Afric Pepperbird was recorded in Oslo in September 1970 and released on New Year's Day in 1971. Even after half a century, it still carries the freshness and excitement of new discoveries.
The album marked the debut of four Norwegian improvisers - Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, Arild Andersen, and Jon Christensen - at the ECM label. This marked the beginning of a long-lasting partnership with each musician, whose influence would extend far beyond Norway.
Throughout Afric Pepperbird, Rypdal often takes the lead with tight chords while Christensen and Andersen explore extended passages. Garbarek's free jazz vocabulary is prominently featured, prompting reviewer Joe Klee from DownBeat to write, "Garbarek should be heard. I would venture that not since Django Reinhardt has there been a European jazz musician so original and forward-looking as this young Norwegian."
