On Verra Ça? - labels, covers and wrappers

Visual candy for exploration today with some tracks from one of my favourite desert island songs - On Verra Ça by Orchestra Baobab. First up is the impressive article and cover art "Wrappers Delight" by Alastair Johnston, first published in the design magazine PRINT. In it Alastair has pulled together a number of LP covers from the golden seventies and put together an essay on design sensibilities. Check it out here.

Second up is a truly impresive labour of love showcasing Jamaican label artwork. Created by Ian and Mikey this was launched on May 23. FYI the site has 237 pages, over 1130 label scans and 72 sleeves. Check it here.

The cover in today's post is from the original release of Orchestra Baobab's On Verra Ca? (PRODUCTIONS LEDOUX ASL 7001, 1978) that was re-issued by WorldCircuit in 1992. The song has become a bit of a standard in West Africa and I've included three versions from Baobab - the original LP recording from 1978 (Ndeleng Ndeleng, MUSICAFRIQUE MSC LP 001,1978), the Paris recording from 1978 and the re-recorded version from their recent Specialist in All Styles release. In addition there are versions from Toure Kunde and Ismael Lo.


Listen - Original 1975 Version
Listen - Paris 1978 Version
Listen - 2002 Rerecording
Listen - Ismael Lo version
Listen - Toure Kunde version

Mash It Up 2006

In aid of the legendary Alpha Boys School in memory of Don Drummond, Tommy McCook and Alpha's other great, musical graduates. Big thanks to John Baldy. A great night out.

Queen of Rai passes on

The Queen of Rai Chiekha Rimitti has passed on. Peace go with you.
Full details here.

And for Matsuli readers a song Listen: Cheika Rimitti: Nouar

Nouvelle

New UK releases on the radar from Nouvelle Vague, Thomas Mapfumo, Lenine, Tom Zé, Alejandro Escovedo, Gilles Peterson, Sonic Youth and Cesaria Evora amongst others. I've been listening to a lot of Brazilian psychedlia so soon I'll post some sixties gems from Sao Paulo. Until then enjoy these pickings from the releases mentioned above.

Listen - Nouvelle Vague; Heart of Glass


Listen - Thomas Mapfumo:Zvakuwana


Listen - Lenine: Ninguem Faz Ideia


Listen - Tom Zé: Ave Odor Maria


Listen - Sonic Youth: What a Waste

The "Franco of East Africa"

Morogoro Bus Station

The Morogoro Hotel, Tanzania, early evening some time in the late sixties. The open-air make-shift band-stand hosts a new band born in the spirit of independence and African authenticity. Hired to keep the punters drinking and honing their skills from dusk til the early hours. The band is known as the Morogoro Jazz band and amongst its members are Mbaraka Mwinshehe and Salim Abdallah, both of whom were to go on to become legendary musical figures in seventies East Africa.

Mwinshehe was a self taught guitarist who had played South African-styled kwela in the Cuban Branch Jazz band, whilst Abdallah was a founder member of Morogoro Jazz but later left to form his own Cuban Marimba Band. In 1970 the band were invited to play at the Japan Expo and the first song today was made to celebrate this appearance. If you listen carefully you can actually hear Mbaraka singing a few verses in Japanese.

In 1973 Mwinshehe left Morogoro to lead a new band called Super Volcano. It was around this time that the popularity of Zairian rumba was being felt very strongly throughout sub-Saharan Africa. In particular it was Franco’s breakthrough hits of 1972/73 that really stirred up the appetite for rumba. The second song today tells of a friend who is going to Zaire and so Mwinshehe sends his greeting to all in Kinshasa and of course to the great musicians of the day – Maitre Franco and OK Jazz, Dr Nico and Afrisa Sukisa, Dewayon and Cobantu, Rochereau, Roger and African Jazz, Bokelo, Vox Africa, Les Grand Maquisards, Verkys, Negro Success...

The final song is from 1978 at the peak of his career, just before a nasty car accident on the treacherous Nairobi-Mombassa road ended his life. He died on a Mombassa hospital bed on 13th January, 1979 apparently from an excessive loss of blood and lack of a donor at that moment.

