So this list is very heavily weighted to West African music of the 70s, but hey that’s what I am into.
Legends of Benin – Various Artists (Analog Africa)
Ok, so I have to admit my favourite record of 2009 was in fact a reissue. In terms of sheer enjoyment and repeated listening, my number one record for 2009 was Analog Africa’s Legends of Benin. For those not familiar with Analog Africa, it is a boutique label that puts out reissues and one of its main focuses so far has been the music of Benin and Togo.
There was the great African Scream Contest, which focused on psychedelic rock and then late in 2008 there was the The Vodoun Effect: Funk & Sato From Benin's Obscure Labels 1973-1975 a compilation of tracks recorded by Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou on various independent labels.
Then in June 2009 Analog Africa upped the ante with Legends of Benin a collection of rare masterpieces from four of Benin’s great songwriters, Antoine Dougbe, El Rego, Honore Avolonto and Gnonnas Pedro. Recorded between 1969 and 1981, Legends of Benin is the funkiest CD I may ever have heard in my life and without a doubt my number one recommendation to anyone looking for an album released in 2009.
Echos Hypnotiques: Vol. 2 - Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou (Analog Africa)
For convenience sake and just to close off this little stream of thought I am going to go straight into Analog Africa’s other Benin release for 2009. Echos Hypnotiques: Vol. 2 was released in November 2009 a second collection of the work of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou. Volume Two showcases superbly recorded tracks, courtesy of the EMI studios in Lagos and all the tracks here were recorded for the Albarika Store label. The CD contains 15 out of 200 tracks, which were carefully selected and they show the band effortlessly moving between traditional Vodoun rhythms, funk, salsa or Afro-beat. "Drums, bells and horns are the fundamental instruments used during our traditional Vodoun rituals - we added guitars and Organs - we modernised those ancients rhythms and combined them with western genres that were on vogue at that time," says Melome Clement - Founder of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo.
…For the Whole World to See – Death (Drag City)
After Analog Africa’s great string of releases in 2009, my next favourite reissue was by the label Drag City who released a CD called …For the Whole World to See. Inspired by seeing Iggy Pop & The Stooges live, three brothers from Hackney, Detroit formed a band. They were soon signed, but dropped by the label halfway through the recording of their debut album when they refused to change their name. The album never saw the light of day until now. Seven songs of raw gritty rock, which just goes to show that black punk rock didn’t start with Bad Brains, its started with Death.
Bella Epoque Volume 3: Dioba – Rail Band (Sterns Africa)
Next on the list is a Bella Epoque Volume 3: Dioba a double disc compilation of the Music of Mali’s Rail Band. This is the third double disc compilation in the series, but the first that I found in a South African store. The Rail Band is a Malian institution that has featured both Salif Keita and Mory Kante as singers. Released on the Sterns Africa Label the series compiles the band’s best work recorded in the 60s and 70s. As the Sterns Website says,
The Rail Band has much in common with Senegal's more widely known Orchestra Baobab. Both bands were formed around 1970 and in their original incarnations were active until the mid 1980s, exploring similar, modern-roots terrains. But while the "belle epoque" Rail Band, particularly in the years when Keita was its lead vocalist, was at home with the stately and spacious, rolling savannah rhythms which typified Baobab's output, much of their music was wilder, more urgent, raw and intense, and included Malian spins on Nigerian Afrobeat and Congolese rumba. This rainbow of sounds was magnified by the differing styles of the band's chief songwriters and vocalists—Salif Keita from 1970-72, followed by Mory Kante and Magan Ganessy, who were featured alongside each other during the mid 1970s—each of whom brought his own, singular, ethnic folklore tradition with him.
However for me the highlight of this amazing collection is the work of guitarists Abe Baba and Djelmady Tounkara who cut loose with some incredible solos. It has been a great companion piece to another record I discovered in 2009, but that was released in 2008. The record is Soundway's compilation of Victor Uwaifo tunes called Guitar Boy Superstar 1970 - 1976, one of the most awesome records I have ever heard.
Panama! 2 – Various Artists (Soundway Records)
WOW! I missed Panama! 1 when it was released, so I only picked up on this amazing series in 2009. Better late than never. Subtitled "Latin Sounds, Cumbia Tropical & Calypso Funk on the Isthmus 1967-77", Panama! 2 is a scintillating collection of funky tunes . These grainy recordings by bands you most likely have never heard of are spirited in their live one-take nature, exploding into fits of raw funk and soul, with horn sections riffing the night away. Whether it's the Los Superiores, with their funky jam Descarga Superior, or the Soul Fantastics' groovy take on Bill Withers's Ain't No Sunshine that rocks your world, there is not a single dud track on this marvellous compilation. I must point out that Panama! 3 had already been released overseas in 2009 but is yet to hits shelves in South Africa, so keep a look out for it. Here is the cover.
