Various Artists - Afro Blue (Explore The Roots And Rhythms Of Jazz) (1993)@flac

LINER NOTES

The history of Afro Americans is indelibly linked in the mysteries and past of Africa itself - the dark continent is the spiritual homeland and the root of all culture. It was (and remains) the index of possibilities - a magical birthright from which a nation has been held in forced exile, and in which exiled Afro Americans could invest their vision of what might have been.
In this mythology the drum holds a special place as the one true communicator left from the motherland - it embodies not only the means of communication, but also the very spirit of resistance itself. It was not without reason that the slavers hid the drums from their captives, and that the plantation owners banned the drum as actively as they banned the ancient religions and spirits. Neither is it a coincidence that most musical historians place the birth of jazz in Kongo Square, New Orleans - the very place where the slavemasters allowed the slaves to meet on a weekly basis in their free time. What was their reaction? To get the drums out.
African Americans may have lost the ability to hear the drums talk, but rhythm remains the root of their musical culture, and to this day it provides a link back to the non vocal traditions of revolt. Small wonder then that the language of resistance lies with the drummers - the great soloists may be the gunfighters of jazz (look no further than Johnny Griffin or Roy Eldridge - pirates on the high seas of jazz technique - or at Sonny Rollins packing stetson and sixgun on "Way Out West"), but the drummers dominate through their control of the twisting and swirling canvass on which the masterpiece is worked out. It is an undeniable fact that all the great developments of jazz have been accompanied or initiated by developments in the rhythm section permitting more complex rhythmic techniques.
As such it is natural that drummers (and to some extent bassists - Mingus for example) should have been the first to catch the mood of advancing interest in the roots of their music. Art Blakey studied the drums in Africa (as indeed did Randy Weston, Yusef Lateef, and Pharoah Sanders in fairness), attempting to learn their messages and to show "how wide a range of emotions it is possible to draw from the drums". Max Roach linked these messages of ethnic pride to the politics of the black muslims, of WE Du Bois and Marcus Garvey and came up with his "Freedom Suite", at the same time inspiring other musicians to make their statements on the homeland.
Looking back from the problems that Africa faces in the 90s it is hard to conceive the possibilities that a newly independent and home ruled Africa presented, and the model it gave Afro Americans to strive for. As we come full circle into the 90s and interest in Afro American history is again revived, here is a flavour of the dark continent in musical form.

REVIEW

It is arguable that all jazz is rooted in the African tradition; this Blue Note compilation pays homage to the stronger aspects of African-influenced music in American history.
Many of these songs are direct explorations of African rhythms and styles, as well as tributes to African culture. Some of the best material from the Blue Note archives is featured here, including songs from McCoy Tyner, Diane Reeves, Art Blakey, and Lee Morgan. (AMG)