His career mirrored the golden age of African music – before rising oil prices and Reagonomics changed the music industry forever. He was known as the "Franco of East Africa" for his presence, his guitar playing and his spellbinding success as a performer.

Personally I can’t get enough of the seventies Tanzania rumba produced at the Polydor studios in Nairobi.

Polydor LP cover

Listen: Expo '70
Listen: Nisalimie Wanazaire
Listen: Shida

3 Months Hard Labour - No Fun

In 1967 Prince Buster produced a famous trilogy of singles, "Judge Dread" (Blue Beat 387), "The Appeal" (Blue Beat 391) and "Barrister Pardon" aka "Judge Dread Dance" (Blue Beat 400). The story told is one of the rude boys meeting their nemesis, as the magistrate establishes his fearsome reputation. On "The Appeal," the Judge reaches new draconian heights, while "Judge Dread Dance" (aka "Judge Dread Dance the Pardon") brings the saga to a close, as the rude boys are set free.

Not well known at all is a record in a similar vein recorded in Johannesburg in 1957. This time a woman must account to the judge through an interpreter for having been found "babalas" (i.e. with a hangover). She is unsuccesful and is sentenced to "THREE MONTHS LABOUR, NO FUN". The song is taken from the Columbia LP Songs of the African Zulus and is a compilation of South African urban music from 1957. More tracks soon. The back cover book-ends todays posting.

Listen - The Globe Trotters - Manyuasa"

Crazy Roots

WARNING - BROADBAND REQUIRED! A brilliant acapella style version of the UK's currents Number One Chart Hit with the Gnarls Barkley "Airline crew". As Aka Richie says: "a black man singing his heart out... now that's what i call roots"

Chimurenga Soul

Zim-Camden Diva Netsayi

I'm always interested in fusions of different styles but being a long time lover of African roots music I can get a little iffy when people start to mess with the so-called authenticity I perceive there to be in certain African forms of music. I'm still very uneasy about Paul Simon's Graceland but then I do like Lizzy Mercier's Zulu album. I don't like a lot of Paris produced rumba but I love Soro...confused, well maybe. For me its as simple as either liking or not liking a track. The debate seems to go on and on. African producers in the UK accuse so-called World Music affectionardos of not listening to whats popular in Africa whilst these listeners are simply voting with their cash on stuff they like. Reggae is no different. So many of my generation will not listen to the latest sounds out of JA simply because they prefer seventies roots. There is no denying that there was something magical about the seventies in the developing world and the music that abounded. It occupies a special place in my heart and collection. However there's more to life than that.

And so on to todays selections. First we have a musician who wrote a doctorate on African music. He collaborated with musicians in Kenya to produce the album Ok-Oyot System. Its available from Thrill Jockey. Interesting.

LISTEN - Ok-Oyut - Extra Golden

Second up is from the soon to be released Chimurenga Soul record by Camden-born Zimbabwean Netsayi. Somehow being between the two countries has captured her and she uses the muse of music to let it out. Great stuff. Read more here. Her website has more Lets hope she doesn't get over-sold like Corinne Bailey Rae.

LISTEN - Netsayi - Tatters

Thats all folks.

Buried Treasure

The mighty mighty Darondo who’s recorded output back in the seventies totalled six tracks spread over the sides of three 45s. With information overload and commoditisation of music through easy access and the internet a story like this sounds even more magical. Its a story of crate digging, searching out lost treasures and then bringing them back into play.
Ever hip DJ Gilles Peterson featured one track on his Brownswood America comp but the good people at Ubiquity have discovered 3 more tracks and have put together the nine track record entitled Let My People Go.
The music sits comfortable next to Al Green, Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield. Darondo enjoys an easy appraoch to the guitar and whilst his voice falters at times it doesn't seem to matter at all. And he's on the money when it comes to social commentary...check this take on Whitey on the Moon (from the title track):

Man builds a rocket ship, /

Take you to the moon, /

A billion dollar mission, just to bring back a piece of rock, /

We got starvation, panic over the land, /

And here’s a fool in a rocketship, /

Trying to be Superman."

