Max Wild -||- TAMBA [Review]

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African Music, Jazz, Max Wild, Saxophone

Max Wild - TAMBA

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

The versatile and talented songwriter/saxophonist Max Wild a native of Zimbabwe arrives just in time to unleash the inescapable rhythms tied to the infectious of colors on his fascinating debut recording “TAMBA” (Dance) on ObliqSound. In truth and spirit Max Wild celebrates the intimacy of this wonderful palette in a unique way with music deeply grounded in the indigenous sounds, textures, shapes, melodies and arrangements that encompasses the pulse and culture of its people. Moreover, Wild infuses these colorful elements accented with the various influences of jazz and funk twisted in the fabric creating a new dimension in music with his own engaging voice.

The enchanting vibe of “Kwatinobva,” embraces the audible expressions of its southern Africa landscape with bittersweet consequences. As the contagious ingredients of this gem groans with excitement it features as Wild describes his chief collaborator vocalist /guitarist Sam Mtukudzi the son of Zimbabwean music legend Oliver Mtukudzi. Unfortunately, his son Sam Mtukudzi passed away back in March of this year due to being evolved in a car accident … this piece also features the charismatic vocals of mbria star Chiwoniso who inscribes her signature into the beginning of this exhilarating music journey.

JUSTIN TIME RECORDS PRESENTS AFRICA CALLING BY SOUTH AFRICAN SINGER/DANCER LORRAINE KLAASEN

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African Music, Female Vocalist, LORRAINE KLAASEN

**SPECIAL U.S. APPEARANCE ON APRIL 23 AT ZINC BAR, NYC**

Lorraine Klaasen - Africa Calling

Soweto-born singer/dancer Lorraine Klaasen has spent her 30-plus-years career faithfully carrying the torch for traditional South African Township music, consistently performing and self-releasing her own CDs. On April 13, 2010, this powerful performer makes her long overdue debut on jazz and world music giant Justin Time Records with an 11-song offering of sunny, warm and danceable numbers titled Africa Calling. Jubilant and transfixing, the music was produced for a tight clutter-free rhythm quartet led by Mongezi Ntaka (former guitarist of the late, great South African reggae vocalist Lucky Dube) and features the moving and melodic bass playing of Bakithi Kumalo – a star contributor to pop legend Paul Simon’s band since his groundbreaking cross-cultural classic, Graceland. Both are dear friends of Ms. Klaasen.

Chicago Underground Duo | Boca Negra

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African Music, Brailian Music, Chicago Underground Duo, Drums, Jazz

Chicago Underground Duo | Boca Negra – [Thrill Jockey, 2010]

Chicago Underground Duo - Boca Negra

The fifth album from the Chicago Underground Duo — Chad Taylor on drums, vibes, mbira and electronics and Rob Mazurek on coronet and electronics — a hypnotic aural experience from a pair of modern masters who seamlessly craft a world of influences into their own dynamic sound! It’s pretty amazing stuff, with the pair working with sounds from the avant jazz underground of the previous several decades,jazz and world folk music that reaches from Africa to Brazil, and the subtle manipulations of the electronic experimentalists.

Some movements build to a dexterous intensity, with Taylor sometimes playing different instruments simultaneously, but it’s not about the brazen display of skill and craft, the compositions and the improvisations feel natural and vital. Wonderful stuff, we’re very proud of the Chicago underground jazz scene that inspired both players and their title! Titles include “Spy On The Floor“, “Green Ants“, “Left Hand Of Darkness”, “Quantum Eye”, “Vergence”, “Conflicition”, “Roots And Shooting Stars”, “Hermeto” and more. 10 tracks on the CD.

..:: Source: DustyGroove.com ::..

Lionel Loueke Returns Feb. 9 With “MWALIKO”

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African American, African Music, Guitar, Jazz, LIONEL LOUEKE

Lionel Loueke

On February 9, 2010, Blue Note Records will release Mwaliko, the new album from acclaimed vocalist/guitarist Lionel Loueke. Mwaliko (pronounced mwah-LEE-koh) is Swahili for “invitation,” and the album comprises a series of searching, innovative, intimate duets with special guests vocalist Angelique Kidjo, vocalist/bassist Esperanza Spalding, vocalist/bassist Richard Bona and drummer Marcus Gilmore, as well as three new tracks featuring his longtime trio with Massimo Biolcati on bass and Ferenc Nemeth on drums.

