Africa music reviews

Cape Verdean Boy Gé Mendes has made eight albums, but Lagoa is his first introduction to U.S. audiences. His light, dusky vocals are laid over gentle tracks whose simplicity belay the solid grooves they contain. Moving in a Brazilian/acoustic-Africa axis, he displays a very sensual authority over his material, most of which is self-penned. Ballads and light dance beats coalesce together in a totally harmonious environment where the African and Portuguese meet in perfect counterpoint. Like much of the music from Cape Verde, Lagoa is--deliciously--both sunny and sad. Reflection and passion are intertwined under timeless island skies, carried by a warm trade wind whose history hints at the reasons for the cosmopolitan appeal of Lagoa. --Derek Rath

The African Jazz pioneers are to South African Jazz what the Skatalites are to Jamaican ska--not so much a revival of a popular style, but a joyous continuation of one. These guys are the originals and as this live recording attests, they are as energetic, innovative, and swinging as ever. They bring to life old classics like "Skokiaan," a South African tune made into an American hit by Louis Armstrong in the mid-1950s. They breathe fire into Hugh Masekela's "Dark City" and Zacks Nkosis's "Hellfire," and they include plenty of jumping new compositions as well. A standout is the tune Kofifi which is dedicated to the memory of Sophiatown, the township that was the birthplace to much of South Africa's Jazz and modern cultural history. The town was torn down during the Apartheid era, but as is apparent from this release, the music refused to die. This CD features excellent ensemble playing throughout, plenty of great solos, terrific horn and sax arrangements, and outstanding guitar work. This impeccable recording puts you in the audience to experience the excitement of the African Jazz Pioneers, Live! --Jeff Grubb

The 1998 edition of Babatunde Olatunji's "Drums of Passion" series focuses on themes of "love." He mixes the traditional drums of west Africa with an easygoing blend of highlife, pop and jazz. Don't expect any lyrical revelations though, with words as philosophical as any thing you've heard from The Spice Girls or The Beach Boys. But that is probably not the point here, as the album rolls through its lightweight themes with a luscious tropi-pop attitude. This is certainly not one for fans of rootsy African drumming, but if you like highlife and Afro-pop with a romantic twist, Love Drum Talk will speak to you. --Louis Gibson