Sun Ra - Cosmos (1976)

Sun Ra has always been an explorer, venturing out among the cycles and frequencies of the musical cosmos like a wild astronaut, bent on rejoicing and celebrating the wonders of the universe. The extended metaphor of space travel permeates the emotional climate of this masterful recording, as Sun Ras Arkestra reaches out to express the vibrations of the stars as in Interstellar the adventure of travel as in "Moonship" and "Unknown Planet." Sun Ra has always been ahead of his time, musically and spiritually, and has suffered somewhat at the hands of fashionable critics who disdained his attempts at cosmic communications.

LeRoi Jones, in his perceptive book Black Music, understood Sun Ras quest better than most contemporary observers, and made these comments in 1966. All the concepts that seemed vague and unrealized in the late 1950s have come together in the mature and profound music and compositions of this philosopher-musician. Sun Ras Arkestra is really a black family. The leader keeps fourteen or fifteen musicians playing with him, who are convinced that music is a priestly concern and vitally significant aspect of black culture. Some of the musicians like tenor man John Gilmore, might have jobs with other bread bands, but their strongest dedication is to the beautiful black sound-world of Sun Ra.

"Recorded in Paris in 1976, this album is one of Ra's more accessible efforts - and no less enjoyable for all that. The line up includes such luminaries as John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Danny Davis, Danny Thompson, Elo Omoe and others in a full brass section, backed by some absolutely stomping rhythm section work from electric bass and drums played by a couple of unknown session musicians. In fact, this rhythm section lends the album much of its flavour - supplying a driving, urgent, up-tempo, post-bop backbone to most of the tracks. Throughout, Ra plays just one instrument - the Rocksichord - which sounds very much like a harpsichord filtered through various electronic processes. Indeed, some of the album's more reflective moments come in two unaccompanied pieces which maintain a calm and almost melancholy tone, while never straying far from Ra's cosmic vision.
The highlight of the album, however, has to be 'Moonship Journey', a rolling mid-tempo romp which features the band singing in broad Bronx accents the refrain: 'Prepare yourself for the moonship journey, Journey of the moonship,' with such verve and syncopation that you can almost imagine Sinatra adopting the tune.
A rare corker!" - Mr. Daniel Spicer

"A hard-to-find, alternately chaotic and tightly organized mid-'70s session that was issued on the Cobra, and then Inner City labels. Sun Ra provided some stunning moments on the Rocksichord, while leading The Arkestra through stomping full-band cuts of atmospheric or alternately hard bop compositions, peeling off various saxophonists for skittering, screaming, at times spacey dialogues."  - allmusic  

Tracklist:

A1	The Mystery Of Two	5:47
A2	Interstellar Low-Ways	4:45
A3	Neo Project #2	5:15
A4	Cosmos	2:50
B1	Moonship Journey	6:30
B2	Journey Among Stars	5:50
B3	Jazz From An Unknown Planet	8:10

Sun Ra - Cosmos (1976)      
(320 kbps, cover art included)  

Dakar Sound Vol. 1 - Etoile 2000

.It was in the 70s that Dakar-businessman Mass Diokhane, dealer in cars and radio-cassete players, got the idea to produce young talents of his nieghbourhood on a label called "Touba Auto K7". So he hired a technician and they started to record the new sound of booming Dakar.

With these recordings and performances in the Jandeer night-club, Etoile de Dakar (with singer Youssou N´Dour) emerged as teh most popular group of Senegal. In the weekends they played all over the country. Diokhane as manager of the club asked singer Eric M´Backe N´Doye, guitarist Badou N´Daye and Etoile de Dakar´s star -singer El Hadji Faye to come up with a new band that could make the trees of Dakar swing. Diiokhane would supply all the neccesary equipment.

One night, during rehearsals in his garage, Diokhane came in with a tapedeck, plugged it into the mixing table, and the song "Boubou N´Gary" was taped. At 6 o´clock the musicians were send off to have breakfast and an apprenti took the tape to Golo Gaye, the most popular DJ of ORTS (national radio of Senegal). He baptised the new group the Etoile for the year 2000. Once played "Boubou N´Gary", he played it again, by public demand. And then again, all day long. At night Etoile 2000 played for a packed Yandeer. Diokhane wanted to record more, but due to some technical problems the only song recorded was "Niety Noon".
Next day Sama Xarit and Yaye Time were added to the master-tape which was flown to Paris right away. The following day 5000 copies of volume 1 of the Etoile 2000 were sold in Dakar. A major event in Senegal´s music industry.

Here you have a digitized "best of" selection from Etoile 2000´s first three cassettes. Listen to the psychedelic "guitare fuzz" of Badou N´Daye, the heavy tama of Yamar Thiam and above all the irresistable high voice of El Hadji Faye.

Dakar Sound Vol. 1 - Etoile 2000
(192 kbps, ca. 63 MB)

Fela Kuti & Africa 70 - No Bread (1976)

Pioneering musician, activist, and bandleader Fela Kuti is the first word in Afro-beat, making such strides in the genre over the course of his career that his contributions are foundational and nothing less than legendary.

"No Bread" (also known as "Unnecessary Begging") comes at a formative time in Fela's massive discography, between two of his most championed releases, 1975's "Expensive Shit" and 1977's "Zombie". While "No Bread" was one of no less than five albums Kuti released in 1976, its use of wiry synthesizers intermingled with bright horns and energetic Afro-beat rhythms makes for a bedding of increasingly interesting sounds on top of which Fela lays down his sung-spoken political poetry lyrics.                

Tracklist:

A	No Bread	13:57
B	Unnecessary Begging	16:00

Fela Kuti & Africa 70 - No Bread (1976)
(192 kbps, cover art included)