Originally from the small West African nation of Benin, Loueke has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past several years. Praised by his mentor Herbie Hancock as “a musical painter,” he has appeared on numerous standout recordings such as Hancock’s Grammy-winning River: The Joni Letters (2008) and Terence Blanchard’s Grammy-nominated Flow (2005). Loueke’s 2007 Blue Note debut, Karibu, established him as a one of the brightest new stars on the scene, and prompted The New York Times to declare him “a startlingly original voice” and “one of the most striking jazz artists to emerge is some time.”

..:: Source: BlueNoteRecords.com ::..

Richard Bona | Ten Shades of Blues

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African American, African Music, Bass, Richard Bona

Richard Bona | Ten Shades of Blues – [Indie Europe/Zoom, 2009]

Richard Bona, Ten Shades of Bues

Richard Bona’s 2009 album Ten Shades Of Blues appears ten years since his first project, Scenes From My Life (released in 1999). In the case of the Cameroonian bassist and singer, it’s not so easy to condense a decade into just a few short lines because the man is such a multiple character, with many lives impelled by his permanent curiosity and desire to play. And each of these traits lies at the heart of his latest recording, an album devoted to the Blues and its key notes that can be recognized in all cultures.

So here we have an album open to all kinds of encounters, a record on which Richard Bona is our guide taking us on a tour with his Indian, Country and Jazz musicians to the four corners of the earth! Universal.

..:: Source: Amazon.com ::..

New Album Somi’s “If The Rains Come First”

Tags

African American, African Music, Female Vocalist, Jazz, Soul Music

Out Now Exclusively at Digital Retailers CD in stores in USA/Canada on October 27

Somi

When Somi was growing up, her mother told her that the rain, ever unpredictable, could be as much a blessing as a challenge. The blessings might come before the rain, or they could come after – it’s all in the timing, she said. That notion has stayed with the charismatic singer and songwriter all her life and now provides a metaphorical focus for her third album, If The Rains Come First. The album is a stunning collection of self-penned story-based songs, a meditation on opening ourselves up to life’s blessings and challenges much in the way that we accept the rain and all that it brings.

Somi

Singing in English and three East African languages, Somi’s vocal delivery is subtle yet the power she exerts is enormous. The percussive thrust at the heart of African music is also a fundamental component of If The Rains Come First, brought to bear by an all-star African rhythm section of Ivorian percussionist Madou Koné, Senegalese guitarist Herve Samb, and Nigerian bassist Michael Olatuja. Somi recorded the album’s 11 songs in Paris in order to take advantage of the city’s sizable African music scene, then finished it in New York to avail herself of the world’s greatest jazz community. Among the exemplary musicians who provide the coloring that fleshes out Somi’s songs are longtime collaborators Toru Dodo on Fender Rhodes and piano, and guitarists Liberty Ellman, David Gilmore and Michele Locatelli.

Optimism, conviction and resilience are hallmarks of Somi’s new creations – these are songs of survival and awareness. “Prayer To the Saint of the Brokenhearted,” reflects on the sense of helplessness and hopelessness one often feels after heartache, while serving as a reminder of the possibilities of faith and renewal. At the core of each of Somi’s highly personal and intimate tales are shared emotions and experiences of love, life, loss and learning. “Enganjyani,” which means ‘most beloved’ in Rutooro, the language spoken by Somi’s Ugandan mother, refers to, as she puts it, “the memory of whispered prayer and being haunted by a past lover.” The track features the legendary Hugh Masekela, a longtime Somi fan who has become a mentor, guesting on trumpet. “Rising,” a song about faith and navigating life’s challenges, is all forward motion, a flawless juxtaposition of sizzling rhythm, instantly memorable melody and a vocal style that JazzTimes magazine describes as “the earthy gutsiness of Nina Simone blended with the vocal beauty of Dianne Reeves.”

“Karibu” by African guitarist Lionel Loueke [Review]

Tags

African American, African Music, Blue Note Records, Fusion, Guitar, Jazz

Lionel Loueke, Karibu

Occasionally as music collectors, we stumble into intriguing album titles by extraordinary artists. With that said, “Karibu” means “welcome” in Swahili. The multi-talented guitarist Lionel Loueke from Benin, West Africa returns with another engaging album and his Blue Note Records debut. On this effort, he skillfully guides his energy from an exploratory perspective that is blanketed with a canvas of enticing influences, textures and nuances colored by his international travels.

Like many of his contemporaries, Lionel spent his educational years at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. Before his tenure at Berklee, he studied at the prominent National Institute of Art. Admittedly, this is the first record that I’ve owned and listen to in its entirety by Lionel. Nevertheless, I’ve heard Loueke on numerous recordings and most recently the album of the year “Letters to Joni” by Herbie Hancock.