Mike Makhalemele – Going West
https://amf.didiermary.fr/mike-makhalemele-going-west/
Mike Makhalemele (1938-2000), from Alexandra, South Africa, nicknamed “Ratau” (“lion”), played saxophone, here with Jabu Nkosi (keyboards) and Sipho Gumede (bass) in a reissue of a classic album.
[He] was a force of nature with a robust yet soulful tone and seemingly endless breath. He embraced the pop music scene as an enthusiastic collaborator and […]
Tony Allen – Tribute to Art Blakey (Live)
https://amf.didiermary.fr/tony-allen-tribute-art-blakey-live/
Tony Allen’s EP A Tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers paid homage to the American jazz drummer, who he named as one of his earliest musical influences.
The album was released on Blue Note Records in 2017.
Recorded live in Paris with a seven-piece band, A Tribute to Art Blakey features four of the […]
Amagoduka – Zim Ngqawana
https://amf.didiermary.fr/zim-ngqawana-amagoduka-migrant-workers/
The song Amagoduka, by Zim Ngqawana, tells the tale of migrant workers who’ve historically had to leave their homes in the hinterlands for big cities in search of a better day.
Zim Ngqawana (1959-2011)
South African flautist and saxophonist, composer and teacher, Zimasile Ngqawana affectionately known as ‘Zim’ (and later as ‘Zimology’) was born in […]
The Jazz Epistles – Verse1
https://amf.didiermary.fr/the-jazz-epistles-vary-oo-vum/
Verse 1 by the Jazz Epistles in 1960 is “a genuine hard bop session, swinging and persuasive, coming out of South Africa in an era when black musicians weren’t making any recordings, let alone forward-looking modern jazz albums.”
[They] were South Africa’s first important (albeit short-lived) bebop band, inspired by Art Blakey‘s [...]
#60smusic #AbdullahIbrahim #HughMasekela #Jazz #SouthAfrica #AfroJazz
Abdullah Ibrahim – Blues for a Hip King
https://amf.didiermary.fr/abdullah-ibrahim-blues-hip-king/
Abdullah Ibrahim composed this “Blues for a Hip King” for King Sobhuza II of Swaziland in 1989.
The eponymous album contains recordings gathered from several sessions in 1974, 1976 and 1979 and was first released under his “Dollar Brand” name.
#70smusic #AbdullahIbrahim #Jazz #SouthAfrica #Swaziland #AfroJazz
Hugh Masekela & The Union of South Africa
https://amf.didiermary.fr/hugh-masekela-union-south-africa/
Jonas Gwangwa (1937 – 2021) was a genius trombone player from Soweto, South Africa. That’s him in the middle between 2 other South African geniuses, the late Hugh Masekela on the left, and Caiphus Semenya (born 1939), on the right, for their band Union of South Africa. The album, released in May 1971, is an […]
The Pacific Express
https://amf.didiermary.fr/the-pacific-express/
Pacific Express was a South African funk/jazz outfit that has been regarded as “Cape Town’s answer to ‘Earth Wind and Fire’”.
Originally formed in the 60’s by bass player Paul Abrahams and guitarist Issy Ariefdien (who were previously together in a soul outfit called The Pacifics), it was after the arrival of pianist Chris Schilder […]
Space Jungle Luv – Oneness of Juju
https://amf.didiermary.fr/space-jungle-luv-oneness-juju/
“Space Jungle Luv” is a classic 1976 album by Oneness of Juju.
When bandleader James “Plunky” Branch created Oneness Of Juju in 1975, he had spent five years working on both the West and East coasts of the U.S. The group’s previous incarnation, Juju, had become a fixture within New York’s avant-garde jazz scene. […]
Blue Lab Beats – Motherland Journey
https://amf.didiermary.fr/blue-lab-beats-motherland-journey/
Blue Lab Beats are a London-based music duo, nominated since 2021 for multiple awards. They won a Grammy award in 2022 for their production on Angelique Kidjo’s Mother Nature.
Here’s their contribution for Blue Note Re:imagined in 2020, with a remix of vibist Bobby Hutcherson’s 1975 classic “Montara.”
Their third album was released in February […]
The Boy’s Doin’ It (1975)
https://amf.didiermary.fr/boys-doin-it-1975-masekela-fela-kuti/
The Boy’s Doin’ It is the 17th studio album by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, recorded in New York City and in Lagos, and released in June 1975.
So many incredible musicians on one album, dedicated to Fela Kuti and the women of the world: Okyerema Asante, Orlando Julius, the rhythm brothers Stanley & Frankie Todd, [...]
#FelaKuti #HughMasekela #Jazz #OrlandoJulius #SouthAfrica #AfroJazz
Sikiza Matshikiza – Pat Matshikiza
https://amf.didiermary.fr/sikiza-matshikiza-pat-matshikiza/
Pianist, singer and composer Pat Matshikiza (10 November 1938 – 29 December 2014) will go down in the annals of South African music as one of the jazz pioneers who played a pivotal role in the birth and evolution of jazz in the country.
Born in Queenstown in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province in 1938, […]
Somi revisits Pata Pata
https://amf.didiermary.fr/somi-revisits-pata-pata/
This cover of Pata Pata is from Zenzile, The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba, released, at the end of 2022, in which Somi reinterprets 17 songs of Mama Africa with a jazzy approach.
