Chris Roper: CD of the week
From the first smoky bars of the opening track, On Green Dolphin Street by the Dave Lithins Trio, you’re transported back to the freezing cold alleys, muggy venues and inexpressible intensity of the Grahamstown Arts Festival. A reminder of that peculiar evocative quality jazz has of perfectly encapsulating moments, environments and eras.
The Best of the Standard Bank Jazz Festival 1997 (Lion’s Head Records) is crammed with some of the most accomplished musicians this country has produced, joined by an intriguing selection of international guests. There’s Dave Ledbetter, Winston Mankunku, Marcus Wyatt, Barney Rachebane – in fact, too many to mention.
The late Walter Bishop Jr’s spoken-word Owed to Bird sets the tone for the instrumental lyricism that follows in his collaboration with saxophonist Harold Jefta, Parker’s Mood. Darius Brubeck and the Afro-Cool Concept slide through a liquid Township Dreams, and Gito Baloi picks up the mood with the rhythmic, joyous afro-jazz of Ekaya. Afro-jazz? A meaningless label when you’re confronted by the array of hybrid styles and witty references splattered across this album.
When those ugly visitors of yours from Planet First World arrive on their next safari and ask you for a CD that captures the moods, colours and skills of South African jazz, give them this. It’s more than they deserve, but it’ll make their lives a little more interesting and save you having to explain how the hell you can have those whistle thingies on the same album as the pure tenor sax of Mike Rossi. “Because it’s beautiful,” becomes the obvious answer.