Spirits Rejoice - African Spaces (South Africa, 1977)

SIDE A 1. Joy - 0:00 2. Standing Here Alone - 4:26 3. Savage Dance and African Spaces - 8:33 SIDE B 1. Mulberry Funk - 17:48 2. Minute Song - 20:12 3. Sugar Pie - 25:00 4. Makes Me Wonder Why - 27:45 5. Electric Chicken - 31:36 Mervyn Africa - Piano, Electric piano, Organ, vibraphone Russell Herman - Vocals (A2, B4), Guitar Sipho Gumede - Bass, percussion Gilbert Matthews - Drums, Percussion Duke Makasi - Tenor sax, Soprano sax Themba Mehlomakulu - Trombone, Trumpet George Tyefumani - Trumpet Felicia Marian - Vocals (B3) ____________ (fusion, jazz-funk) ____________ buy the only reissue from 2021 here! https://matsulimusic.bandcamp.com/alb... _____________ Much like brazil in the late 60s and 70s decade, Africa would suppress and censor multiple artists at the time, especially jazz and other forms of instrumental music. And because of this, in much of the same way as brazil, African jazz was forced to try and pass through these suppressions unnoticed, where multiple amazing gems of jazz fusion and other electric forms of music would appear, but very quietly, but several of those albums are widely celebrated today. One small, but amazing branch of musicians from this time would be the great Spirits Rejoice. Spirits Rejoice was founded by the great drummer Gilbert Matthews, a musician who had already played with several other african musicians in the jazz circle at the time, such as the amazing Dollar Brand, Pat Matshikiza, with several of the other members of Spirits Rejoice also having similar backgrounds, such as the great bassist of this album Sipho Gumede, who played with jazz-funk and fusion groups before Spirits Rejoice. Gilbert founded Spirits Rejoice with musicians he previously worked with on other projects, and named the group after the great saxophonist Albert Ayler and his great album “Spirits.” But the group was very short lived, only releasing two albums from 1977-78, and only having single releases of their albums too, with African Spaces being their first album to debut. And there’s not much you can say that hasn’t already been said about this amazing album in several articles already; it’s beautiful, amazing, featuring a fantastic and tight unit of musicians who all compliment each other beautifully. Even if it features some more “popular” and “commercial” styled songs such as “Standing Here Alone,” the arrangements are certainly nothing near “commercial,” and the entire album is an absolute delight of jazz fusion, jazz-funk, soul, and small touches of african influence spread throughout. This album was eventually reissued in 2021 by the label Matsuli Music, a label interested in mostly rereleasing several other great african jazz albums that have gone unnoticed, and without them, African Spaces and its amazing sounds would have certainly gone unnoticed for a very long time. ____________ this upload is dedicated to wtflac. If you know, you know