MARIO CANONGE:’RHIZOME’ (FEAT. ROY HARGROVE & RICHARD BONA) (0+ MUSIC)

It was a hard and lonely road in the late 70s, when the pioneers of what has come to be known as Gwo –Ka Jazz (Caribbean jazz with strong French Caribbean folkloric influences) first started recording. Geniuses such as Marius Cultier, Joby Valente, Alex ‘Ayizan’ Pascal, Dede St Prix, Louis Xavier and a few non-Caribbeans like Guinean altoist Jo Maka were playing Paris concerts that were the equivalent of New York’s Loft Scene in terms of left-field inventiveness, but to tiny audiences with equally sparse record sales.

At that time, Mario Canonge was working with the innovative Beguine group Malavoi, but he was obviously taking note of what was going on on the frontline of Kreyol music-making, too. Also a great Blue Note and Afro-Cuban jazz lover, Mario’s collaborations over the years in these and other fields were punctuated with fascinating but uneven solo projects for various labels. ‘Rhizome’ is probably one of the most consistent – and certainly one of the most successful - of his creations. ‘Madikera’ starts as a Guadaloupian Gwo Ka (drumming) session with a jazzy edge but develops into a series of Blue Note-style vignettes, Roy Hargrove’s trumpet meshing deliciously with the tenor of Jacques Scharz-Bart over a series of modal sketches that culminate in the call-and-response Gwo-Ka singing of traditional Guadeloupian singer Jean-Pierre Koquerel chanting over the wonderful tambou playing of the legendary Bago.

‘Plein Sud’ hammers down a montuno piano figure over a sort of French Caribbean clave (if there is such a thing!) and again, Roy Hargrove shines: this is the one for you Afro-Cuban fans! ‘Lueur Etiente’ sees the excellent Richard Bona taking a lead vocal against Bago’s percussion and some heavy brass work. The masterpiece, though, is the title track – Nearly 11 minutes of a sort of French Caribbean jazz symphony – I can’t describe it any other way. Dominating the proceedings throughout are Canonge’s fluid and technically-perfect grand piano and Fender Rhodes keyboards.

Just when you think you’ve heard it all, something fresh and exciting appears out of nowhere. A thrilling and highly recommended jazz/folkloric/afro/Caribbean set by one of the masters of New World jazz. If you like this, make sure you catch David Murray’s new project, the Gwo-Ka Masters, at the South Bank, London, on (I think, but check dates!) 18th November (this month).


YANJU:’IWA’ (KADUPE RECORDINGS)

There’s far more to Nigerian music than Afrobeat, as Yoruba Nigerian master-percussionist proves on this under-the-radar, 10-tune set of what I’m loathe to call Afro-House (because the tag means nothing to me), but would be happy with, say, ‘ juju, fuji and apala spirits fused with London danceclub production ideas’ – or something similarly cumbersome.

Songs are in Yoruba and English and I’m bound to say that I find the vocalists sounding much more comfortable and dynamic in Yoruba mode – although there is one creditable attempt at R Kelly-esque r & b. ‘Iwa’ signifies a good and powerful spirit, often an ancestor, that watches over its charges, and this title track is the obvious pick of the disc, full of instant-hook keychanges, memorable vocal chorus lines and Yunju’s driving percussion figures – an instant Afro-House classic (damn, and I promised not to say Afro-House!)

Unsure about high street record stockists on this, although reputable East London production posse Out Of Africa appear to be handling the business end here when it comes to bookings, etc. Or you can check the artist’s site: www.yunjuonline.com (where you can also buy the record).


GRUPO SONO-LUX:’MULATA SONO-LUX’ (HEY WOOLEY MUSIC)

Now here’s one helluva a dance album for you freestyle latino dancers! Rewind to the late 80s: L.A. conguero and arranger Willie McNeil was playing along side top UK timbalero Roberto Pla in the short-lived Latino Rockabilly War Band, put together by ex-Clash founder the late Joe Strummer. The repertoire was about a third Clash-type tunes, a third ‘show’ tunes, and a third original material. Perhaps too ahead of its time, the band survived only one tour before disbanding, but the plus factor was that it brought together a bunch of musicians from widely differing backgrounds, many of whom managed to stay in touch.

Back in 2004, Willie’s regular band is Sono-Lux, a West Coast-based latin dance outfit that rocks out in several directions: title track is a timba that would give any of the top Cuban timba outfits a run for their scratch, whilst ‘Do Ya Feel It?’ is that rare beast, a successful fusion of salsa and funk. Then there are a couple of ‘ straight’ old-school salsa dura compositions, a reggaeton, a great bembe version of the Stevie W. classic ‘Higher Ground’, and a nod towards one of Willie’s inspirations, the Cuban band Irakere, with ‘Irakere’s Funk’ – described aptly as a ‘funk-bata’.

This is a top-rung Afro-Cuban party show band, firing V8 and fully-loaded, with that easy, unforced approach that years of live stage work brings to a group’s music. It’d be great to see these guys over here at some point. Note to promoters: Willie can be reached on heywooley@sbcglobal.net. And you can always hear me play his record at Latin Vibe if you come up and ask – especially the timba tune!