Since Africa is considered Ground Zero for most of the sounds of jazz, let’s check out what the Mother Country is sounding like. Here are a couple recent releases:
Singer and bandleader Reuben Koroma mixes vintage West African lilt with dashes of reggae in this infectiously acoustic release. There are Afro-pop grooves in abundance as on “ Manjalagi”, and the effects of Bob Marley are in abundance on tracks such as “Treat you Right.” Messages about political unity and power, love and money pop in around as themes, while infectious melodies such as “Ghana Baby” and “Maria” make you feel like you’re walking the streets of Freetown.
New York rapper Joe Driscoll teams up with Guinean kora master Sekou Kouyate for a mix of African –styled hip hop. More electric than the Sierra Leone band, these gents liberally use electronic rhythms and sounds, with beat boxes and electric guitars dancing around Kouyate’s lyrical kora. The stringed instrument is spotlighted in all of its dexterity on “Faya” which combines Third World earthiness with American attitude. More for the disco than the street, this one is to turn to for dancing with a low smoky ceiling.
Cumbancha Discovery Records