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Posts Tagged Africa

Archive

May 1, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

R.I.P. Tony Allen

Reports are coming in that Tony Allen has died. He was just shy of his 80th birthday and had remained very active in music across the last decade; in fact he was super prolific – with a diverse range of collaborations across jazz, pop and funk music. But even if he had stopped playing 40 […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Africa, Afrobeat, Damon Albarn, Drummer, Drumming, Drums, Eulogy, Fela Kuti, Nigeria, R.I.P., R.I.P. Tony Allen, Rocket Juice and The Moon, The Good The Bad And The Queen, Tony Allen ·

Archive

April 29, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Ebo Taylor: Palaver

Ebo Taylor Palaver BBE Music Ebo Taylor – living legend of African highlife music is still in rude health at 83 – at least as far as 2018’s Yen Ara let us know; a career highlight. And now we have Palaver, not strictly a new recording – but it’s the first time this 40-year-old album […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Africa, African, Afrobeat, Album Review, Archive, BBE Music, Ebo Taylor, Ebo Taylor: Palaver, Fela Kuti, higlife, Lost Album, Palaver, Yen Ara, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

October 6, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

R.I.P. Ginger Baker

Ginger Baker, the influential drummer from Cream and Blind Faith is dead. He was 80. He had been in poor health for years. A week or so ago we all got wind that his final breath was drawing near. By the time you read this the news is already everywhere. Ginger Baker is dead. He […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Africa, Baker, BBM, Blind Faith, Cream, Drummer, Drums, Eulogy, Fela Kuti, Ginger, Ginger Baker, Hawkwind, Jazz, R.I.P., R.I.P. Ginger Baker, Tony Allen ·

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February 17, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

The 1001 Albums Challenge # 126: Koffi Olomide – “Haut De Gamme” 

Probably couldn’t have picked a worse time to ‘discover’ Koffi Olomide. I’d never heard his music, not sure I’d even heard of the Congolese singer and musician, if I’m honest. But in a routine-Googling to find the cover image and any background guff to add to this – I found out he’s accused of multiple sexual assaults and is generally […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 1001, 1001 Albums, 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, 1990s, 1991, Africa, Haut De Gamme, Koffi Olomide, Koffi Olomide - “Haut De Gamme”, Nineties, The 1001 Albums Challenge, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 126, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 126: Koffi Olomide - “Haut De Gamme”, World Music ·

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January 30, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

Weezer: Weezer (The Teal Album)

Weezer Weezer (The Teal Album) Crush Music/Atlantic That Weezer has survived to make a dozen albums simply means they’ve recorded nine or ten albums more than necessary. Any of you getting raged and ready to defend Maladroit or Make Believe or to say any of the other self-titled/colour albums should be saved due to a single song like Pork and Beans or whatever, […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Africa, Album Review, Cover Versions, Covers, The Teal Album, Toto, Weezer, Weezer: Weezer (The Teal Album), You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

January 21, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

The 1001 Albums Challenge # 119: Baaba Maal & Mansour Seck – “Djam Leelii”

Baaba Maal was a name I learned when I worked in The CD Store. I learned a lot then – world music especially. I knew some stuff already, was well versed in a bit of African, South American and Indian music – but there’s so much. Mansour Seck is a name brand new to me. […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged “Djam Leelii”, 1001, 1001 Albums, 1001 Albums Challenge, 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, 1984, 1989, Africa, African, Baaba Maal, Baaba Maal & Mansour Seck, Baaba Maal & Mansour Seck - “Djam Leelii”, Djam Leeli, Mansour Seck, The 1001 Albums Challenge, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 119, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 119: Baaba Maal & Mansour Seck, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 119: Baaba Maal & Mansour Seck - “Djam Leelii”, The Adventurers, World Music, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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November 27, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The 1001 Albums Challenge # 103: Abdullah Ibrahim – “Water From An Ancient Well”

