Africa music reviews

spooky, groovy, dark, absolutely terrific. unlike anything you've ever heard (unless you've spent time in south-western nigeria).

Honestly, I wasn't a fan of apala when I was growing up in Lagos, Nigeria. However, there's no way anyone could deny the majestic presence of this kind of music-especially Haruna Ishola-in that city in the 60's. Let me tell you something, this compilation takes me back to my childhood. When I was walking back home from my elementary school at Lawanson to Itire. I couldn't believe how much I knew about this music until I (just for the fun of it) bought this CD. I've played it non-stop for 72 hours-at the office,in the car,at home, everywhere. You know what! I don't care if my wife likes it.

This is some of the most incredible African music I have ever heard. Rich and rhythmic and so earthy. It sounds as old and wise as the world. A must have for any serious collector!

African music is not known or i should say little known in the US...

this Woman takes me way back in my childhood...My dad had all of her songs...her voice is suave, sweet and mesmerizing..yet she can move in the most effortless way..she is just a great artist.thanks Amazon for promoting African music....it's really hard for some of us here in the USA to obtain music from back home...... i'll buy this CD.
i was looking for it!

Perhaps one of the less than a hand full of African female singers ever. She is just superb. Is it possible to listen to samples of her other CD's? If that is possible, I'll probably buy one of each of all of them. SHE IS G-R-E-A-T. I have always enjoyed her music from my native Liberia.

/s/ R. G. Evans

This disk is pure African soucous. The sweet voice of M'bilia Bel combined with the guitar playing of Ringo is indeed a pleasure to the ears. These upbeat rhythms take me back to some of my favorite memories of Africa.

I wanted to just add a few notes to Tyler Smith's excellent review. I did want to take exception to his referring to Mukanda Ken McIntyre as a Dolphy protege. They did play together on an early great McIntrye album but their styles are very different. During his life, McIntyre recorded with Cecil Taylor and Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra. He was the leader on many CDs including a notable string on the Steeplechase label in the mid-Seventies (Home and Hindsight, both available on Amazon are especially recommended). He is, is anything, an even more diverse talent than Dolphy. Along with Karen Borca, he is probably the greatest jazz bassonist. To hear the sound of his basson in conjunction with Grachan's muscular trombone on African Drums is one of the joys of this album. McIntyre also plays alto sax and flute on this CD.
Grachan Moncur III is one of the unsung heros of jazz music of the latter half of the twentieth century. A great composer and an invaluable sideman, he possessed a great trombone solo style. He has none of the technical genius of a George Lewis or a Ray Anderson but all of his solos are beautiful compositions unto themselves. He just unfolds wave after wave of melody.
As Mr. Smith notes, Beaver Harris was one of the greatest of the drummers of the period. Well grounded in swing he also possessed the ability to play outside of time with the best of them (one of his early albums is called From Ragtime to No Time). He played with people of the caliber of Archie Shepp, Sonny Rollins and Dave Burrell. He is also an excellent composer (the aforementioned African Drums as well as Drums for Milano on this CD).
If you like post-bop, e.g., McCoy Tyner's Extensions CD or Jackie McLean's mid-sixties Blue Note titles, you will love this CD. If you know none of the above players, it will introduce you to three of the great musicians of the period.

Pittsburgh native Harris produced a wonderful offering with this 1979 release. He established himself as a solid "New Thing" contributor in the '60s, recording with Archie Shepp and others. However, like many so-called avante garde jazz musicians, he was underrecorded and many of his releases are no longer available.

"Beautiful Africa" transcends labels. Harris' "360 Degree Music Experience" unites the drummer with top-notch -- and all too rarely heard -- musicians such as trombonist Grachan Moncur, multi-reedist Ken McIntye (a protege of Dolphy), and pianist Rahn Burton (who also played, I believe, with Rahsaan Roland Kirk). Cameron Brown contributes marvellously on bass.

This is a cooperative endeavor, and all the members except McIntyre contributed compositions. The soloing is first rate, but the writing is just as strong: complex, tuneful and never cliched.

Harris died in 1991. Rest in peace. Like other great departed drummers like Eddie Blackwell, he left a meaningful mark on the music, and we all need to seek out his work wherever we can find it.

I was surprised to discover how meditative this CD is, which I relistened to to write this review, after two years of musical enjoyment.

Track 1 is an introduction, which perhaps hedges its bets a bit, before firmly setting foot in track 2, and reaching a peak in track 3, whereby against the musical picture of a river of African sounds and rhythmic drumming, the rawnwss of a wild wilderness resonates , in a masterful repetition which is absolutely not monotonous, but the essence of all good music, or art for that matter, not rushing on because the drama lies in the moment.