At regular intervals, we hear excerpts from an interview with Mama Africa who explains in no uncertain terms what apartheid is.
Somi brought […]
iPhupho L’ka Biko – Azania EP
https://amf.didiermary.fr/iphupho-lka-biko-azania-ep/
iPhupho L’ka Biko describe themselves as “children of Biko” and their music as Afrikanist Experimental Jazz. Azania is their first EP.
iPhupho L’ka Biko Feat. Siyabonga Mthembu & Kinsmen – Abaphezulu was part of the Indaba Is compilation.
In the bustling city of Johannesburg, black classical music comes alive through the sounds of the powerful […]
Nduduzo Makhathini – Amathambo
https://amf.didiermary.fr/nduduzo-makhathini-amathambo-ikhambi/
South-African pianist & healer Nduduzo Makhathini will release his next albums on Blue Note Records.
Award-winning pianist, improvisor, healer and scholar from South Africa.
A recipient of prestigious awards such as the Standard Bank Young Artist Award, multiple South African Music Award (SAMA) and AFRIMA among others that have made him an influential figure. [...]
Abdullah Ibrahim – Solotude
https://amf.didiermary.fr/abdullah-ibrahim-solotude/
Solotude, My Journey, My Vision, is an album by Abdullah Ibrahim, recorded at Hirzinger, Riedering, Germany on October 9th, 2020.
Each year on October 9th, Abdullah Ibrahim [used to perform] a solo piano concert at the Hirzinger Hall in South Germany in order to celebrate his birthday. Due to lockdown restrictions [due to Covid], this […]
François Nyombo – I’m Cool
https://amf.didiermary.fr/francois-nyombo-im-cool/
To be quite franck, I’d never heard the name François Nyombo and there’s little information about his life and music outside of Discogs. But, if you love Funky Jazz and incredible guitar playing, this album is a “must listen.”
In 1963, when he was 15, Mantuila François Nyombo signed a contract to tour Europe with […]
Nubiyan Twist Live
https://amf.didiermary.fr/nubiyan-twist-live/
Nubiyan Twist live rendition of Mongo Santamaría’s “Afro Blue” live at the Jazz Cafe in 2016.
A blend of virtuosic players, skilled producers and inspired composers join forces to create a unique, infectious sound drawing on jazz, hiphop, afrobeat, latin, soul, reggae and dance music – expect ultra-tight musicianship and a powerful 9 piece, big […]
Nubiyan Twist – Jungle Run
https://amf.didiermary.fr/nubiyan-twist-jungle-run/
Now one of the leading lights in the UK’s new generation of soulful, genre-fluid artists, Nubiyan Twist, the Leeds-born and now London-based 10-piece collective have created their finest recordings to date, effortlessly weaving together elements of jazz, soul, hip hop, African styles, Latin, dub, hip hop and electronics in a flow of thought-provoking and [...]
Letta MBulu – What Is Wrong With Groovin’?
https://amf.didiermary.fr/letta-mbulu-what-wrong-groovin/
Letta MBulu’s “What Is Wrong With Groovin’?” is a single released in 1967 and written by Hugh Masekela.
Letta is a South African jazz singer who left the country in 1964 to escape apartheid, with her husband Caiphus Semenya.They left South Africa for Los Angeles and worked […]
340ml – Fairy Tales
https://amf.didiermary.fr/340ml-fairy-tales/
340ml was a very popular Mozambican band, mostly based in Johannesburg. The quartet started in 2000 in Maputo and later moved to South Africa. Their music is a mix of ska, punk, jazz and reggae. Fairy Tales is from their album “Sorry for the delay” in 2008.
Balimaya Project – For Aziz Feat. Afronaut Zu
https://amf.didiermary.fr/balimaya-project-aziz-afronaut-zu/
The first track from their album “When The Dust Settles”, “For Aziz” features Afronaut Zu with Balimaya Project.
If Balimaya Project’s debut album emphasised tradition & culture in a collective sense, their second album “When The Dust Settles” addresses the emotional and […]
Balimaya Project – Wolo So
https://amf.didiermary.fr/balimaya-project-soninka-patronba/
The Balimaya Project is a collective of 16 musicians in UK (including members of Kokoroko and Seed Ensemble), fusing traditional Mandingo music with Jazz.
The Balimaya Project synthesizes and bridges London’s bustling jazz circuit with traditional repertoire and folklore of the Mandé peoples of West Africa.
Miriam Makeba & Hugh Masekela – Soweto Blues
https://amf.didiermary.fr/miriam-makeba-hugh-masekela-soweto-blues/
Freedom song! Soweto Blues, released in 1977, is a protest song written by Hugh Masekela and performed by Miriam Makeba.
The song is about the Soweto uprising that occurred in 1976, following the decision by the apartheid government of South Africa to make Afrikaans a medium of instruction [...]
#Apartheid #Documentary #HughMasekela #Jazz #Madiba #MiriamMakeba #SouthAfrica #AfroJazz
Mombasa – Kenia (remixed)
https://amf.didiermary.fr/mombasa-kenia-remixed/
Essential and hard to find album with tons of true killer Afro Funk breaks.
Listen to an edit of “Kenia” from “African Rhythms & Blues” by Mombasa (1975).
Classic and sought after Afro Jazz Reissue of original debut LP by African jazz band “Mombasa” led by Lou Blackburn and recorded in 1975 at Cornet studio […]
