surplus sale. The resultant sound is gritty, low-budget and analogue and the musicianship is, as always, vice-tight.
Now celebrating their 10th year, The Souljazz Orchestra continue their unrivalled run of fine albums. Breaking through on Toronto label Do Right!, Freedom No Go Die (2006, featuring their huge single “Mista President”) and Manifesto (2008) set the bar high. 2010′s Rising Sun, their first for Strut, was recognised as a landmark in deep, spiritual Afro jazz. Meanwhile, as a live unit, the Orchestra have become an in-demand fixture at venues and festivals worldwide and successfully toured the US for the first time during 2012.
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“Bibinay” a medium tempo track featuring Senegalese-Canadian singer, percussionist and songwriter Élage Mbaye and a Gato Barbieri style tenor solo along with an Afro chant call and response, is serious, and should be most appreciated on the world stage. Now, one thing to note about the Souljazz Orchestra is that they have a spectacular horn section that is best illustrated by the cut “Ya Basta” which also includes some salsa as a nice touch. Keyboards and flute are especially strong on this track, and the lead vocalist is solid with good background vocals as well. “Solidarity” goes reggae with the tracks “Kingpin” and “Jericho” which have great arrangements and mixing. On the uptempo side are “Serve And Protect” on which the organ player got a chance to shine along with the percussion, “Conquering Lion” which is funky to the core, and the Latin cut “Tambou Lou”, which has one of the best guitar performances on the CD.
So, after showcasing their skills at mid to uptempo numbers, Souljazz Orchestra does what any great band or artist does. They slow it down just a bit with the track “Nijaay” which is a little too fast to be considered slow, but it’s definitely a bit more mellow with a reggae feel to it as well.
I was particularly impressed by “Solidarity” because it’s like taking a trip into so many different worlds at once: The 70s, Latin, reggae, Afro jazz, and many others. There’s a lot of variety and spice here, which always keeps things interesting, particularly when the band really has command of the music, regardless of which style is dominating at the time, and Souljazz Orchestra does that very well. “Solidarity” is one of those albums whose CDs should be eagerly anticipated because it’s, and I guess I’m showing my age here just a bit, “All that and a bag of chips.” These guys are solid.
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I used to say that the only good thing about this century’s first decade was the emergence of chipotle into North American cuisine (the smoked pepper itself, not the burrito chain!). But what I’m realizing now is that there was a second spicy treat expanding in the 00s, and that was the changeover we saw in world music, from being so god awful that only Paul Simon and Bobby McFerrin would touch it to being one of the best and most well-established genres going on. Of course, “world music” as a term stinks of imperialism, implying an otherness about the “world” outside of our U.S. borders that makes all nations’ music different from us and similar to each other’s. But it’s hard to know how else to categorize treats such as the Souljazz Orchestra’s Solidarity: this album tackles Afrobeat, reggae, salsa, samba, “semba,” conga, soul, and jazz, and is sung in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and even “Wolof.” To a sheltered white Oklahoman like me, just reading their press release has sent me to Wikipedia about five times, but not so the music, which is identifiable in any language—there’s a sense of strength in each song, but also a driving urge to dance, dance, DANCE! Maybe Mike Watt was un-ironically right to declare “Maybe partying will help?”
