''Afrikan Song'' is an album by percussionists

Famoudou Don Moye Donald Moye, Jr. (born May 23, 1946), known as Famoudou Don Moye, is an American jazz percussionist and drummer. He is most known for his involvement with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and is noted for his mastery of African and Caribbean percuss ...

and Enoch Williamson. It was recorded in 1995 and 1996 at Sparrow Sound Design in Chicago, Illinois, and was released on CD in 1996 by

AECO Records AECO Records is a record label started by the Art Ensemble Of Chicago. Discography * AECO 001: Don Moye – ''Sun Percussion Volume One'' * AECO 002: Joseph Jarman – ''Sunbound Volume One'' * AECO 003: Brother Malachi Favors Magoustous – ''Nat ...

, a label founded by the

Art Ensemble of Chicago The Art Ensemble of Chicago is an avant-garde jazz group that grew out of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians ( AACM) in the late 1960s. The ensemble integrates many jazz styles and plays many instruments, including "little ...

, and Southport Records. On the album, Moye and Williamson are joined by members of a group called Sun Percussion Summit & More.

Reception

In a review for

Jazz Times ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

, Willard Jenkins called the album "an organic recording preaching, teaching, and celebrating the Motherland," and wrote: "this recording is in the manner of a percussion discussion on Africana... The imagery is rife on this outing." Writing for the

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

, Howard Reich commented: "the recording evokes distant eras in the pre-history of jazz. The intricate African rhythms and polyrhythms, fervent passages of solo and ensemble chant and astonishing array of percussion color offer a world of sound rarely heard on recordings... these artists say a great deal about the flow of black music through the ages. By any measure, a haunting and indelible recording."

Track listing

# "Afrikan Song" (Enoch Williamson) – 7:06 # "Mada" (Mamane Samake) – 6:20 # "Diaspora Express Suite: Clear Confusion (Poem Excerpt)" (Famoudou Don Moye) – 0:36 # "Diaspora Express Suite: A Body Without a Head / Home Song" (Famoudou Don Moye) – 3:57 # "Diaspora Express Suite: Reflections on the Middle Passage" (Famoudou Don Moye) – 3:56 # "Diaspora Express Suite: Welcome / Diaspora Express" (Famoudou Don Moye) – 4:53 # "

Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" is a song by American soul group The Temptations, written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Released on the Gordy (Motown) label, and produced by Norman Whitfield, it features on the group's 1 ...

" (

Barrett Strong Barrett Strong (born February 5, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best known for his work as a songwriter, particularly in association with producer Norman Whitfi ...

Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s.allmusic Biography/ref> He has been credited as one of the creators of the Motow ...

) – 5:09 # "Hot Pepper Mambo" (Enoch Williamson) – 3:08 # "Big Red Peaches" (

Roscoe Mitchell Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described him as "one of the key figures ...

) – 4:55 # "Alili" (Naby "Papus" Camera) – 6:02 # "By the Rivers of Babylon / Ol' Time Religion" (Traditional) – 5:22 # "Malachi (Weah Solo)" (Famoudou Don Moye) – 1:06 # "Ancestral Memories" (Babu Atiba / Famoudou Don Moye) – 2:35 # "Walk of the Lunga" (Paul Cotton / Enoch Williamson) – 3:09 # "Super Yeye" (Naby "Papus" Camera) – 5:24

Personnel

– percussion, vocals * Enoch Williamson – percussion, vocals * Herb Walker – guitar * Calvin "Koko" Brunson – keyboards, vocals * Oscar "Bobo" Brown III – bass, vocals * G'ra – narrator * Babu Atiba – percussion, vocals * Clifton Robinson – percussion, vocals * Meshak Silas – percussion, vocals * Selah Allen – percussion, vocals * P.C. Cotton – percussion, vocals * Mamane Samake – percussion * Naby Camara – percussion

References

{{Reflist 1996 albums Don Moye albums Percussion music