I gave it 5/5 then and it is certainly true that 'Gwotet' remains a gem. It's rare for Mr. Sanders to do guest appearances, but he was certainly on good form last year. He was similarly excellent on a session with Japan's Sleepwalker from which we got 'The Voyage' on Especial. That was voted No. 5 in the Worldwide all winners tracks of 2004 but I'm still puzzled how 'Gwotet' didn't get in the top twenty, it was in my box for months. Perhaps it was due to the low level promotion of Canadian label Justin Time.

The original version of Gwotet is 12 minutes and 12 seconds of pure afro-funk in the same mould as 'Zombie' by Fela Anikulapo Kuti & Africa 70. Its pounding beat is the embodiment of pure happiness. The B-side is a 'Rare Moods Re-Work' by Doctor L (anyone know of him?), which is more spacey/leftfield. In part, it's in a similar in feel to some of Bill Laswell's remix work; Gilles liked it, as it's rare for him to play any one track more than once these days.

The album got only got 3.5 stars in November's Echoes so might be worth just sticking with the 12" for hours of pleasure. It's back in my box.

As evidence of the curious low level promotion at the time the 12" came out, David Murray's other band, The Creole Project played the London Jazz Festival and it is only now that I see he's appearing with the Gwo-Ka Masters at the Jazz CafÈ in Camden this weekend.

Jack Massarik in the Evening Standard's Metrolife featured this gig describing Gwotet as better than some world-jazz contrived concoctions and Murray himself as a "lion of post-free mainstream jazz with a huge sound." The rest of the band are US trumpeter Rasul Siddik, Herve Sambe (guitar), Jaribu Shahid (bass) and Hamid Drake on drums with the Gwo-tet rhythms provided by Klod Kiavue and Francois Ladrezeu from Guadeloupe. Please report back to FLY if you go on Sunday.

By coincidence, with my newfound interest in Big Bands, I've recently purchased an album by the David Murray Big Band called, Live at "Sweet Basil" (Vol. 2) on the Black Saint label. It was released in 1986 and the band included Five Elements leader, Steve Coleman on Saxes and Olu Dara on cornet. At the same time Gwotet was released, Mr. Dara made an appearance on his son's top 10 hit, 'Bridging The Gap' (see below). Now, I wonder if it inspired Paul Murphy's latest release with Chris Thomas King?

Links:
David Murray & The Gwo-Ka Masters feat. Pharoah Sanders - 'Gwotet' (Rare Moods Re-Work) (Justin Time)
Justin Time
Black Saint
Especial
3Hedz Hectic Review October 2004
Nas - 'Bridging The Gap' feat Olu Dara (Columbia) Rating 4/5
The State Address raved about this one in Undercover this month (Issue 17, page 16 - worth getting for the free cover disc). Gilles and Zane have played it week and it's excellent blues/jazz/rap. Effectively an updated version of the Muddy Walter's classic Mannish Boy (strangely no credit on the label) with Nas joined by his Dad, Olu Dara. Is the Blues the new Rock 'n' Roll? Only time will tell. But this is top draw. Zane enthused incoherently about it this week and the prospect of the forthcoming album (the last under his Columbia contract). Well, if the album is like the B Side, 'You Know My Style (Explicit Album Version) 2:54, it stinks. RIP Ray Charles.