Friday, September 21, 2012
Henry Cole and the Afro Beat Collective: Roots Before Branches
Biography
Drummer Henry Cole is at the forefront of a growing wave of jazz innovation and cross-cultural rhythm in the 21st century. With his flexibility, grace and sheer power behind the drum kit, he has proven indispensable to the sound of some of the world’s most acclaimed jazz groups, including the Grammy-nominated Miguel Zenón Quartet (Awake, Esta Plena, Alma Adentro]), Grammy winner David Sánchez (Cultural Survival), the Edward Simon Trio, and the all-star quartet “90 Miles” featuring Sánchez, Stefon Harris and Christian Scott. Henry is also asserting himself as leader of the Afro-Beat Collective, which releases its debut album Roots Before Branches in 2011. Drawing on the raw groove and momentum of Fela Anikulapo Kuti as well as the depth and complexity of modern jazz, Henry strives with the Afro Beat Collective to integrate all his varied influences, including Puerto Rican folklore, funk and R&B, jazz and Afro-Caribbean rhythmic traditions. The San Jose Mercury News praises Henry’s “explosively detailed” playing, and All About Jazz notes his ability to “make instantaneous, organic adjustments at every turn.” In an article for Modern Drummer titled “The Future of Drumming” (January 2006), Henry was cited as an outstanding young player to watch by illustrious fellow drummers Alex Acuña, John Riley and Antonio Sanchez. In a 2009 JazzTimes magazine feature, journalist Fernando Gonzalez explored Henry’s visionary approach, his translation of Puerto Rico’s street-style pandero requinto drumming to the drum set — just one example of Henry’s bridging of traditions and disciplines in the service of a unique individual sound. Born in 1979 and raised in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, Henry relocated to San Juan in 1999 to study classical percussion at the Conservatorio de Musica de Puerto Rico. He began his jazz immersion at Boston’s Berklee College of Music in 1998, but soon returned to San Juan, where he became one of the most in-demand and influential jazz drummers on the island. There he gained pivotal, formative experience in the varied music scene of Old San Juan: “It was very small,” Henry recalls, “but it had all styles and genres, so it was easy to go from one to the other and learn from all. I was playing rock, salsa, jazz, electronic music, all in the same week. That’s college right there.” During this time Henry worked extensively within and beyond the world of jazz, with artists such as Giovanni Hidalgo, Dave Valentin, Jerry Gonzalez, Danilo Pérez, Branford Marsalis, Luis Marin, William Cepeda’s Afro-Rican Jazz, salsa artists La PVC, the rock band Vivanativa and many more. Relocating to New York, his current home base, in the fall of 2003, Henry received a scholarship to attend Manhattan School of Music and study with the great John Riley. Since completing his studies, Henry has performed with the likes of Chris Potter, Adam Rogers, Drew Gress, the Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Big Band, Ray Barretto, Orlando “Puntilla” Rios, Papo Vazquez, Perico Sambeat, Paquito D’Rivera, David “Fathead” Newman, Dave Samuels, the contemporary plena group Viento de Agua and many more. He has toured throughout the U.S. and Europe, Mexico and Central America, Korea and Japan. Besides his influential work with Miguel Zenón and David Sánchez — entailing appearances at the Village Vanguard and other world-renowned jazz venues — Henry can be heard on such fine recordings as Personalities by the Fabian Almazan Trio, Christian X Variations by Soren Moller with Dick Oatts & Kirin Winds, El Alquimista by Pete Rodriguez, and Rocket Science for Dummies by the electro/neo-soul group Astronauts of Antiquity. His work with dancer and choreographer Noemí Segarra includes the evening-length collaborative piece “De Rumbo De Rumba,” premiered at the Hostos Center for Arts & Culture in early April 2011. Henry also performs with Cuban-born, LA-based pianist Alfredo Rodriguez, who records for Quincy Jones’ Qwest label. Henry is also a successful and sought-after educator, often substituting for his mentor John Riley at MSM and at SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Music. His quartet has also taken part in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s “Rhythm Road” (a.k.a. “Jazz Ambassadors”) program, which involves concerts, master classes and lecture-recitals for musicians. In addition, Henry has provided master classes and clinics under the auspices of Carnegie Hall, Marsalis Music and other institutions. He is sponsored by Vic Firth sticks, DW Jazz drums, Latin Percussion (LP) and Zildjian cymbals. On his debut album Roots Before Branches, Henry has assembled musicians on the order of Sean Wayland, Adam Rogers, John Ellis, Miguel Zenón, David Sánchez, Soren Moller, Egui Santiago, Rey de Jesús, Hérmes Ayala, Roy Guzmán and more. Henry’s Afro-Beat Collective pushes the aesthetic of Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew in a strong Afro-Caribbean direction, while also melding Fela’s Afrobeat sound with a jazz-rich vocabulary: “I imagine Fela’s band with Wayne Shorter or Lee Morgan playing the solos,” Henry muses. His main goal is to see music as One World, a space beyond styles, reaching out to audiences of all kinds with a message of determination and unity.
