#5028, Afro-jazz

Hear music in a jazz way with a direct connection to the African continent by sax player Marshall Allen, bandleaders Nicole Mitchell (flute) and Ballaké Sissoko (kora), Bristol, UK-based Ethiojazzers Tezeta, and more.

Listen to recent music by sax player Marshall Allen, who has been part of the Sun Ra Arkestra since 1958, and since Sun Ra’s death in 1993, he has kept the spiritual/cosmic/musical legacy of Sun Ra alive, as the Arkestra's bandleader. Hear his piece, “African Sunset,” which features Marshall Allen playing the EWI (electronic wind instrument) along with some of Philadelphia’s brightest jazz stars, from his debut solo album, New Dawn, which he released in 2025 at the age of 100. 

Then, hear from bandleaders Nicole Mitchell (flute) and Ballaké Sissoko (kora), and some music built on the African griot traditions of call and response, rooted in the Black Amerikan blues/jazz lineage from a recording called Bamako​*​Chicago Sound System. There’s also music from Tezeta, an experimental 8-piece group formed in Bristol, UK, to play music by Mulatu Astatke, hence the name Tezeta (Ethiopian for nostalgia). They developed their style and created originals combining Ethiopian jazz, Afrobeat, prog and improvisation. Hear a tune from their 2016 record, Seventh Place.

Listen to music by the late jazz pianist Randy Weston whose deeply spiritual style assimilated Moroccan, and West African music. Listen to a selection from his record with the Splendid Master Gnawa Musicians of Morocco. Plus, work by the late South African saxophonist and composer Dudu Pukwana, and more. - Caryn Havlik

ARTIST: Nicole Mitchell and Ballaké Sissoko
WORK:  Spicy Jambalaya [1:00]
RECORDING: Bamako​*​Chicago Sound System
SOURCE: FPE Records
INFO: https://nicolemitchell.bandcamp.com/album/bamako-chicago-sound-system

ARTIST: Marshall Allen
WORK: African Sunset [7:29]
RECORDING: New Dawn
SOURCE: Mexican Summer
INFO: https://marshallallen.bandcamp.com/album/new-dawn

ARTIST: Nicole Mitchell and Ballaké Sissoko
WORK:  Spicy Jambalaya [7:29]
RECORDING: Bamako​*​Chicago Sound System
SOURCE: FPE Records
INFO: https://nicolemitchell.bandcamp.com/album/bamako-chicago-sound-system

ARTIST: Kala Jula & Gangbe Brass Band
WORK: Treme Cissé [8:00]
RECORDING: ASRO
SOURCE: Buda Musique
INFO: Available at Amazon.com, Apple Music, YouTube, Spotify

ARTIST: Tezeta
WORK: Sarakany [6:15]
RECORDING: Seventh Place
SOURCE: Klang Tone
INFO: https://tezeta.bandcamp.com/album/seventh-place

ARTIST: Dudu Pukwana & Spear
WORK: Zukude [5:10]
RECORDING: In The Townships
SOURCE: Caroline Records
INFO: Try Discogs.com

ARTIST: Philippe Massé
WORK: Fall [6:22]
RECORDING: Le Vent
SOURCE: Philippe Massé
INFO: https://philippemasse.bandcamp.com/album/session-20-23

ARTIST: Randy Weston
WORK: Chalabati [5:02]
RECORDING: Randy Weston & Splendid Master Gnawa Musicians of Morocco 
SOURCE: Uni/Verve
INFO: Try Discogs.com