New York – Addis – London: The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965 – 1975 - Mulatu Astatke (Strut Records)
Released in 2009, I only got my copy last week but already this is one of my all time favourite albums of 2009. Astatke first received some belated recognition through the Ethiopiques series and then later on the soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch’s film Broken Flowers. However this compilation is all killer no filler, solid wall-to-wall funky jazz that kicks like a mule. For those interested he recorded a new album in 2009 with London psych-jazz band The Heliocentrics, also on Strut, but more on that later with my best of 2009 list still to come.
Na Teef Know de Road of Teef - Pax Nicholas & The Nettey Family (Daptone Records)
When it comes to Afrobeat, you can’t get much finer than this awesome reissue. Nicholas was born in Accra, Ghana but moved to Lagos, Nigeria. He soon was introduced to Fela Kuti and in 1971 joined Africa 70 as a congo player and backing singer. He appeared on all of Fela’s releases between 1971 and 1978. Two solo albums were also released on the Tabansi Label, Mind Your Own Business in 1971 and Na Teef Know The Road of Teef in 1973. However the second, which is this reissue was made with Africa 70 musicians in Ginger Baker’s Lagos studio. Fela was not amused and the album got little promotion and Nicholas did not tour the album. However now it is here in 2009, four tracks of smoking hot Afrobeat.
African Carnival - Fred Fisher Atalobhor (Vampi Soul)
Spotted in 1972 while recording a vocal session in Lagos, trombonist and singer Fred Fisher was soon recording his own albums with his own band. The resultant sound was dubbed Asolo Rock, a blend of Afro funk-rock with soulful melodies, or what I like to call damn funky party vibes. From the opening track, Say the Truth, with its reggae groove, it is quite clear that Fred Fisher is a long-lost star of African music, Nigeria's answer to Toots and the Maytals. But it's not all reggae grooves -- there are tastes of the Fela Kuti-pioneered Afrobeat and the more laid-back highlife genre, popularised in Ghana and Nigeria in the early 1900s. Fisher's band fell apart when Kuti poached one of his band members after they shared a bill, but at least we have the four albums compiled on this double-disc compilation, which were recorded between 1979 and 1990. As Fisher says in the liner notes: "If you want to dance, this is the album that makes you dance away all the sorrows in you." So get ready for your own personal exorcism.
All Star Soul International - Victor Olaiya (Vampi Soul)
He may have been dubbed the Evil Genius of highlife, but this reissue of his long-lost 1970 album shows that Victor Olaiya had a lot more tricks up his sleeve. Blending the sounds of highlife with those of the raunchy American funk that was making its way across the airwaves, Olaiya sounds like Nigeria's answer to James Brown on this all-time classic album. Graduating from Lagos's Ekopo Band, a street outfit, Olaiya was soon an in-demand musician playing in numerous local bands. In 1954 he grabbed his moment, launching his own band, The Cool Cats, which offered early apprenticeships to Nigerian legends, such as Fela Kuti, Tony Allen, Sunny Ade and Sir Victor Uwaifo. But by the time he recorded All Star Soul International his prodigies had moved on to their own fame and Olaiya was battling against a whole new host of soul-influenced bands. One listen to tracks such as I Feel Alright and Magic Feet and it's clear -- Olaiya had them licked at their own game. Form is temporary; class is permanent.
Back to Peru Vol 2 – Various Artists (Vampi Soul)
Oh, sweet joy! Who would have thought that Peru had such a vibrant contemporary music scene in the late Sixties and early Seventies? Inspired by the rock, psychedelic pop and soul music pouring out of the United States and the United Kingdom, these Peruvian locals amped up their guitars to gritty proportions -- and, boy, did they deliver. From garage-rock stompers to raunchy funk, from surf-rock to psychedelic pop, this double-disc compilation is a mind-expanding trip into the Peruvian underground circa 1964 to 1974. If you've loved rock 'n roll and soul music and you have a predisposition for a more exotic taste, this album is for you. Whether it's the rough-and-ready garage rock of bands such as Los Saicos and Los Drags or the psychedelic experimentation of Pax and Telegraph Avenue that gets your blood racing, one thing is for sure, Peru was one happening place in the late Sixties, despite the political turmoil. This compilation is absolutely essential for adventurous listeners.
Ghana Special: - Modern Highlife, Afro Sounds, Ghanaian Blues 1968 - 1981 (Soundway Records)
Following on from the Nigeria Special double disc compilation comes Ghana Special. Thirty-three original and previously un-reissued tracks, Ghana Special represents nearly ten years of on-going research by label owner and DJ Miles Cleret in and around the cities of Accra, Tema, Cape Coast, Takoradi and Kumasi. With Soundway’s Ghana Soundz albums, which focused on the funkier tracks from the same period, proving hugely popular, it was only a matter of time till Cleret turned his attention back to Ghana. This is a real treat.