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Reviews
There is much to be said about a musician stepping out from his comfort zone as an accomplished and acclaimed sideman to record the music he hears in his head, never forgetting where he came from, but steadfast in focus of where he is going. Henry Cole has rapidly acquired an impressive résumé as a first-call drummer for recording sessions and performance tours. The compilation of all original music on his first release as producer/leader, Roots Before Branches, was inspired by none other than Afrobeat master Fela Kuti, demonstrating that there is a vast uncharted territory left to explore. The introductory refrains from "Aurea V." set the transcendental tone for an album where the melodic solo by saxophonist David Sánchez weaves against tribal drumming building to a turbulent midsection, and then back to a calm ending. Sánchez is featured on three other selections: "To Believe Without Seeing" and "Año 2010," both with poet/lyricist Hermes Ayala's passionate outcry of inner rebellion to outward revolution; and the stellar "No Eres Tu Soy Yo," with its chunking guitar counterbalance oozing genuine Afrobeat essence. As might be expected, there is high intensity drumming—not to overdrive the tempo, but to define the desired acceleration. "Solo Dos Veces," is Cole at his best, pushing the band to a frenetic pace—past an eerie organ, to an idyllic sax solo by John Ellis. "Musica Para Un Sueño," initiates with a Motown soul bass, setting up a banquet of pure electro-funk. Guitarist Adam Rogers wails on the rock-driven "Una Para Isabel," dedicated to Cole's wife and collaborator. These represent different approaches on how to keep exuberance in balance within an album's context. Cole's hometown of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico is honored in "Comienza." For years there has been debate on whether the bomba beat did actually originate from this area; nevertheless, Cole cleverly based this tune, complete with the mandatory call-and-response, on the historical hoyoemula bomba beat. He delves into Spanish formality with "Uncovered Fears," utilizing the vintage voice of poetess Mara Pastor set against a backdrop of classical strings depicting visionary romance. As a brilliant primary release of a promising musician, Roots Before Branches draws deep into Cole's musical foundations and influences, leading to the conclusion that the best is yet to come.
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Henry Cole is a unique musician. A spiritualist first, this aspect of his character informs everything else that follows. Cole’s music has a hypnotic effect on the inner ear, and it strikes deep inside the soul transmitting its powerful electricity to the whole body en route. Then there is that seductive energy that radiates from the skins of his drums, fibrillating at uncountable beats a minute as they are propelled by the magical wand like effect of his sticks as they strike those skins, eyeless, but leaden with the rhythms of heart and soul. In his first effort as leader on a record with a telling title, Roots Before Branches, Cole returns to the heart of his Puerto Rican origins, melding plena and bomba, like a medieval apothecary, with the giant root of all music in spirit—the Afro-centric beat that was so soulfully expressed by Fela Kuti of Nigeria, where Yoruba expression first grew and spread like wildfire throughout the Southern American part of the continent as well as the Caribbean and islands like Puerto Rico. However, Cole’s music is not without a goldmine of melodic content. This he gets from the late classical style of composers such as Bartok, who enriched music with folk forms, and of course, in the world of jazz, or Afro-American music that was first changed by composers such as the great Charles Mingus, who recreated the world of music by imbuing the idiom of blues and jazz with holy rolling spirituality, mixed in with mariachi, cumbia as much as he did with the folksy classicism of Bartok and Khachaturian. Likewise Cole’s music is infused with all that the folk world of Puerto Rico has to offer, mixed in with the world of Afro-American and European music. This is especially exquisitely expressed on two tracks: “Solo dos Veces” and “Uncovered Fear”. The latter piece incorporates masterly arranged