Kendu Revolution '72

2 singles of revolutionary benga  from '74 and  Kendu 

children have their own sense of time (and revolution) and  really don't bother with all these

but they are curious and learn quickly

Kendu

Mankunku -Yakhal' Inkomo

There are recordings considered  as landmarks in Jazz  and jazz fans have their own milestones,

records and common names like A Love Supreme - John Coltrane

Out to Lunch - Eric Dolphy,Go - Dexter Gordon,Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock

The Blues and the Abstract Truth - Oliver Nelson ,Saxophone Colossus - Sonny Rollins

The Sidewinder - Lee Morgan,Monk's Dream - Thelonious Monk,The Shape of

Jazz to Come - Ornette Coleman,Kind of Blue - Miles Davis and the list goes..on and on ..

But me would certainly add among these heights a brave young man from South Africa,

that was just 23 when he recorded Yakhal' Inkomo:Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi.
---
Ah... at last it's done. I mean the recording of South Africa's number one tenor sax player, Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi. This is the LP that every jazz fan has been waiting for. Listen to it from side one to the last note on side two then you'll agree with me that this is jazz, dished out by the son of the soil in a soul/jazz bowl.>liners 

In an 2003 interview to Gwen Ansell, Mankunku said:

“Yakhal’ inKomo was an odd tune. Things were tough then – but don’t ask me about all of that,

I don’t want to discuss it. You had to have a pass; you got thrown out;

the police would stop you, you know? I was about 22.

I threw my pass away; wouldn’t carry it. We had it tough. I was always being arrested

and a lot of my friends and I thought it was so tough for black people and put that into the song.

So it was The Bellowing Bull: for the black man’s pain.

And a lot of people would come up to me and say quietly: “Don’t worry bra’.

We understand what you are playing about.”

“I once saw Mankunku Ngozi blowing his saxophone. Yakhal’inkomo.

His face was inflated like a balloon, it was wet with sweat, his eyes huge and red.

He grew tall, shrank, coiled into himself, uncoiled and the cry came out of his horn.

“That is the meaning of Yakhal’ inkomo.”

Mongane Wally Serote

(from the introduction to his collection of poetry entitled Yakhal’ inKomo,

published by Renoster Books in 1972)

more readings  in flatinternational and  wfmu


“He just went deep, right down to the floor of despair, and reached the rim of fear and hatred.
He just spread and spread out and out in meditation, with his horn, Mankunku, Ngozi,
that guy from the shores of South Africa, and he said: “That was it.”
For that is what he was doing with his horn, Yakhal’ inKomo…”

this reissue from 1996 combines two records Mankunku recorded within four months in 1968:

one with his own quartet (Yakhal Inkomo) and Spring with pianist Chris Schilder's quintet.

Mankunku Quartet(Yakhal' Inkomo) :

Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi: tenor saxophone

Lionel Pillay:piano

Agrippa Magwaza:bass

Early Mabuza:drums

Chris Schilder Quintet(Spring) :

Chris Schilder:piano

Winston "Maknunku" Ngozi:tenor saxophone

Garry Kriel: guitar

Phillip Schilder: bass

Gilbert Matthews:drums

record review

it was a spear for freedom then )  still is, now  :

Yakhal' Inkomo

Ousmane Sacko & Yakaré Diabaté

Hommage à Ousmane Sacko, le " Rossignol du Khasso"

follow the river's flow for the next 19 minutes:

Abdoulaye Tandia

and for 5 more in front of the most famous curtain in Mali:



 


.

Aparecida - Samba Afro Axé

Maria Aparecida Martins (Caxambu, 4 de dezembro de 1939 - Rio de Janeiro, 1985) foi uma cantora e compositora brasileira, de carreira dedicada principalmente ao samba e a ritmos africanos.....

