Various Artists - Afro-Rock Volume One: A collection of rare and unreleased Afro-Beat quarried from across the continent.

Author

Adam Fox

Published

Monday 8th March

Strut

Musicologist Duncan Brooker took it upon himself to go to Africa on a funk-finding mission during the mid-90’s. Like the Lomax family who travelled across the States during the 30’s uncovering some pretty interesting folk and blues music, the fruits of Brooker’s labour is what we get on this compilation Afro-Rock Volume 1: A Collection of rare and unreleased Afro-Beat quarried from across the continent.

This album was initially released on Brooker’s own label Kona in 2001 and soon went out of print. Fortunately Strut records have taken it upon themselves to reissue the original album with an extra bonus track from Kenya’s Ishmael Jingo. These tracks come mostly from the East end of the continent, primarily Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the recordings do not stray too far beyond the mid-1970’s.

While the 12 tracks that comprise Afro-Rock are not short on originality and are decidedly African in terms of flavour, the American influences do have a strong presence, although one cannot always tell who influenced who first. Gerald Pino & The Heartbeats’ “Heavy Heavy Heavy” has that insistent groove that could have turned up on any number of early JB’s albums whereas Steele Beauttah’s “Africa” would be enough to satisfy any fan of The Meters. While these two tracks and the opening number, Jingo’s “Fever” may be enough to lull the listener into a false sense of funk, the Mercury Dance Band takes the listener into Afro-Cuban/Dizzy Gillespie territory with “Envy No Good”.

The funk soon returns though, albeit with a slight Latin groove with Dackin Dackino’s “Yuda”. At 12 minutes 20 seconds, this is the longest track on the album and definitely the centrepiece. An improvisational execrcise, “Yuda” is reminiscent of the onstage jams that would comprise Santana’s early live performances, and with enough time to throw in a soprano sax solo to boot – this was of course during the days when said instrument commanded a great deal of respect not only because ‘Trane played one but because it’s the hardest of all saxes to master and it had yet to be turned into a laughing stock by the likes on Kenny G.

Orchestra Lissanga’s “Okuzua” could have found it’s way onto any random blaxploitation film with it’s prominent bassline and relentless hi-hat, while Super Mambo 69 takes us back into JB land with “Sweeper Soul”, even if it does over-do it a little bit at the end with its “Sock it to me, baby/give it to me, baby/alright, baby/ride it home, baby, etc”. But hey, sometimes that’s all one needs to get if English is your second language.

Keeping the list at a conservative12 tracks, Booker has assembled a fine array of soul/jazz/funk workouts that should keep most listeners desperately awaiting the second instalment of Afro-Rock.