strings that set the stage for the dramatic uncertainty in the harmony of a truly well-conceived piece. The deep energy of Henry Cole’s drumming comes from a singular ability to fond the rhythmic center of the music. Creating a wall of rhythm around this pulse, Cole wields a palette of astounding color and hue; these are energetically melded in a swirling motion that captures the very beating heart of the instrument through its variously tuned peripherals—snare, tom toms, bass and tympani’s—and he keeps the colors a mystery by tweaking the keyboards overdubs as he rotates his arms in wide arcs to strike various drums. “Solo” is a classic and it is so visual as to almost capture in moving pictures the energy and movement of his body as it lays siege to the drum set that he has such great command of. With magnificent performances from a large, well-oiled machine of a group, plus guests of the stature of alto saxophonist, Miguel Zenón, tenor giant, David Sánchez and guitarist, Adam Rogers, Henry Cole has left an indelible mark on music with a singularly memorable debut record, so aptly titled as to almost point in the direction in which the master drummer will be headed in the near future.
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For those unfamiliar with Fela and the original Afrobeat sound, it is a style with elements of funk, jazz and rock blended with traditional West African musical rhythms that originated from the popular Highlife music of the Nigerian club scene in the sixties and early seventies. When the young Fela visited the United States he discovered the likes of James Brown and Curtis Mayfield, while also becoming entranced with the revolutionary fervour of Malcolm X and the Black Panthers. Once back in his home city of Lagos, he fused these elements into his sound and with his band, the Africa 70, invented an explosive new musical form that became massively popular, with highly politicised lyrics attacking the political corruption prevalent in Nigeria at the time or a world order that kept African countries economically strangled while extracting the continent’s abundant natural resources in imperialist ransacking. With up to thirty musicians at a time, the archetypal Afrobeat sound is one of chaotic celebration of African culture laced with a seething fury that surges throughout the music. It is a sound utterly alive and kicking: the expression that ‘music is a weapon’ has never rung truer than with Afrobeat.
Whereas Fela was an undisputed frontman, as a drummer Henry Cole is the foundation and heartbeat of his music rather than the conjurer whose magic interweaves its multiple musical layers. In this sense he has more in common with Africa 70 drummer Tony Allen who has released numerous albums under his own name. Cole’s career began by playing Latin music such as Rumba or Puerto Rican Bomba, before developing an affiliation with jazz whilst studying in the US. His band are not the first to have looked to Fela Kuti and his ilk for inspiration and guidance, but whereas the original Afrobeat musicians came from Nigeria or Ghana, recent years have seen many groups emerge from the cities of North America, a legacy of the growing international recognition and influence of Afrobeat. Henry Cole & The Afrobeat Collective are the latest in a new wave that includes Brooklyn’s Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, The Chicago Afrobeat Project or Afrodizz from Montreal, each representing a continuation of the art begun by Fela Kuti and representative of the genre’s modern day appeal.
So how does Roots Before Branches measure up? As with all Afrobeat, this is an album that draws inspiration from across the spectrum, with aspects of hip hop, electronica, soul, psychedelia and Caribbean music, in addition to the staple ingredients of funk and jazz. Intro track “Aurea V” glides in softly with water effects, soft percussion, and lazy New York City streets sax, before suddenly erupting into swirling jazz-rock. It is a somewhat risky choice for an opener, its initial languid ambience a far cry from the frenetic intensity that characterises classic Afrobeat. The subsequent “Trabájala” punches in on more familiar ground, all grating guitars and demonic organ, with shades of Zappa, and vocalist Hermes Ayala’s growling refrains slashing a militant line through the mix.