Maria Aparecida Martins from Caxambu,Minas Gerais was a legendary  in her time,voice

 and among the most important popular interpreters of the music of Umbanda

during  the 60's & 70's in Brasil-but too soon and unjustifiably forgotten,

Aparecida was gifted with a powerful  and rich voice full of spirituality

and  while based on her own beautiful sambas she has always been accompanied

 by  many excellent  musicians of her time.

we don't forget her here

 Axé

África Negra

In the early 1970s a butcher from the town of Sao Tome (the capital city) named Horacio, and his friend Emilio Pontes decided to start a music group. Whenever Horacio could get away from his butcher shop, he would meet Emilio in the town of ‘San Guembo’ (located 3 km from downtown Sao Tome), and the two

would kill a few hours playing guitars and writing songs. The two friends quickly pulled together the first lineup of musicians who, in 1974, would officially become known as the ‘Conjunto Africa Negra’. The group’s greatest hits were built around the melodic and languid lead guitar playing of Imidio Vaz, the steady rhythm guitar of Leonildo Barros, and the raspy voice of Joao Seria.....

The 1980s were the high-water years for the Conjunto Africa Negra. The group performed frequently throughout Sao Tome and Principe, made regular trips to Portugal, visited Angola nine times (touring across Luanda, Benguela, and Cabinda provinces), and were a huge success in the Cape Verde Islands. It was through their constant performing that they perfected their version of Sao Tome Rumba, what their fans call ‘Mama Djumba’ music....

continue reading their story in v.o.a..'s blog and enjoy the songs there

and sure it is  a serious cultural crime against yourself  to still ignore this fine band ...

go  to Lola Vandaag for Africa Negra 83

and then come back for Madalena meu amor
or  the other way if you prefer  

Madalena meu amor 



 their trademark love song for  Alice 

is just below

Francis Bebey the magician

In the beginning there was nothing.No light ,no darkness either. 

Nothing except boredom,which Nyambe,the creator of the Bantu ,felt rather severly.

"What is to be done?"he asked Imagination one day.

The answer was:"Built yourself a sanza!

When you start playing it,you'll see boredom run away by itself".

So Nyambe built a sanza and plucked a note on the keyboard. 

That first musical sound ever heard came out with the sun which carried the light.

Another note created man followed by his wife and numerous children

 who soon populated the earth.

That is how all human beings, black and white,red and yellow,were born of the sanza.

And again today,any time you produce a sound on a sanza keyboard,

 a new child is born somewhere in the world.

Le site de Francis Bebey 

African Sanza 

new rip in 320

Jean Zuibona

gbaya xylophones

Djeneba Sidibé

But it’s the Wasulu musicians who are artistes. Everyone can sing in Wasulu. We don’t have 
jeliw here; everyone sings. They brought artistry to music. Otherwise, before us, all there was 
were jeliw . . . But the Wasulu changed that. We said, “You don’t need to be a jeli to sing.” 
It’s not true. Now people have started to see the difference. They said, “Hey, we can sing for 
fun, too.” It serves something for us. It erases nostalgia. You have fun, you wash dishes, or 
the laundry – you have fun with singing. It comes like that [naturally, without effort]. You 
emit warmth or anguish that you have. Sometimes you sing and you cry, you sing alone and 
you cry. You just express yourself, your anguish, you know?

Samba Diallo 


some of the sweetest sounds on earth naturally come from wassoulou land
like the next  3 from (new ? ) songbird  Djeneba Sidibé

 songs

thanks ngoni




even more than the performance I  love audience's smiling  participation
:)

La Guinée éternel

folklore

"Under the vision of President Sekou Touré, Guinea’s 34 regions were each represented by an orchestra, a traditional music ensemble, a choir and a theatrical group. The government bought them musical instruments and encouraged them to sing about African nationalism and anti-colonialism while blending traditional local rhythms with Cuban sounds and electric instruments."

folklore,Syliphone,authenticité ,Macenta,ensembles....
are words that lead to the  perfumed gardens of  "la Guineé   éternel"

the list is long but not exhaustive  let's  wish we will find more time this time  ... 

for today's record:

orchestre de Guéckédou-Lambalya

ensemble instrumental de Labé-P.D.G. Lannata Sine

troupe Federal de Conakry II-Douba dyabi

ensemble instrumental traditionnel de Kissidougou-Festival 73

ensemble de Conakry I-Horoya

ensemble de Mamou-Agression

ensemble Instrumental et Vocal de Kissidougou-Komankan

ensemble de Macenta-Le complot ne passera pas

Salaam

let's say salaam again
from Nubia with the paintings of Fathi Hassan

Fathi Hassan 

more works

and four songs greetings from Saleh Walwali with his drummers and singers-
greetings from an  ancient land.

Salaam