Louis Moholo-Moholo

An Open Letter to My Wife Mpumi (OGCD031)

An Open Letter to My Wife Mpumi View larger

2008

An Open Letter to My Wife Mpumi

Louis Moholo-Moholo

Ogun

5020675572270

OGU 122944

OGCD031

JAZZ

1

An Open Letter to My Wife Mpumi

More details

CD 14,98 €

Louis Moholo's Unit, a septet with John Edwards on bass, Pule Pheto on piano, dual saxophones from Jason Yarde and Nutshuks Bonga and vibraphonist Orphy Robinson.

"One of the legends of the South African and British jazz scenes, drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo came to London in the mid-1960s, and has been balancing emotional eloquence, township music's energy and an openness to the wildest of jazz/improv freedoms ever since. This flat-out 2008 set finds the drummer in a powerful septet including UK saxists Jason Yarde and Ntshuks Bonga, his regular pianist Pule Pheto and Francine Luce on vocals. The horns adopt that vocal-choir South African sound over Pheto's splashing runs and Moholo-Moholo's hurtling snare patterns. Hymnal songs are intoned with stately imperturbability over the stormy rhythmic seas beneath - and there are grippingly layered originals from Yarde, full of free-blowing tumults and baritone-sax snortings, while his Thank U 4 2 Day introduces a sinewy, pleading lyricism underpinned by Orphy Robinson's vibes. It's a ragged and jam-like studio set with a raucous live feel - but it confirms Moholo-Moholo's presence on the scene as a blast of fresh air."-John Fordham, The Guardian UK