{"title":"Blue Notes","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"blue-notes-for-johnny","title":"Blue Notes For Johnny","description":"\u003cp\u003eOtoroku is proud to present the first vinyl reissue of \u003ci\u003eBlue Notes For Johnny\u003c\/i\u003e - a defining statement by one of the greatest ensembles in the history of jazz. Recorded in mid-1987 by Blue Notes - then reduced to the trio of Dudu Pukwana on alto sax, Louis Moholo-Moholo on drums and Chris McGregor on piano - it encounters the band 25 years after their founding embarking on an inward meditation through collective music making dedicated to Johnny Dyani, their former bandmate and friend. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlue 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 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 they joined an exodus of musicians leaving for Europe and eventually settled in London 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing the death of Mongezi Feza in 1975 the remaining members of the group had come back together to record Blue Notes For Mongezi, reigniting a sporadic period of activity over the coming years. Following the untimely passing of Johnny Dyani in late 1986, the last three members of the original line-up - McGregor, Pukwana and Moholo-Moholo - reformed to pay tribute to yet another of their fallen brothers. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBlue Notes For Johnny\u003c\/i\u003e, the group’s second musical memorial to a band member, incorporates a considerably broader range of touchstone and practices than its predecessor, nodding toward the band’s foundations in be-bop and post-bop without abandoning where they had journeyed along the way. Internalising equal elements of hard-bop, modalism, and free improvisation, it is a startling creative statement, imbued with a tension that renders an equally radical and sophisticated challenge; a furious tide - slow in pace and it slow to reveal itself - masquerading in gentler forms.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis 2022 reissue has been made with permission and in association with Ogun records. Transferred from the original masters and featuring an exact reproduction of the original artwork. Remastered by Giuseppe Ielasi. All music by the Blue Notes. All music published by Ogun Publishing Co. Cover design by Ogun\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Otoroku","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50476293062987,"sku":"1154353","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/35562291-b191-4dbe-83d3-d37e841aac1e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727457193"},{"product_id":"blue-notes-for-mongezi","title":"Blue Notes For Mongezi","description":"\u003cp\u003eOtoroku is proud to present the first vinyl reissue of \u003cem\u003eBlue Notes For Mongezi\u003c\/em\u003e, one of the most passionate celebrations of a life in music ever laid to tape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRecorded 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBlue Notes\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the band’s hands, the idiom sounds like nothing else and exactly as it should. Transferred from the original masters and featuring an exact reproduction of the original artwork. Remastered by Giuseppe Ilelasi and packaged in a high gloss sleeve.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Otoroku","offers":[{"title":"CD | x2","offer_id":50476293947723,"sku":"1154351","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/4bac0714-927c-467a-b019-a68c31048753_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727457217"},{"product_id":"blue-notes-in-concert","title":"Blue Notes In Concert","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginally recorded at a legendary concert at London's 100 Club on 16 April 1977 by \u003cstrong\u003eRon Barron\u003c\/strong\u003e (a few months after the Sex Pistols gig there!), \u003cem\u003eIn Concert\u003c\/em\u003e was released on LP vinyl as OG 220. It was produced by \u003cstrong\u003eRon Barron\u003c\/strong\u003e, mixed and edited in Hastings by \u003cstrong\u003eRon Barron\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eKeith Beal\u003c\/strong\u003e, in 1978.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe session was reissued as part of the Box set, much extended, and this is the version here, re-mastered by \u003cstrong\u003eMartin Davidson\u003c\/strong\u003e (Emanem). There are too few recordings of this momentous band from their time in the UK, and this would seem to be the only recording of the quartet of \u003cstrong\u003eLouis Moholo\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eDudu Pukwana\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eJohnny Dyani\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eChris McGregor\u003c\/strong\u003e live apart from the session recorded in Belgium and released on Ogun as 'Before The Wind Changes' (OGCD037).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe impact of the South Afrikans on the London scene is well known, but the opportunity to hear their music, except for those lucky enough to be there, is limited. So this album, apart from being a joyous musical occasion in its own right, is an aural artifact of great importance.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ogun Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50476312396107,"sku":"1149199","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/00c8fdaa-532a-44f5-b7f2-34e7c2887314_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727457588"},{"product_id":"legacy-live-in-south-afrika-1964","title":"Legacy - Live In South Afrika 1964","description":"\u003cp\u003eRecorded live in Durban, South Afrika in 1964, prior to the departure of the Blue Notes to appear by invitation at the Juan-Les-Pins Jazz Festival, this is an historical artefact, not just in the musical development of the Blue Notes, but in the history and dire consequences of that period of the South Afrikan tragedy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMuch credit is due to the far-sighted organisers of the 1964 Antibes -Juan Les Pins jazz festival, who recognised the talent of South Africa's premier jazz combo the Blue Notes and accorded them an invitation to appear at that year's event. The ensuing voluntary exile of the multiracial group from their increasingly racist and violently oppressed homeland led to a seismic impact on the jazz scene in Britain, their adopted home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Blue Notes toured South Africa prior to leaving and luckily one of these performances, in Durban, was taped. The six musicians played an exhilarating set of original compositions with one standard (I Cover the Waterfront), their inventive harmonic interplay to the fore. Sound quality is perfectly acceptable and the package includes sleeve-notes by Tony McGregor, brother of pianist\/leader Chris McGregor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSome historical artefacts gather dust, neglected. \u003ci\u003eLegacy - Live in South Afrika 1964 \u003c\/i\u003eis not one of them. Regular playback of this album breathes life into the memory of the early days of this vital group.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ogun Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50476314132811,"sku":"1149198","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/5039cd46-b982-4f76-be42-1a4b11e4f508_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727457634"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/fr\/collections\/blue-notes.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}