Jo Bisso - Dance To It

Year : 2015/1976

Label : Africa Seven/Disques Espérance

Genre : Soul, Afrobeat

Style : Funk/Soul, Disco

Debut album of Jo Bisso, a cameroonian singer, producer & arranger influenced by US Soul & Funk music from Otis Reading to James Brown, singing as well his native tongue as french and english. From 1976 to 1979, Jo Bisso released four records to the disco accents and produced albums of his fellow countrymen Sookie and the disco duo, "Venise", led by Linda Henderson & Sharon Criswell. Settled in Paris from 1971, he signed on Decca France his first single "Flying To The Land Of Soul" (1974) as J.B. Afro Soul, produced by Pierre Jaubert, the man behind "The Lafayette Afro Rock Band" name (ex-Ice), before to sign on Disques Espérance, a world & african music label based in Paris. The album opens up with the title track "Dance To It", a catchy disco funk in two parts, the rest of the album is a blend of Jazz (Don't Fight The Feeling), Soul music (Let's Keep It Together), Funk (Give It Up) with afro/disco beats, and concludes with the beautiful ballad "Odwa". All songs composed and arranged by Jo Bisso except "Ramaya" written by A. Simone/St. Regal and "Odwa" by Ossibissa.

Mary Afi Usuah - African Woman

Year : 1978
Label : Clover Sound
Genre : Soul, Rock
Style : African Funk, Afrobeat, Disco

Mary Afi Usuah was an a opera former singer to the raw power, reminding Betty Davis or Tina Turner's voices and Sly & The Family Stone for the music, one of the greatest songstress than the African continent has produced. From 1969 to 1978, she only released three albums (the first was reissued by the Frank Gossner's label, Voodoo Funk), and toured in Europe as chorister for Duke Ellington, Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin, before returning to Lagos to take a position at the Ministry of Culture. "African Woman" is the meeting between soul music, afrobeat and nigerian highlife including pure funk (What’s A Woman To Do), reggae (Our Generation) and disco sounds (Tell Me Now). For "African Woman", She composed all lyrics, in english and african languages, supported by the Heads Funk Band, aka Akwassa, featuring bassist Joe "Castro" Matthews and guitarist Felix Odey, also in charge of the songs arrangements.  All lyrics by Mary Afi Usuah, arranged by Sylvester Akaiso, Joe Matthews and Felix Odey.

Sound President Odion Iruoje - Down To Earth

Year : 1983
Label : Odion Limited
Genre : Funk, Electronic
Style : Afrobeat, Boogie Funk, Afro Funk, Rap

An insane self-produced album by a renowned nigerian producer, Odion Iruoje, originally released on his own label Odion Ltd and featuring, among other, Akin Yuba (music direction) and Tunde Williams (horns) from the Africa '70. The man behinds some sound materials of Fela Kuti albums, recorded during the 1970-1973 period, produced a musical U.F.O., mixing Boogie (Love Care), Zulu rap (Identify With Your Root), Afro-funk (Ikebe) & Juju music, adding digital sound effects and drum machines, all creating an hypnotic music which drives us, not so far of a transe state.  Odion was an influential actor of the Nigerian Afro Funk scene active during the seventies and the eighties, working for EMI, he signed Fela and brings back into his fold, many nigerian funk band including Ofege. Titles includes also the catchy song "Anogo / Giri" & the electronic disco tune "Aro Affair (Crazy Scene)". All songs arranged, composed and produced by Odion Iruoje

Dieuf-Dieul De Thiès - Aw Sa Yone Vol. 2

Year : 2015

Label : Teranga Beat
Genre : Jazz, World, Folk
Style : Afro Jazz, Afro Cuban Jazz, Psychedelic Rock

Dieuf-Dieul De Thiès is a senegalese band of 13 members formed in 1979 featuring the three singers Assane Camara, Gora Mbaye, Bassirou Sarr and the guitarist/leader Pape Seck. From 1979 to 1983, the group known a great success in Senegal and Gambia before to separate. Recently rediscovered by Greek Dj Adamantios Kafetzis, the group started to tour in Europe after the two reissues Aw Sa Yone Vol. 1 & 2, recorded in 1982 and released on the Teranga Beat label.  The Music of Dieuf-Dieul is a kind of Afro-Jazz crossover producing an hypnotic groove, the result of a clever blend between musical traditions (including Mandigo's sound) and modern music (psychedelic afro-rock with "Nianky" and "Raki"), Afro Jazz & Cuban Music (Rumba Para Parejas).

