One of the few great records released on Ahmad Jamal's short-lived label -- a rocketing bit of South African soul featuring some great work by Dudu Pukwana! The session's a lot hipper than some of the South African work that was issued in the US around the same time -- especially that from the Hugh Masekela camp, however great that is -- and the feel here is almost more in a London post-colonial mode, with a strong criss-crossing of elements, but also a good sense of roots. There's a slight undercurrent of funk too -- some tightly vamping rhythms peppered with sharp jazz solos from Gwangwa and Pukwana -- a groove that's almost like some of the Perception/Today label jazz funk of the early 70s. Some cuts feature vocals from Mamsie, and titles include "Dark City", "Switch #2", "Switch #1", "Szaba Szaba", "Kwatula", "Chant", "Who", and "African Sausage". |