This time Cosmic Jazz visits the music of artists from the continent of Africa – the roots. We visit countries across the continent to find jazz and jazz-related music that is as varied as the countries themselves.
1. Abdullah Ibrahim – Whoza Mtwana from African Marketplace
We start with an artist born in South Africa – the legendary pianist Abdullah Ibrahim. Like many musicians from South Africa under apartheid, he left the country – firstly for Switzerland in 1962 before settling in the USA in 1965. Many other artists have also had to leave the continent to get their music recorded and to be heard beyond their country – and it’s clearly evident from the artists included in this show. African Marketplace (1980) was recorded in New York, with US musicians including Carlos Ward on saxes and Cecil McBee on bass and. Whoza Mtwana (Come Children) has a spiritual, almost hymn-like quality and features the horns of Craig Harris on trombone and Carlos Ward on sax. with Abdullah Ibrahim guiding the tune on keyboards. It begins with a slow tempo, builds up to an enormous, crashing, horn crescendo and then returns to a calming finale. A moving, emotional, uplifting tune.
2. Bheki Mseleku – Celebration from Celebration
Pianist/saxophonist/guitarist/composer Bheki Mseleku was another South African exile from apartheid, born in Natal but who ended up getting wide recognition after he reached London. His debut album Celebration was released on the British World Circuit label in 1992 and was received with widespread acclaim and approval. There was a star-studded international line-up of musicians on the record – Michael Bowie on bass, Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smith on drums, Eddie Parker on flutes, Courtney Pine, Jean Toussaint, Steve Williamson on saxes and Thebe Lipere on percussion. Mseleku’s father was a deeply religious man and Bheki himself spent two years in a Buddhist temple. It’s not surprising, then, that this music has a deeply meditative, religious feel, enhanced by his chant-like invocations which overlay the instrumentation across this track.
3. Mulatu Astatke – Yekerma Sew from The Very Best of Éthiopiques
We move a long way up the Eastern side of the continent to hear the unique sound of Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke who is probably well known to many Cosmic Jazz followers. Keyboardist, composer and bandleader Astatke is an original. Born in south-west Ethiopia in 1943, he studied in London, New York (where he was drawn into Latin music) and Boston and is rightly regarded as the father of Ethio-Jazz. There are several albums of his available in the UK along with a recommended collaboration with British group The Heliocentrics. In 1997, the Paris-based record label Buda Musique started the series of releases called Éthiopiques which released contemporary and some older music from Ethiopia. Mulatu Astatke had to be one of those included, and the tune Yekatit can be found on the double CD compilation The Very Best of Éthiopiques. Yekerma Sew became famous as perhaps the standout tune on the soundtrack to Jim Jarmuch’s film Broken Flowers and it drives along with an insistent groove and blasting horns with a feeling that is at the same time infectious and haunting. The sound is unique – there’s jazz, funk, soul and that traditional Ethiopian vibes all in one.
4. Solomon Ilori & His Afro Drum Ensemble – Gbogbo Omo Ibile (Going Home) from V/A African Rhythms/African High Life
The music crosses the continent to Nigeria in West Africa. It would have been an obvious choice to have selected Fela Kuti or one of his associated Afrobeat musicians but instead we find ourselves at Blue Note Records and one of their African percussion recordings. Solomon Ilori , born 1934 in Nigeria, is a drummer and percussionist who moved to New York in 1958. He appeared on Art Blakey’s 1962 recording The African Beat which brought him to the attention of Blue Note Records and the release of his African High Life album released in 1963. When the album was released on CD producer Michael Cuscuna found three tracks recorded a year later, of which Gdogbo Omo Ibile is one, on which he worked with some top jazz names including Donald Byrd, Hubert Laws, Bob Cranshaw and Elvin Jones. The tune opens with Solomon Ilori on talking drum, then percussion joins, followed by piano, then horns with a cool sax break from Hubert Laws before some trumpet fire from Donald Byrd. It is a rhythmic burner that builds and builds with an underlying feel of the spiritual.
5. Ahmadu Jarr – Kathung Gbeng from Spiritual Jazz 5: Esoteric, Modal and Deep Jazz from Around the World 1961-90
This takes us to more spiritual jazz from one of the excellent Jazzman Records Spiritual Jazz compilations, which total 18 so far. This is from Spiritual Jazz 5: Esoteric, Modal and Deep Jazz from Around the World 1961-90 – from which we also took a track in our previous show. Percussionist Ahmadu Jarr was born in Sierra Leone but settled in Sweden where he went originally to study engineering, before music took over. He has played with a number of Swedish jazz and fusion groups and led groups of his own. The tune Kathung Gbeng comes from what is now an obscure 1980 release. This tune is in three parts with the meditative opening and ending with a more up-tempo section in-between featuring the flute of Uli Andersson. It is one of the many hidden treasures to be found in the highly recommended Spiritual Jazz record releases. They include music from many artists little-known outside their place of residence and it’s probably unlikely that you will have heard of Ahmadu Jarr – but you may have come across his daughter Neneh Cherry, who took on her step-father’s last name – none other than pocket trumper player Don Cherry.
6. K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas – Kyenkyen Bi Adi M’Awu from K. Frimpong and his Cubano Fiestas
The last two selections on the show are from Ghana. In no way are they merely jazz but rather examples of how jazz is one of several outside influences that has merged with more local sounds in West Africa. Among the other influences you can include soul, funk and Cuban rhythms and, with regards the latter, you can see that vocalist, guitarist and composer K. Frimpong named his backing band the Cubano Fiestas. The title of the tune means Come Back My Love and there is a pumping beat with a leading collection of horns prominent in a big band feel. There are jazzy solos from saxophone, trumpet, flute and guitar. As the notes to the compilation album observe the record transcends all musical barriers. It was recorded in 1976, and the original album K. Frimpong & his Cubano Fiestas was re-released by Soundway Records on vinyl for Record Store Day 2025. The Cubano Fiestas were made up of some of Ghana’s finest musicians and the band was one of the most outstanding to come out of what is termed Ghana’s Highlife/Afro-rock era. Apparently, K. Frimpong has been sampled by Jamaican artist Chronnix – which for Derek is a serious recommendation to seek out his music.
7. Florence Adooni – Mam Pe’ela Su’ure from A.O.E.I.U. (An Ordinary Exercise In Unity)
From the early days of High-life we go to someone who is taking it into the future. I remember a friend describing a song that you cannot get out of your head as “eating you up”. A tune that has eaten me up over the last days and even weeks is Mam Peela Su’ure (My Heart is Pure) by Ghanaian singer Florence Adooni . It’s joyous, soaringly uplifting but at the same time somehow evokes a tear-jerking melancholy, all coming from her sumptuous voice that is something really special as it pours out an enrapturing soulful warmth. The tune begins with highlife guitar, reminding me of a number on a 1970 album by the Ghanaian African Brothers Band, then come the horns in typical Highlife jazzy style and then… that voice – so sweet. It is the sort of contemporary, genre crossing infusion with an element of jazz that we embrace and love on Cosmic Jazz. The album A.O.E.O.U. (An Ordinary Exercise In Unity) was released in February 2025 and has sharp, of the moment, yet other-worldly production from German producer Max Weissenfeldt. Adooni first collaborated with Weissenfeldt in 2014 when they toured Ghana with a 12-piece group and this led to a series of subsequent tours in Europe. Adooni is touring again this year and I cannot wait for the Norwich session on 8 July.
More from Cosmic Jazz soon.