Mulatu Astatke Featuring Fekade Amde Maskal ‎- Yekatit Ethio-Jazz

Year : 2013/1974
Label : Heavenly Sweetness/Amha Records
Genre : Jazz, World
Style : Soul Jazz, Ethio-Jazz, Afro-Jazz

"Yekatit Ethio-Jazz" was originally released in 1974 on Ethiopian label, Amha Records, bringing together various tracks recorded by Mulatu Astatke from 1969 to 1974 featuring his fellow countryman, the saxophonist Fekade Amde Maskal. Formed at Boston's Berklee College of Music during the sixties, Mulatu Astatke is a multi-instrumentalist, founder of the Ethio-Jazz typical genre, the first to combine traditional ethiopian sound with Jazz & Latin music. Indeed, in 1966, Mulatu & His Quintet have recorded in New York City, two Afro-Cuban Jazz albums (Afro-Latin Soul, Volumes 1 & 2), which lead him to introduce latin & western instruments in the popular Ethiopian music. Mulatu has gained an international recognition many years later, first  thanks to the Parisian label Buda Musique, which selected some of his best songs included in the volume 4 from the Éthiopiques compilation series, a volume entirely devoted to him ("Éthiopiques Vol. 4 : Ethio Jazz" & "Musique Instrumentale 1969-1974"). In U.S., three of his compositions including "Yèkèrmo Sèw" and "Gubèlyé" were selected for the "Broken Flowers" original soundtrack in 2005, directed by Jim Jarmusch. At last, various great names of Hip-Hop sampled his songs such as Nas, Cut Chemist from Jurassic 5, Quantic or Madlib. All tracks composed by Mulatu Astatke except "Asmarina" by Fekade Amde Maskal, "Ené Alantchi Alnorem" by Girma Hadgu, the traditionals  "Sabyé" & "Gubèlyé".

Tribo Massáhi - Estrelando Embaixador

 

Year : 1972/2015

Label : River's/Goma Gringa

Genre : Afrobeat, Latin Jazz, World
Style : MPB, Funk/Soul, Psychedelic

Unconventional brazilian album recorded in 1971, coming from the São Paulo underground music scene, an Holy Grail and ultra rare LP finally reissued by the Brazilian label, Goma Gringa. Back to the african roots for this Brazilian Afro-Psych group formed around seven members, all supported by a rhythm section featuring the 'Embaixador', that refers to the percussionist Sebastião Rosa De Oliveira. The band performs a music between Afrobeat, Afro Soul and Samba Funk, married to the typical African-Brazilian culture. Divided in two parts called "Timolȏ Timodê" on side A and "Lido's Square" on side B, eight tracks played without interruption, including "Walk By Jungle", "Dandara", "Oan" written by Embaixador & "Madrugada Sem Luar" written by Ruy Barbosa.

 

Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffalo - Uganda (Dawn Of African Rock)

Year : 1972
Label : Toshiba Records
Genre : Jazz, Rock
Style : Jazz Rock, Afrobeat

No need to introduce the best known and most iconic record of Akira Ishikawa & his progressive Jazz Rock Band, the Count Buffalos, in quartet formation featuring avant-garde guitarist Kimio Mizutani, bassist Hideaki Chihara &percussionist Larry Sunaga. The hypnotic "Uganda" was composed by saxophonist Takeru Muraoka (also in charge of arrangements), is a kind of stage play in four acts (Wanyamana Mapambazuko, Na Tu Penda Sana, Vita & Pigmy) that could have been produced in East Africa including Afrobeat, Progressive Rock and free forms of drum beats. All drums & percussions sounds arranged & composed by Akira Ishikawa.

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Voices Of Darkness - Voices Of Darkness

Year : 2014/1974
Label : Superfly Records/Afrodisia
Genre : Soul
Style : Afrobeat, Funk/Soul

Some voices of Afro-Soul with a lot of James Brown's Funk expressions, by a cameroonian afrobeat combo based in Lagos, Nigeria, returned to the light thanks to the DJ Voodoo Funk. Spotted thanks to their live performance in nightclubs, "Voices Of Darkness" was born in 1972 at Douala, in the middle of Nigerian highlife era, formed around frontman Joe Brown (organ, guitar, lead vocal), Cel Anderson (bass, vocals), Emmanuel Ebot (congas, timbales, vocals), Paul Mony (drums) and later will be joined by nigerians Denise Kenneth (saxophone, percussions) & Emmanuel Ovo (trumpet, congas). Titles include only original songs composed by the group, all tracks written in english except "Bonjour Cherie" recorded in the french tongue.  

