AHMED ABDUL-MALIK - Jazz Sounds of Africa (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Jazz Sounds of Africa compiles the complete contents of two early New Jazz LPs by Ahmed Abdul-Malik, which were originally issued as The Music of Ahmed Abdul-Malik and Sounds of Africa. The music on this reissue is simply captivating, as the brilliant bassist and oud player of Sudanese descent blends elements of jazz with that of Middle Eastern and African music. While the names of several of the contributing musicians are likely to be unfamiliar to many jazz fans, except for Andrew Cyrille and Tommy Turrentine, the music proves to be fascinating throughout both sessions. Any fan of John Coltrane's composition "India," which was written and performed around the same time frame, will delight in the hypnotic opener, "Nights on Saturn," with an eerie solo by an unidentified Korean reed instrument played by Bilal Abdurrahman. The leader overdubs on oud (the Middle Eastern ancestor of the mandolin) on several tracks, as well as demonstrates his fine arco bass on the old standard "Don't Blame Me." Tommy Turrentine, whose career was unjustly overlooked because he retired from music prematurely, is a compelling soloist on the 1961 session. The latter session is far more percussive, with Abdul-Malik utilizing a larger ensemble. The highlight of this date is the lengthy exploration of the infectious original "Communication," which almost conjures up an African tribal chant with Richard Williams' trumpet as the lead voice, with the percussionists eventually taking over as they play off one another with vocal encouragement from one of the players. The songs on this CD compilation of the two-decades-old albums have stood the test of time very well. by Ken Dryden  
Tracklist :
1    Nights On Saturn 7'53
Cello – Calo Scott
Clarinet, Percussion, Reeds [Korean Reed Instrument] – Bilal Abdurrahman
Composed By, Bass – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Drums – Andrew Cyrille
Tenor Saxophone – Eric Dixon
Trumpet – Tommy Turrentine
2    The Hustlers 5'32
Cello – Calo Scott
Clarinet, Percussion – Bilal Abdurrahman
Composed By, Bass – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Drums – Andrew Cyrille
Tenor Saxophone – Eric Dixon
Trumpet – Tommy Turrentine
3    Oud Blues 4'11
Cello – Calo Scott
Clarinet, Percussion – Bilal Abdurrahman
Composed By, Bass, Oud – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Drums – Andrew Cyrille
Tenor Saxophone – Eric Dixon
Trumpet – Tommy Turrentine
4    La Ibkey 5'51
Cello – Calo Scott
Clarinet, Percussion – Bilal Abdurrahman
Composed By, Bass, Oud – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Drums – Andrew Cyrille
Tenor Saxophone – Eric Dixon
Trumpet – Tommy Turrentine
5    Don't Blame Me 7'53
Bass – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Cello – Calo Scott
Clarinet, Percussion – Bilal Abdurrahman
Composed By – Jimmy McHugh
Drums – Andrew Cyrille
Tenor Saxophone – Eric Dixon
Trumpet – Tommy Turrentine
6    Hannibal's Carnivals 4'39
Cello – Calo Scott
Clarinet, Percussion – Bilal Abdurrahman
Composed By, Bass – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Drums – Andrew Cyrille
Tenor Saxophone – Eric Dixon
Trumpet – Tommy Turrentine
7    Wakida Hena 3'49
Alto Saxophone – Edwin Steede
Cello, Violin – Calo Scott
Clarinet, Percussion [Darabuka] – Bilal Abdurrahman
Composed By, Bass – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Congas, Bongos – Montego Joe
Drums – Rudy Collins
Flute – Rupert Alleyne
Percussion [African Drum] – Chief Bey
Tenor Saxophone – Taft Chandler
Trumpet – Richard Williams
8    African Bossa Nova 5'58
Alto Saxophone – Edwin Steede
Cello, Violin – Calo Scott
Clarinet, Percussion [Darabuka] – Bilal Abdurrahman
Composed By, Bass – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Congas, Bongos – Montego Joe
Drums – Rudy Collins
Flute – Rupert Alleyne
Percussion [African Drum] – Chief Bey
Tenor Saxophone – Taft Chandler
Trumpet – Richard Williams
9    Nadusilma 3'55
Alto Saxophone – Edwin Steede
Cello, Violin – Calo Scott
Clarinet, Percussion [Darabuka] – Bilal Abdurrahman
Composed By, Bass – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Congas, Bongos – Montego Joe
Drums – Rudy Collins
Flute – Rupert Alleyne
Percussion [African Drum] – Chief Bey
Tenor Saxophone – Taft Chandler
Trumpet – Richard Williams
10    Out Of Nowhere 4'57
Bass – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Cello, Violin – Calo Scott
Composed By – Heyman, Green
Drums – Andrew Cyrille
Tenor Saxophone – Eric Dixon
Trumpet – Tommy Turrentine
11    Communication 9'43
Alto Saxophone – Edwin Steede
Cello, Violin – Calo Scott
Clarinet, Percussion [Darabuka] – Bilal Abdurrahman
Composed By, Bass – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Congas, Bongos – Montego Joe
Drums – Rudy Collins
Flute – Rupert Alleyne
Percussion [African Drum] – Chief Bey
Tenor Saxophone – Taft Chandler
Trumpet – Richard Williams
12    Suffering 5'12
Alto Saxophone – Edwin Steede
Cello, Violin – Calo Scott
Clarinet, Percussion [Darabuka] – Bilal Abdurrahman
Composed By, Bass – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Congas, Bongos – Montego Joe
Drums – Rudy Collins
Flute – Rupert Alleyne
Percussion [African Drum] – Chief Bey
Tenor Saxophone – Taft Chandler
Trumpet – Richard Williams

Recording Date
May 23, 1961 & August 22, 1962