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| Toronto's We Are Busy Bodies are recirculating the Alex Express album by The Cliffs feat. saxophone great Mankunku Ngozi. |
Here's the scoop...
Hailing from Cape Town, tenor saxophonist Winston Mankunku Ngozi (1943-2009) is a venerated figure in the pantheon of South African jazz. Inspired by Coltrane while rooted in indigenous folklore, he released the classic album Yakhal’ Inkomo at the outset of his career with the Mankunku Quartet in 1969. Backed by the Cliffs, Alex Express documents Mankunku’s return to the studio in 1975 with a handful of new and original compositions and his inimitable tone on full display. Shaking off the burden of Yakhal’ Inkomo, which was heralded as an earnest manifesto for modern South African jazz, the album is a carefree affair that leans into township grooves with joyful exuberance. In addition to a collaborative project with Mike Makhalemele entitled The Bull and the Lion, Alex Express is the first of just two rare snapshots of Mankunku in the 1970s. Disillusioned by the recording industry, it would take until his resurgence in the 1990s for Mankunku to flesh out his recorded legacy.
Get a copy from We Are Busy Bodies via Bandcamp right here. Listen to the album following the credits below.
The Cliffs featuring Mankunku Ngozi - Alex Express
1. Alex Express 3:39
2. Over The Cliff 6:16
3. Gu Gu Lethu 4:07
4. Ever Green 5:13
5. Revelation 6:40
Credits:
Alto saxophone – Winston Mankunku Ngozi
Trumpet – Stompie Manana
Trumpet – George Tyefumani
Organ – Roger Khoza
Guitar – Allen Kwela
Bass – Philip Kiti
Drums – Peter Jackson
Originally issued in South Africa by The Record and Tape Company in 1975.
Remastered by Noah Mintz at Lacquer Channel Mastering.
Artwork Restoration by Steve Lewin.
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