So here we go with a track off the record. Enjoy
Darondo - Let My People Go (Listen)

Easter Boil Up

Belizian's call it Boil Up, and it's anything but leftovers. Mix equal parts R&B, calypso, disco, funk, reggae, bruckdown, soul, folk, and whatever else can be found back on the bottom shelf of the musical pantry. Get ready to feast on passport stamped rhythms, second-deck cruise ship melodies, hotel pool calypso, soundtracks to movies not-yet-made, and anything else savory, or unsavory, enough to throw into the pot.

The photo and description is of the what has got to be one of the finest compilations I've heard in a long time, namely Cult Cargo - Belize City Boil Up. Put together by the Numero group - crate-diggers and apparently their 6th album to boot. Their full discography here

Anyway this post was supposted to be about the April Radar and whats been spinning on the hometown hi-fi. So without further ado (and in descending number of rotations we have):
Various Cult Cargo Belize City Boil Up (joins the status of those Brazilian comps David Byrne did for Luaka Bop)
Aceyalone/RJD2 - Magnificent City
J Dilla aka Jay Dee - Donuts (great samples and beats)
Gotan Project - Lunatico (good quality control from the lounge tango dubmasters)
Massive Attack - Collected (a great mix of some of their best tunes)
Patrick Forge Presents the Brazilian Funk Experience (killer funk fueled brazilian 45s from the EMI vaults)
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Zulu Rock (as blogged before this is the Ze reissue)
Gnarls Barkley - St Elsewhere
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
Prince - 3121
Rian Malan - Alien Inboorling
Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
Ananda Shankar - A Life in Music

And eagerly awaiting
Cesaria Evora - Rogamar
Blue Asia - Hotel Bangkok
Various - Tom Moulton Remixes
Built to Spill - You in Roses
Raconteurs - Debut ..the live tracks from Newcastle and some leaked tracks sound good, so lets believe the hype for now.
Congos and Friends - Fisherman Style

For your listening pleasure we have the following tracks:
From Belize Boil Up
Listen - Shame Shame Shame by the Harmonettes

From Zulu Rock a french version of the track posted earlier:
Listen - Confident de la Nuit (French Version) by Lizzy Mercier Descioux

And from Magnificent City a great retake on Earth Wind and Fire's Fire
Listen - Fire by Aceyalone/RJD2

Over and out
Matt

Down Rocky Street

The Cherry Faced Lurchers outside Jamesons

"There was Rockey 24, The Oxford Hotel and the Chelsea. It was a time when Yeoville, Rosebank and Hillbrow were different places than what they are today. It was a time when jolling was dangerous ,where police teargassed clubs and rightwingers slashed tyres at Rhythm Against Detention gigs. It was a time when musicians were jailed for singing pro-Mandela songs. Hell, it was a time when South Africans didn't even know what he looked like. Maybe it was the paranoia or perhaps that everyone came from somewhere else and could hang around in 24 hour coffee shops like Café de Paris in Hillbrow, but a creative burst surged through rock in South Africa, unequalled to this day." - Deon Maas, 2004

Soul Jazz did a wonderful compilation from the same period (1979-1985) called the Sexual Life of Savages, which documented the post punk sounds from Sao Paulo. In much the same way that the post-punk period in the UK and the No-Wave movement in NYC seemed to burn with so much creativity and the punk ethos of DIY, so too the centres of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and other smaller municipal cities and towns threw up bands recycling punk, rock, ska, dub, mbaqanga, disco and other influences. If I was to name a compilation it would probably need to include the word Rockey Street in it. On any given night in the early '80s you could head for Rockey Street and find a band playing live for the punters that wanted escape from the hell of a reality that was Apartheid South Africa. Everyone had their own reasons for jolling. I know I had mine....anyway and without further ado here are some tracks that are bound to feature on that compilation.."Down Rocky Street"

Listen - National Wake - International News

Listen - Asylum Kids - Jah Make Up

Listen - Via Afrika

Listen - Mapansula - Pambere

Listen - Dynamics - Thugs

Listen - Cherry Face Lurchers - Shot Down


The Dynamics

Chisa!

