OTOROKU is proud to present the first vinyl reissue of Blue Notes for Mongezi, one of the most passionate celebrations of a life in music ever laid to tape. Recorded in late 1975 by Blue Notes, then reduced to a quartet - Dudu Pukwana on alto sax, whistle, percussion, and vocals, Johnny Dyani on bass, bells and vocals, Louis Moholo-Moholo on drums, percussion and vocals, and Chris McGregor on piano and percussion - and issued the following year by Ogun, the album is a kairos; the first commercial release by one of free jazz’s seminal ensembles, captured them 13 years after their founding - at the height of their powers - delivering an explosive dirge dedicated to Mongezi Feza, their former bandmate and friend. Blue Notes were founded in Cape Town in 1962 and stand among the most important ensembles in the history of jazz. Artistically brilliant and groundbreaking - gathering, within a few short years, a devoted following that included Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, Abdullah Ibrahim, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Drew, Keith Tippett, Evan Parker, John Stevens, and numerous others - they were also the first widely visible multiracial band in South Africa. As a mixed race band under South African apartheid; this group of friends and like-minded artists - Chris McGregor, Mongezi Feza, Dudu Pukwana, Nikele Moyake, Johnny Dyani and Louis Moholo-Moholo - existed within a context that viewed their mere existence as a dangerous and subversive act. In 1964, as the pressure mounted, they joined an exodus of musicians leaving for Europe, eventually settling in London during the following year. Sadly, not long after arriving and facing continued economic peril, the group buckled. Johnny Dyani left to join Don Cherry’s band. Moholo-Moholo and Dyani followed suit and joined Steve Lacy on tour, and the remaining members morphed into a number of ensembles that eventually grew to become Chris McGregor's Brotherhood Of Breath. In late 1975 however, Mongezi Feza - in the midst of a fruitful period collaborating with Dudu Pukwana, Johnny Dyani, and Okay Temiz - suddenly passed away at the age of thirty from pneumonia. Nine days later, on the 23rd December, following the memorial service to their friend, Pukwana, Dyani, McGregor, and Moholo-Moholo gathered in a rehearsal room in London and set out to play. Fittingly, no discussion took place before or during the session. The music was left to say it all. The resulting double LP coalesced into four long-form movements that occupy a side each, collectively unleashing an onslaught of free jazz fire, fluidly covering a remarkable range of moods and tactical approaches across its length. For anyone encountering the Blue Notes for the first time, the album must have felt like being blindsided by a brick, adding a profound sense of credence to Moholo-Moholo’s belief that free improvisation was intrinsically linked to the Pan-African temperament. In the band’s hands, the idiom sounds like nothing else and exactly as it should. A frenzied funeral dirge, a cry, and catharsis, the record rises and falls between playful and joyous movements of deconstructed song, rhythmic and vocal tribalism, and churning, instrumental free expression. It indicates not only a possible future for musical expression - as all truly avant-garde music does - but also the very roots of music itself, illuminating, through abstraction, the far-flung, ancient roots currently carried by the New Orleans”first line” march to the grave. It is a decidedly African vision of free jazz, coalescing as a collective expression of celebration and loss on a cold London day. It is a masterpiece unfolding in real time - out on a limb and laden with risk - created by four of the most talented voices the idiom has known. DUDU PUKWANA alto sax, whistle, percussion, vocals. CHRIS McGREGOR piano, percussion. LOUIS MOHOLO drums, percussion, vocals. JOHNNY DIYANI bass, bell.
DELIVERY INFORMATION
Updated a month ago
Please choose your location from the dropdown below:
✔ You have qualified for FREE delivery!
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW...
You’ll receive a confirmation email once your order is placed, followed by a second email containing your tracking information once your order has been shipped from our warehouse.
All delivery timeframes start from the day after you place the order unless specified.
Gift Card purchases don’t count towards qualifying for a free delivery threshold.
Unfortunately, we’re unable to deliver to Military Addresses in EU countries.
In the unlikely event that you don’t receive your order after the stated delivery timeframe, or your order is damaged when it arrives, please contact us.
SHIPPING EXCLUSION LIST
We currently do not ship to the following places:
Afghanistan, Belarus, Burundi, Bonaire, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guadeloupe, Iran, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Martinique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea, Northern Marianas Islands, Oaxaca Region of Mexico, Pakistan, Reunion, Russia, Somalia, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, South Sudan, Sudan, Gauteng Province of South Africa, Syria, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, St. Pierre and Miquelon, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe.
FAQ
What is the IOSS (Import One-Stop Shop)?
The Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) is an electronic portal that businesses can use to comply with their VAT obligations on distance sales of imported goods. Since 1st July 2021, all goods imported into the EU with a value of up to €150 are subject to VAT. No additional VAT fees should be paid for the delivery of parcels in Europe under €150. For orders over €150, your order will be shipped DDU (Delivery Duty Unpaid).
A slight variant on the traditional Victor von Doom figure, this Monster Hunters version is strikingly detailed and very tentacular! It's also currently available at an absolute bargain price.
One of the must have for your Skyrim board game collection. Especially if you are a collector of Skyrim series.
Good Seller, fast shipping from UK to Canada! Definitely will shop with again.
I bought 4 for my daughter as they are so much cheaper here than anywhere else else. They are all gorgeous. Hazel is beautiful and a great figurine to have. I'm very pleased with the site and the purchase
Not the easiest record to source on vinyl but a real gem, received promptly, well packaged and in perfect condition.
Justin Adams is one of the unsung heroes among UK guitarists and cross-cultural ambassadors, committed to working with great musicians across West Africa, the Maghreb and southern Europe. On this record he joins the remarkable Mauro Durante of Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino to showcase a UK/Puglia blend with a sharp political edge. The title track Still Moving bears witness to the trauma of refugees seeking shelter that few here can imagine and too few even care to think about.
Full credit to Justin Adams, a wonderful musician with a true grasp of what solidarity means. His world view crosses musical borders and calls for a better future for all humanity.