The African Beat
| The African Beat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1962[1] | |||
| Recorded | January 24, 1962 Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 40:15 | |||
| Label | Blue Note BST 84097 | |||
| Producer | Alfred Lion | |||
| Art Blakey chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [3] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [4] |
The African Beat is a jazz album released by Art Blakey and The Afro-Drum Ensemble in November 1962 on Blue Note Records.[5] He described it as the first opportunity he had to work with drummers from Africa; as a blend of American jazz with the traditional rhythms and tonal colors in the percussion of that continent. The album features compositions by African and American musicians, all based on aspects of West African (especially Nigerian) music.[6]
Track listing
- "Prayer by Solomon G. Ilori" - 0:55
- "Ife L'ayo (There Is Happiness in Love)" (Solomon G. Ilori) - 5:31
- "Obirin African (Woman of Africa)" (Garvin Masseaux) - 3:45
- "Love, The Mystery of" (Guy Warren) - 9:22
- "Ero Ti Nr'Ojeje" (Ilori) - 7:33
- "Ayiko, Ayiko (Welcome, Welcome, My Darling)" (Ilori) - 7:13
- "Tobi Ilu" (James H. Bey) - 5:56
Personnel
- Art Blakey — drums, timpani, telegraph drum, gong
- Ahmed Abdul-Malik — bass
- Yusef Lateef — cow horn, flute, tenor saxophone, mbira, oboe
- Curtis Fuller — timpani
- Chief Bey — double gong, conga, telegraph drum
- Robert Crowder — Batá drum, conga
- James Ola. Folami — conga
- Solomon G. Ilori — vocals, talking drum, pennywhistle
- Montego Joe — corboro drum, log drum, bambara drum, double gong
- Garvin Masseaux — shekere, African maracas, conga
References
- ^ Billboard Dec 1, 1962
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 25. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.
- ^ Billboard, 1 Dec 1962, p. 20.
- ^ Original liner notes by Nat Hentoff