I can't help promoting this new re-issue as it captures some of Masekela's finest "pop" moments from the late sixties. Another LP worth checking out is the Ngubani LP by Jonas Gwangwa and African Explosion. Also issued in 1968 was an LP from which todays song comes from - "Hugh Masekela presents Africa 68". The music from this period reflects an ernest attempt to emulate the mbaqanga sounds coming from South Africa but with the obvious jazz-tinged arrangements that Gwangwa and Masekela are known for. Also look out for the LP The Union of South Africa.
Thokozile

I have been lucky to see Hugh playing live a number of times, both in Africa (Botswana 1982, Johannesburg 1992) and in the UK (Womad 1986, London 1988). The picture below I took at Womad.


Hugh was recently in London and when interviewed by the Guardian had this to say about his formative years in the USA:
"When I went to the US in the 1960s, it wasn't as an African musician. I wanted to be an American bebopper - my ambition was to play in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. But then Miles Davies and Louis Armstrong and the others said to me, "If you play only American jazz, you'll just be a statistic. If you play something of your own music, then we'll learn from you as well as you from us." That's when I discovered what musical migration meant. It made me realise I should know more about the traditional music of my country. Singers such as Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte helped me begin to discover my roots. Miriam's mother was a traditional healer and she knew everything about the music of South Africa. Even now the process still goes on when I go home and share what I've learned over the years, and in turn learn more myself about things that maybe I didn't pay enough attention to when I was young."

Doug Payne's site is a great reference for Masekela.

New Horizons

The African Serenades series has been compiled by a number of individuals who frequent the Blood and Fire and Reggae and Stuff message boards. Today's download is a mix of all the tracks on the CD. In addition - but not on the CD - is an eclectic modern collaboration/remix of an Abdullah Ibrahim track.

AS20-New Horizons
Mindif-Bigband Version

New Horizons means just that- music that draws on African traditions and forms but that goes beyond them with the involvement of European remixers, collaborators and musicians. The biggest new forms out of Africa have been hip hop and Kwaito, both of which get a significant voice here. For a true sampling of kwaito its worth checking out Trikont's compilation Mzanzi Music or the Sterns compilation Kwaito. Otherwise get hold of the soundtracks from the TV series Yizo Yizo (the fantastic pic for my compilation comes from the Yizo Yizo promotional material). Or just explore Rage

The issue of authenticity and modernity have been debated to death in music circles so I prefer to let the music speak...

Soweto Sister

Lizzy Mercier Descloux in Soweto with the musicians that helped her create her Soweto LP in 1983. Ze Records have done a great job of re-issuing her LPS Press Colour and Mambo Nassau but CBS France have been very quiet about getting a reissue of the Soweto LP onto the racks. Dusty Groove show an upcoming release entitled Zulu Rock which was one of the tracks from that LP so it will be interesting to see if it does indeed hit the racks this year.

So whilst we wait for this lost classic to re-appear I can present the track Abyssinia





















Lizzy Mercier Descloux (1984 CBS France LP)
Tracks:
1. It's All My Imagination
2. Abyssinia
3. Gazelles
4. Dolby Sisters Saliva Brothers
5. Eclipse
6. Les Dents de L'Amour
7. Wakwazulu Kwezizulu Rock
8. Momo on My Mind
9. I'm Liquor
10. Queen of the Overdub Kisses
11. Sun's Jive
12. All the Same
Musicians:
All Vocals : Lizzy Mercier Descloux
Guitars : Sammy Kiass/Richard Hadebe
Bass : David Mabaso
Organ: Desmond Malotana/Domesani
Drums : Fats Mlangeni
Accordion : Allian David/Henry Krein
Percussions : Hayward Mahlangu
Sax: Javas Magubane/Thomas Phale
Trumpet: Steve Siewell
Harp: David Snell
Backing Vox: Tiyimeleni Youngs Sisters/The Roadworkers/Peter Motico/Cassia Kidron
Producers : Adam Kidron
Recorded : Satbel Studio, Johannesburg / Berry Street Studio, London