The album goes on to dovetail through patterns and rhythms while maintaining a ripe vivacity. The music sounds fresh, a multicoloured range of styles injected with new urges and perceptions, reworked through a fusion of musical forms and some adroit technical ability. “Año 2010″ is a Last Poets-inspired slice of spoken word mastery, with Ayala again on the mic, that flourishes into the excellent instrumental “No Eres Tu, Soy Yo”, whose hedonistic tone rises and falls in exquisite brass-led dexterity, featuring the peerless David Sanchez on sax.
“Comienzo” lays a fat slab of bass over spacey electro to create a sweet harmonic groove, but the album drops off slightly with “Una Para Isábel”, whose overwrought guitar skits around but never really goes anywhere. Things launch back into orbit with the exuberant “Solo Dos Veces”, in which Cole’s percussive talents provide a scintillating platform for the Collective to shine. Experimental strings and poetry are on the menu in “Uncovered Fears”, featuring Mara Pastor, a tune unique in style on the album and a vibe that highlights the inventive vision of Roots Before Branches’ outlook. “Música Para Un Sueño” is pure mind-bending Afro-lounge and is the band’s grand finale on the record, with final track, “Solo”, seeing Henry Cole ripping into his kit in a well-earned indulgence that brings the curtain down on a highly innovative musical project.
Roots Before Branches starts out low-key but constantly evolves to transport the listener through a vast range of styles, emotions and concepts that alternate from the delicate to the breathless. The numerous extended solos and jazz scales may not be to everyone’s taste but this is an album that reworks musical forms and delivers them with a beguiling hook. Is it Afrobeat? Well, the slick production and absence of a lead focal point, a Fela-style ringmaster, means the album lacks the raw vigour that is so prevalent throughout the genre, yet the influence of the seventies kings of West Africa can be heard throughout. Regardless of your taste for the original music, this offers enough dimensions and ideas to make it a compelling journey.
Tracklist
1. Aurea V.
2. Trabajala
3. To Believe Without Seeing
4. Ano 2010
5. No Eres Tu, Soy Yo
6. Comienzo
7. Una Para Isabel
8. Solo Dos Veces
9. Uncovered Fear
10. Musica Para Un Sueno
11. Solo
Monday, September 17, 2012
The Apostles - Wisdom (get it!!!)
The band was officially called The Apostles (or The Apostles of Aba), but as some of their album covers announced them simply as "Apostles," I grew used to calling them that. Something about dropping the definite article makes the name infinitely more mysterious, otherworldly and intangible.
Besides, more information cannot be found, pls check out the other post of them here!
Tracklist
A1. Music In Me
A2. Nmere Girl
A3. I Know You're Good For Me
A4. Born To Reign
B1. Wisdom
B2. Good Loving
B3. King Of Kings
B4. Feeling Happy
Friday, September 14, 2012
William Onyeabor - Crashes In Love (get it)
Crashes in Love was released in 1977 on the artist's own imprint, Wilfilms, like every of his records (all masterpieces). The album is said to have been composed as a soundtrack to a movie Onyeabor made - "a tragedy of how an African Princess rejects the love that money buys", as mentioned on the sleeve. Crashes in Love is actually William Onyeabor's first record and of course features a few mindbending tracks. Genius man.
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William Onyeabor studied cinematography in Russia for many years, returning to Nigeria in the mid-70s to start his own Wilfilms music label and to set up a music and film production studio. He recorded a number of hit songs in Nigeria during the 70s, the biggest of which was ‘Atomic Bomb’ in 1978. ‘Better Change Your Mind’ is taken from the same album, and, as well as slating the power-crazed nations of the world, the second half settles into a unique slice of stripped down spacey, lo-fi funk which is unlike any other Nigerian music being made at the time. William has now been crowned a High Chief in Enugu, where he lives today as a successful businessman working on government contracts and running his own flour mill.
Tracklist
A1. Something You'll Never Forget
A2. Ride On Baby
B1. Crashes In Love
B2. Heaven & Hell
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