CD OF THE WEEK:Darius Brubeck: Before It’s Too Late (EMI)
Darius Brubeck is one of the hardest-working jazz activists in the business. Activist — instead of merely a musician, or even a pianist. He has at some point been a jazz radio presenter, a performer, producer, composer, band leader and academic. All of these things that define Brubeck — and we will for now ignore his lineage — emerge in a patiently and lovingly prepared stew in his latest work, Before It’s Too Late (Sheer).
The title is, as Brubeck says in the sleeve, an attempt to gather some of the country’s best session musicians and cut an album with them ”before it’s too late”. The musicians gathered here have responded as if they will never get another chance. They blow up a storm, beat their drums and pour their souls out as if there is no tomorrow.
As it turned out, the title proved prophetic with guitarist Sandile Shange dying in a car crash just after the recording. Durban jazz bassist Sipho Gumede also died just around the time of the album’s release.
Before It’s Too Late has all the elements of a great jazz album. It has soulful ballads, such as the title track (with vocals by Catherine Brubeck), and it showcases the best of South Africa’s contribution to the genre with Zim Ngqawana’s swashbuckling solo on Mamazala. And the universality of jazz and its timelessness are re-emphasised in the classic Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.
The result of all this is a jazz album that you will listen to once and then set to repeat. If you really love jazz, get yourself this one before it’s too late.
Gian Groen: Met die Maan Gepla (Bowline)
A soulful young Afrikaans singer-songwriter who started off with the group Spinnekop, Groen writes bluesy folk-pop that sometimes swings to the morose. He also performs a decent cover of Anton Goosen’s Kruppelkop Gewete. A highlight on many of the tracks is Guy Feldman’s guitar work complementing Groen’s rather poetic lyrics. — Riaan Wolmarans
James Horner: Music from the Motion Picture Troy (Gallo)
A surprisingly non-epic soundtrack for such an adventurous film. Horner — who won an Oscar for his Titanic effort — is certainly as skilled as ever at composing movie music, but without the accompanying war and strife on screen many of these tracks sound rather bleak and uneventful. They could have played this at Troy to lull the city’s defences. Josh Groban joins in on the slightly more dramatic Remember Me, accompanied by Tanja Tzarovska. — RW
Skallabrak: Kophou Internasionaal (Independent)
Mostly original, often flavourless Afrikaans folk-rock from this Stellenbosch act, well-meant but not always so well-executed — a kind of Valiant Swart ”lite” without the inspiration. Their Afrikaans translation of the 4 Non-Blondes’ What’s Going On is atrocious, but at least their version of Swart’s Roekeloos is quite catchy. — RW
Various: Get Fresh! Twenty Killer Tracks (Fresh)
A showcase of the best artists from the Fresh stable, including the ever-sublime Cofield Mundi, pop-rockers Tait, Nianell, Sunways, Blk Sonshine’s big hit Born in a Taxi, Citrus, Naked and many more excellent choices, both new and old. Unfortunately Frank Opperman’s rather lifeless take on Koos Kombuis’s Johnny Is Nie Dood Nie also made it on to Get Fresh. But get it anyway. — RW