Lizzy Mercier (1956-2004)
Born 1956 in Les Halles, Paris - left for New York in 1975 - creates French magazine Rock News with Michel Esteban - has collection of poems Desiderate prefaced and illustrated by friend Patti Smith - as Rosa Yemen records 6 tracks for Ze Records in 1978 - acts in a number of short films - records first LP Press Colour in 1979 - befriends Jean Michel Basquiat - records second LP Mambo Nassau in Bahamas in 1981 - visits Asia in 1982 - goes to Africa in 1982 visiting Ethiopia and South Africa - records Lizzy Mercier Descloux in South Africa with mbaqanga session musicians - returns to South Africa in 1984 - performs at the legendary Pelican Club in Soweto - singles Gazelles become big hit in France - prepares a new LP to be made in New Orleans - in 1985 moves to Rio to record One for the Soul - meets Chet Baker who ends up playing on the album - moves to Sri Lanka to write novel - 1986 back in Paris again - records last album in London "Suspense" with Mark Cunningham, the trumpet player in Mars - moves to West Indies and paints - moves back to Corsica in 2000 - in April 2003 cancer takes her....


Patti Smith and Lizzy Mercier

Lizzy with Chet Baker

America is waiting

Back to the heady days of the early eighties. 1981 to be precise and the Brian Eno/David Byrne project My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. The record starts with these prophetic words: America is waiting for a Message of some sort....(911 answered all that)

Soon the remastered disc will hit the shelves. Note the changes in artwork that reflect the 25 years of distance between the original and the new.

THE NEW COVER


THE ORIGINAL LP COVER FROM 1981

One track will be missing from the newly remastered disc. This track appeared on some the first vinyl copies of the LP but was later removed because it sampled parts of the Qu'ran. Enjoy your listen here: QU'RAN

UPDATE (25/3): CHECK THE NEW WEBSITE

And obscure fact of the day: the first book currently acknowledged to be written in the early slave creole that was later to develop into Afrikaans was in fact the Qu'ran, a copy from around 1899.

Kora Symmetry

As the solstice approaches I've been listening a lot to the track Houndoti from Toumani Diabate's new album and wondering how the rest of the album will turn out. In the articles that appeared after Ali Farka Toure's death there was also mention of another Toure album that World Circuit had recorded after his joint effort In the Heart of the Moon with Dianate.

And speaking of WorldCircuit, current home of Orchestra Baobab, this brings me to one of my favourite re-issue ideas: that of bringing back all those LPs issued by the French label Disques Buur in 1975 of Orchestra Baobab. More on this soon. In the meantime enjoy the covers.


BAWOBAB 75


GUY GU REY GI


SENEGAAL SUNUGAAL


VISAGE DU SENEGAAL


ADDUNA JARUL NAAWO

More Pressure

And straight to the head. This one slipped right under my radar but its a wonderful new release on Pressure Sounds that has now stacked up half a century of high quality reggae re-issues. Back in 1992 when I heard of the first serious reggae re-issue programme on Blood and Fire Records it all made sense. Steve Barrow, one of the founders of Blood and Fire said at the time that his mission was to give reggae the type of re-issue attention Jazz had been receiving since the mid eighties. So far both labels have fared well with slightly different release agendas. In addition there are a number of newer reggae reissue labels such as Auralux, Motion and Patate amongst others. And of course bludgeoning us with their oversupply is the re-invigourated Trojan Records.

Back to the music on this particular CD. Its a compilation of obscure singles and versions put together with the love and devotion of a fanatic...just up my alley. Since I wasn't there at the time the relative scarcity of the tracks doesn't mean that much to me. The absolute killer track for me is Ricky Storm's The Way It is. Other favourites are Skyjack Version from Bongo Gene All Stars, Folk Song by Uhuru and the instrumental All for Free from Tafari Syndicate. Along with the CD and Vinyl issues are two 7" singles with exclusive b-sides.

For my money this is roots music of the highest quality. Hopefully we won't need to wait another 12 years and 49 CDs until Volume 2 in the series. Buy with confidence.

Talking Timbuktu

I heard today that Ali Farka Toure had died at the age of 67. Time to dust off his impressive catelogue of music. My favourites are the recent collaboration with Toumani Diabate, In the Heart of the Moon and the collaboration with Ry Cooder, Talking Timbuktu.

Peace go with you brother. RIP.

Spirits to Bite Our Ears

I first heard of Thomas Mapfumo in "None but ourselves: Masses vs. media in the making of Zimbabwe, by Julie Frederikse (Ravan Press 1982)". This stirred my interest and when later that year I got hold of the Hokoyo and Gwindingwe Rine Shumba LPs from a trip to the recently liberated Zimbabwe I was astounded by what I heard. At around the same time a friend of mine in London filmed some of his first concerts in the UK for his college film-making project. This was around the time of the label Earthworks signing him.


