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Max Wild - TAMBA

Max Wild -||- TAMBA – [ObliqSound, 2010]

There’s a very good reason why Max Wild’s debut release for ObliqSound is called Tamba. In Shona – the predominant language spoken in Zimbabwe, where Wild spent his youth – Tamba means “dance,” and it’s virtually impossible to be within listening distance of this music and not comply. The relentlessly exhilarating Tamba, which releases June 29 on ObliqSound, blurs the lines between jazz, funk and the indigenous African sounds Max Wild began absorbing even before he first picked up a saxophone at the age of 12. Surrounding himself with an intercontinental cast of characters, Wild fuses the rhythmic and melodic traditions of southern Africa with the sophisticated harmonies and inspired interactivity at the core of contemporary jazz. Tamba is an ecstatic, intensely kinetic celebration that bridges cultural and stylistic divides while keeping feet on the move.

For all of the joy within its grooves, however, Tamba’s arrival is bittersweet. Max’s chief collaborator on the recording, brilliant young vocalist and guitarist Sam Mtukudzi, the son of Zimbabwean music legend Oliver Mtukudzi, passed away in a car accident in March of this year at the age of 21. Sam’s prominence on Tamba, instead of providing a wider introduction to his gifts, stands as a coda to a life and career cut short much too soon.

Sam Mtukudzi’s presence permeates Tamba, which also features guest vocals from Zimbabwean vocalist and mbira star Chiwoniso, and Alicia Olatuja, whose husband Michael Olatuja provides the electric bass on the recording. It was, in fact, Wild’s desire to record with Sam Mtukudzi that gave him the initial impetus to take Tamba in the direction he ultimately did.

Released: 6/29/2010

..:: Source: ObliqSound.com ::..