Africa N'Da Blues is an album by Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio featuring saxophonist Pharoah Sanders that was recorded in 1999 and released on the Delmark label.[1][2]

Africa N'Da Blues
Studio album by
Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio featuring Pharoah Sanders
ReleasedAugust 15, 2000
RecordedDecember 17 & 18, 1999
StudioRiverside Studio, Chicago, IL
GenreJazz
Length71:18
LabelDelmark
DE-519
ProducerKahil El'Zabar, Robert G. Koester
Kahil El'Zabar chronology
Freedom Jazz Dance
(1999)
Africa N'Da Blues
(2000)
One World Family
(2000)
Pharoah Sanders chronology
Save Our Children
(1999)
Africa N'Da Blues
(2000)
Spirits
(2000)

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings    [4]

In his review for AllMusic, Alex Henderson notes "the group couldn't have asked for a more appropriate guest. Like drummer/percussionist El'Zabar, he is a very flexible musician who is comfortable with both inside and outside playing ... this post-bop date generally favors an inside/outside approach and is more inside than outside. Most of the material, in fact, is quite melodic ... Thanks to Sanders' participation, Africa N'da Blues is arguably the strongest album that Ritual Trio recorded for Delmark in the 1990s."[3] On All About Jazz, Derek Taylor said "Far from being formulaic in a negative sense El’Zabar’s preferred rubric for the Ritual Trio in recent years has resulted in some of the most stimulating music of his career. This disc, while at times adhering a little to [sic] closely to the itinerary of past projects continues the successful streak substantiated by these earlier efforts. Thankfully it also demonstrates conclusively that Sanders retirement is still a long way off."[5]

Track listing edit

All compositions by Kahil El'Zabar except where noted

  1. "Ka-Real" [take 2] (Joseph Bowie) – 12:38
  2. "Africanos/ Latinos" (Kahil El'Zabar, Susana Sandoval) – 9:52
  3. "Miles' Mode" (John Coltrane) – 7:21
  4. "Autumn Leaves" (Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert, Johnny Mercer) – 11:26
  5. "Africa N'Da Blues" – 7:34
  6. "Pharoah's Song" – 11:42
  7. "Ka-Real" [take 1] (Bowie) – 10:45

Personnel edit

References edit

  1. ^ Delmark Records: album details, accessed January 21, 2019
  2. ^ Jazzlists: Delmark Records discography: 400/500 series, accessed January 21, 2019
  3. ^ a b Henderson, Alex. Ritual Trio – Africa N'Da Blues: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  4. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 445. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  5. ^ Taylor, D. All About Jazz Review, accessed January 21, 2019