I first saw Thomas Mapfumo play with the Blacks Unlimited at Queens Hotel in 1984. Then over the rest of the decade I saw him play a number of times again in Zimbabwe and London. I remember so clearly a time in 1986 when he was in London to promote the reggae LP Chimurenga For Justice and he was staying next door with a friend in Brixton. I spend a wonderful afternoon making Gregory Isaacs tapes for him and sharing our experiences and enjoyment for music.

I have a provided a download of a track taken from the soundboard at the Town and Country Club, Kentish Town, London for you to listen to. MAPFUMO LIVE IN LONDON 1986

Later in the 1990s when he was due to play in South Africa he was arrested for possession of dope and had to make a quick exit. I don't think he was ever had the chance to play in South Africa and now-days is settled in self-imposed exile in the USA. The dreads have gone and the Blacks Unlimited have lost so many of their original members from AIDs-related illnesses.

He continues to perform, record and make a difference.

Fully endorsed by Thomas Mapfumo this recently released CD collects all of the primary singles from the period 1977-1986. Song explanations come from Banning Eyre. (My only gripe is the over-use of colour-half toning on the photographs in the booklet.)

Highly recommended.

March Radar

Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra - Boulevard de L'Independence' (World Circuit)
The kora master's new album promises a lot. If its as good as the one track included with the Songlines magazine then this should be a wonderful meditative album.
...
Panama! -- Latin, Calypso & Funk On The Isthmus 1965-75 (Soundway)
Miles Cleret at it again. Impressive groove oriented re-issue label. This time focussing on the latin funk groove of Panama.
...
Congos and Friends - Fisherman Style (BAF)
Steve Barrow and the team at Blood and Fire team up Jamaican vocalists old and new to voice over the seminal Lee Perry produced Congos track Fisherman.
......
Quantic presents The World's Rarest Funk 45s (Jazzman)
Rare as hens' teeth funk 45s put together by Brighton's man of many talents Will Holland.
.....
Brian Eno/David Byrne - My Life in the Bush with Ghosts Remaster
...
On heavy rotation during February and with a big thumbs up are the following:
1. Hugh Masekela - The Chisa Years 1965-1975 Rare and Unreleased (BBE)...Lots of tracks with vocals by Letta Mbulu and concentrating on the late sixties and early seventies period when Masekela was producing very funky african tinged fusion.
2. The Flaming Lips - At War with the Mystics (WEA)...Well not quite up there with Yoshimi or the Soft Bulletin but a very strong album with some great tracks. A band well worth seeing live and for making you feel alive
3. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - The Proposition OST...An interview with Cave was published in the Guardian. Looks like he's changed his haircut to do the PR. A bleak but warm soundscape.
4. K'naan - The Dusty Foot Philosopher...A return to the daisy age of Hip Hop. Think De la Soul circa 3ft high and rising and the Digable Planets, only this time the guy has grown up on the streets of Mogadishu and then been translocated to Canada. Check it out.
5. Richard Hawley - Coles Corner...great northern singer-songwriter. Sent to me by a fellow music enthusiast I was taken aback by his unique vocal styling and strong lyrics.
...
A big disappointment for me has been Corinne Bailey Rae's debut album which just doesn't bear up on repeated listening. A few great tracks but the hype has been too much. Also getting the thumbs down is the new Sergio Mendes project Timeless, involving the Black Eyed Peas amongst others.
...
Compilations produced:
Soweto Calling - South African Jazz
Afro Funk Express
African Twist - Early African Rock and Roll
...
Finally
If you want to read one book on the history and development of South African music you could do a lot worse than getting a copy of Gwen Ansell's book Soweto Blues. Just add Muff Anderson's Music in the Mix, David Caplan's In Township Tonight and Rob Allingham's chapter in the Rough Guide to World Music and you won't need any more reference books on South African music....anyway its promopted me to go back to South African jazz and dust off some early Dollar Brand, Johnny Dyani and Blues notes...

Until next time LISTEN