Various - Oneness Of Juju. African Rhythms. 1970-1982

Year : 2001
Label : Strut
Genre : Jazz, Soul
Style : Jazz Funk, Spiritual, Afrobeat, Disco

This compilation brings together on 3xLP, various recordings of the legendary american Afro-Jazz collective formed by multi-instrumentalist James 'Plunky' Branch. Their most active and prolific years were spent on the New York scene in the seventies, including productions released on Strata East & Black Fire labels, under various names, the best-known designation being "Oneness Of Juju". The collective explores as well as Spiritual Jazz (No Name # III / Love Is... / My Nigger & Me), Afro-Jazz (Nairobi/Chants), Afrobeat (Follow Me), Funk/Soul (Be About The Future, Got To Be Right On It) and Disco ("Plastic", "Every Way But Loose"). Titles include selected tracks in collaboration with James Branch, some best recordings released as "Juju", "Oneness Of Juju" (whose famous "African Rhythms"), "Plunky & Oneness Of Juju", various solo projects featuring Juju's leader and others from vibraphonist Lon Moshe or the ghanaian drummer & percussionist, Okyerema Asante.

DISC 1 : Oneness Of Juju - African Rhythms / Oneness Of Juju - Follow Me / Oneness Of Juju - River Luv Rite / Roach Om - No Name # III ~ Love Is... ~ My Nigger & Me

DISC 2 : Oneness Of Juju - Chants ~ Don't Give Up / Oneness Of Juju - Be About The Future / Juju & The Space Rangers - Got To Be Right On It (Original 45 Version)

DISC 3 : Oneness Of Juju - Space Jungle Funk / Oneness Of Juju - West Wind / Plunky & Oneness Of Juju - Every Way But Loose / Okyerema Asante & Plunky - Sabi / Okyerema Asante & Plunky - Asante Sana / Juju - Nairobi ~ Chants

Peter King - Shango

 

Year : 2013  

Label : Mr Bongo   

Serie : Classic African Recordings   

Genre : Soul, Afrobeat   

Style : Funk/Soul

Originally recorded in 1974 at Camden Town Studio, London, "Shango" was never released, despite the success of his following albums, before british label STRUT does it in 2002. The album showcases the bop expressions of Nigerian saxophonist/flutist Peter King influenced by Sonny Rollins, Gene Ammons and the John Coltrane's play. "Shango" combines highlife music, afrobeat, soul jazz and the typical James Brown's Funk including the heavy grooves "Shango", "Watusi", "Freedom Dance" and the soulful song "Prisonnier Of Law". Peter King recorded the "Shango" sessions featuring his afro-ska band "The African Messengers" formed in the sixties in London including Humphrey Okoh-Turner (as), David Williams (eb), Paul Edoh (cg), Arthur Simon (eg), Mike Falana (tp), James Menin (ds).

Lafayette Afro-Rock Band - Soul Makossa

Year : 1974
Label : Makossa
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Afro-Funk

Lafayette Afro-Rock Band is an american jazz funk group including african influences formed on the Bobby Boyd Congress ashes, featuring Lafayette Hudson (eb), Larry Jones (eg), Frank Abel (keys), Arthur Young & Ronnie Buttacavoli (tp), with Ernest Donnable (ds), Keno Speller (perc) in addition. Based in Paris from 1971 to 1978, the band also known as "Ice", released six albums and several singles under others names. They started on stage in Parisian district "Barbès", the french core of african cultures in the seventies, where they were spotted by cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango and jazz producer Pierre Jaubert. Titles include the afro-funk classic by Manu Dibango "Soul Makossa", afro-cuban flavor "Azeta", the jazz rock tune "Oglenon" and  the heavy funks "Voodounon", "Hihache" & "Nicky".

Oneness Of Juju - African Rhythms

Year : 1975
Label : Black Fire
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Spiritual Jazz, Afrobeat

Essential debut album of american Afro-Jazz-Funk collective formed around brothers saxophonist James and bassist Philip Branch, known as Plunky & Muzi Nkabinde. "African Rhythms" fits into the panafricanism way, incarnation of the fusion between African roots and Afro-American culture, including traditional African percussions (balophone, marimbas), Spiritual Jazz and Rhthyms&Blues elements. During the seventies, the collective released two others recordings "Space Jungle Luv" in 1976 and "Make A Change" under the Plunky And Oneness Of Juju's name on the former jazz DJ and producer, Jimmy Gray's label "Black Fire". Titles include their best known single and anthem "African Rhythms" in extented version, the heavy funks "Kazi", "Poo Too", "Liberation Dues",  "Don't Give Up" & "Mashariki" featuring the thrilling voice of Eka-Ete Jackie Lewis and the spirtual "Inconito". Composed & arranged by Oneness Of Juju.