One of the great African jazz musicians is Abdullah Ibrahim. And I’ve been thrashing his Cape Town Revisited of late, so was nice to come across this album in the book – one I didn’t know (I only know Cape Town and know of his legacy). He’s a wonderful Ellington-esque pianist and composer. And there’s […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged #103, 1001, 1001 Albums, 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, 1980s, 1986, Abdullah Ibrahim, Abdullah Ibrahim – “Water From An Ancient Well”, Africa, African, Cape Town Revisited, Duke Ellington, Eighties, Jazz, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 103:, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 103: Abdullah Ibrahim – “Water From An Ancient Well”, Water From An Ancient Well ·

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November 22, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The 1001 Albums Challenge # 102: Youssou N’Dour – “Immigrés”

I guess my real intro to Youssou N’Dour, perhaps as with many people, was hearing Seven Seconds – the duet with Neneh Cherry. Many years on I got to ask Cherry all about that song. From there I heard N’Dour in the context of compilations – it was great in-store play back in the day […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 1001, 1001 Albums, 1001 Albums Challenge, 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, 1980s, 1984, 1988, Africa, Afro-Beat, Afro-Pop, Eighties, Immigres, Neneh Cherry, Senegal, Seven Seconds, The 1001 Albums Challenge, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 102, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 102: Youssou N'Dour – “Immigrés”, World Music, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Youssou N'Dour, Youssou N'Dour – “Immigrés” ·

Archive

June 26, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

Ebo Taylor: Yen Ara

Ebo Taylor Yen Ara Mr. Bongo Ebo Taylor, “Mr Highlife” – the Ghanian bandleader, composer, guitarist and singer now in his 80s – might have just made the best album of his career; certainly a highlight, one of several high points, granted. But the effortlessness, the joy, the political energy and anger, the sheer musicality […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Africa, Afrobeat, Album Review, Ebo Taylor, Ebo Taylor: Yen Ara, Ghana, Highlife, Justin Adams, Mr. Bongo, Ye Ara ·

Archive

June 25, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

Angelique Kidjo: Remain In Light

Angelique Kidjo Remain in Light KRAVENWORKS Angelique Kidjo is African Music Royalty – even if she’s suffered some claims of (somehow) not being “Authentic”. Hers is a fine body of work, moving and political, so often utterly joyous and accessible too as she creates a version of Afrobeat that integrates mainstream international music; hers then […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Africa, African Music, Afrobeat, Afropop, Album Review, Angelique Kidjo, Angelique Kidjo: Remain In Light, Antibalas, Blood Orange, Born Under Punches, Brian Eno, Crosseyed And Painless, Houses In Motion, KRAVENWORKS, Once In A Lifetime, Remain In Light, Talking Heads, Tony Allen, Vampire Weekend, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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March 13, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

NZ Festival Writers & Readers: Teju Cole – Blind Spot

Teju Cole: Blind Spot Circa One; Circa Theatre Saturday, March 10 This Writers & Readers session was Teju Cole in conversation with Paula Morris. Chiefly the discussion was about his excellent new book Blind Spot but from there Cole found his way to talking about his work in a more general sense, his motivations, his […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 2018), Africa, America, Author Talk, Blind Spot, Book, Circa, Circa One, Circa Theatre, March 10, NZ Festival, NZ Festival Writers & Readers: Teju Cole – Blind Spot, Paula Morris, Photography, Photography Critic, photos, Q&A, Reader, Readers, Saturday, Teju Cole, Teju Cole: Blind Spot, Wellington, Wgtn, Writer, Writers, Writers & Readers, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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November 7, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 473

Tamikrest, Kidal (2017) I should probably write an actual review of this – since it’s new and all – but every now and then I like to go in to the store and just buy a brand new record, the LP – with no real focus on ‘reviewing’ it as such; this is just me […]
Posted in Blog, The Vinyl Countdown · Tagged 2017), Africa, African, Chatma, Desert Blues, Ehad Wad Nadorhan, Kidal, LP, Tamashek, Tamikrest, The Vinyl Countdown # 473, Tourareg, Vinyl ·
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