Wonderfully relaxing and yet passionately vibrant, the perfect CD for the safari and a mellow afternoon, and that's an achievement.

I went to this site to see if amazon.com carried it because a friend of mine liked the music. I saw no reviews, so I had to give a plug for this cd. I've had this cd for about a year and it still gets played regularly. It's great background music for when I'm working or cleaning. It's soothing, light, cheerful. I haven't heard anything quite like it. It would make a great soundtrack to a safari film.

Too bad modern Congolese music doesn't sound like this anymore. Too much keyboards/synthesizers, less musicianship and way too much hip-hop style posteuring and vocal hype.

That said, this is the real deal. If you want to know why Congolese rumba was so popular throughout Africa, here's why. The singing, the guitar work, the rhythms are oh so sweet. The early tracks from the mid-eighties (1,3,5,7) steal the show here because the vocals are as sweet and glorious as any to have come from the Congo (and there are many) and there's more bliss to the guitar work. The other tracks are great too, just that the singer is pales in immediate comparison, and the guitar has a mellower almost acoustic sound to it. Overall, this is an excellent CD.

This CD has the sound of classic soukous. The mellow harmonies and guitar work are nothing short of magic. Many of the songs are the best of other works by Papa Noel. No connoisseur of soukous should be without this album. This music is sweet.

...has anybody else noticed that it's categorized under the African section of world music? Since when has Scotland been a part of Africa? lol

Great CD, though. Probably one of the best piping CDs that I've found.

Many "best of the bagpipe" audio cds today are poor recordings. This is one of the few good recordings that have made it to the popular market. I urge everyone interested in piping to buy this cd and I urge Amazon to carry other high quality bagpipe cds. I'll be glad to give you some suggestions.

...now let's bug the powers that be to make the albums for these individuals more readily available! Kidjo, Toure and Johnny Clegg are easy to find, but most of the rest of these folks need more airplay (or websites that recognize their talent). C'mon Amazon, show us what you can do!

This was a fantastic CD. Angelique Kidjo's "Batonga" is s beautiful song, as are most of the other pieces on this CD. I recommend it to everyone.

This record is the best reggae record ever made. I've listen to Jamaican reggae for years and I've never heard anything like this! Joyful, spiritual, soft, shaky, quality reggae music! Your soul trembles when Ismael reaches for the high notes...This record is a must for any reggaelover ! (generally speaking, African reggae today is more soulful than jamaican reggae)

I have been an avid listener of roots reggae music for thirty years. Of course, Bob Marley planted the seeds. Lately the Jamaican reggae scene has, with notable exceptions, strayed very far from the original Father of the movement. Yes, wonderful, positive roots can still be found coming from the island, but one has to look past many self-glorified rappers to find it.
In my search for works that pick up where Brother Bob let others have a chance to carry on, the West coast of Africa has yielded several super stars. The most prominent of these is the mighty Alpha Blondy (Ivory Coast), words fall short of expressing my deepest respects for this extremely talented, and expressive master. Seek his products, they are magnificent.
A relative newcomer, to the mainstream, is a young man, also from Ivory Coast, his name is Ismael Isaac. "Black System" shares many of the same artists as Alpha's latest, "Merci". Ismael's "Black System" is no less compelling than Alpha's best.
This CD absolutely rocks, the melodys and rythms will not allow you to sit still. There is not more than a dozen or so words of English contained in the CD, but after a few turns you will find yourself singing along in the Dioula language, and several others. This CD is difficult to find, I actually had mine sent out of South Africa by a friend. Get it if Reggae speaks to you!
Peace.

How great and Marvelous! If you love Jazz, African music, and all of it... this is the CD to buy. Hugh Masekela has the best sounds ever. It't almost as if honey was coming out of his trumpet... it is so good!!! He has old titles like "Ashiko", "the boyz doing it"... You ought to listen to "Strawberries," and enjoy the angelic voices of the chorus of children, and as usual Hugh Masekela's manipulation of the trumpet is just superb. Don't forget to try "Song of Love," a call for love among all nations.
I hope you enjoy this CD, coz I love it!!!

The last time I saw Masekela was over 30 years ago. He still rocks the house with that high energy South African beat. Great highlife dancehall music with a story.

We love this cd! Bau's music is very moving. You can't stop listening to it. We have 4 of his cd's so far, and are always looking for more of his music. No matter what nationality you are, you can't help but enjoy the beautiful sounds of the violin, guitars, etc.

Bau is an undiscovered phenomenon--which is too bad, because this album proves the man knows how to handle a violin! The music evoked everything from a French country wedding to a bittersweet melody to bluegrass. I loved it and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good violin, some dinner party background music, or just sitting around and feeling mellow kind of music.