Before we get to ‘No Jive’, let us just dwell on that title a moment. Spiritual Jazz - Esoteric, Modal And Deep Jazz From The Underground 1968-77. Now if that doesn’t tell you “buy me”, you’re on the wrong site. But even if you are, this album will change your mind pretty damn quick.

Back in the day of Dingwalls, ‘rare’ often meant old Blue Note, Impulse, Prestige albums with the best stuff being the one Afro-spiritual jazz track with the heavy percussion. This album is far more Underground than that. Still sourced in the period of 60’s experimentation and 70’s funk, this is a deep as it goes.

So who is are the forgotten musicians that light up this album. Well all of them but the better known are Salah Ragab and the Cairo Jazz Band. Formed in 1968, Ragab was the head of the Miltary Music Department and had the pick of all the best musicians in Egypt. ‘Neveen’ is certainly proof of that and in the booklet that comes with the CD, Francis Gooding goes as far to says ‘Neven’ is “as if Sun Ra’s beloved stars are in perfect alignment”. This track can also be found on Eypptian Jazz, a Yard Art 2006 re-issue who themselves have a big Sun Ra catalogue.

Not all of the musicians here are African re-interpretations of Afro-Jazz spiritual of US/US based musicians, the ‘travelling’ Lloyd Miller (he of the equally essential ‘Fable Of Gutenberg’) turns up with ‘Gol-E-Gandom’ that takes Alice Coltrane on a Journey to Iran. This is where the detailed sleeve notes help out, recorded in 1968 in Salt Lake City, the highlight is Millers’ intro on santur (a 72-string traditional Iranian instrument).

And then there’s African and US musicians collaborating like on ‘Ayo Ayo Nene’ by Mor Thiam that mixes up 70’s funk with the drums of Senegal. This track features a certain future Art Ensemble of Chicago member, Lester Bowie on trumpet (who’d have thought he’d go on and do a cover of ‘Two Become One’; The Odyssey Of Funk & Popular Music (Atlantic, 1998). ‘Ayo Ayo Nene’ is the type of track that was bootlegged back in the day on under the counter ‘jazz-funk’ compilations so it’s time it can legitimately be a huge track again.

And then there’s exiled African musicians living in the US like Ndikho Xaba & The Natives; self-exiled South African’s who went onto re-emerge as ‘The Oneness Of Juju’ but ‘Nomusa’ is a downtempo Milt Jackson meets Horace Silver in Africa type track.

And you can just go on and on. Kim Weston (she of Motown) was a member of the Hastings Street Jazz Experience that also feature Phil Ranelin. And you can’t mention him without thinking Carlos Niño and Horace Tapscott; Tapscott responsible for piano heavy arrangement of the ‘free-poetry’ Leon Gardner rap, ‘Be There’. And you can’t think of Spiritual Jazz without mentioning Albert Ayler which leads onto ESP-Disk (represented here with the Ronnie Boykins track, ‘The Will Come, Is Now (as a massive 12.5 minutes), The album ends on another long one, ‘Psych City’ may be the track that finds the common link as it was a join effort between the Ohio State University Band and prison inmates State Penitentiary; they don’t make ‘em like that anymore.

Clearly, all the artists here are kindred spirits so there’s now surprise that in a “joining the dots” type way, that in addition to Gerald ‘Jazzman’ Short, this album was compiled by Out There Heliocentric, Malcolm Catto and Hugo ‘Favourite Things back at Proud 28th April’ Mendez.

Perhaps all this album is missing is man of the moment, Mulatu Astatke, but if you’ve not got the point by now, no jive, this is this the album to get right now.

Note: also available as a double gatefold LPand there’s a forthcoming podcast and interviews on BBC Radio 3.

Reviewed: Various - Spiritual Jazz - Esoteric, Modal And Deep Jazz From The Underground 1968-77 (Jazzman) Cat. No. JMANCD 020 Release date: April 2008
Notes: Includes a 24 page booklet.
Tracklisting:
1 James Tatum Trio Plus - Introduction (4:25)
2 Lloyd Miller - Gol-E-Gandom (4:10)
3 Morris Wilson Beau Bailey Quintet - Paul’s Ark (3:20)
4 Mor Thiam - Ayo Ayo Nene (5:42)
5 Ndikho Xaba & The Natives - Nomusa (8:45)
6 The Positive Force with Ade Olatunji - The Akrikan In Winter (4:13)
7 Salah Ragab And The Cairo Jazz Band - Neveen (7:45)
8 The Frank Derrick Total Experience - No Jive (5:10)
9 Hastings Street Jazz Experience - Ja Mil (3:34)
10 Ronnie Boykins - The Will Come, Is Now (12:26)
11 Leon Gardner - Be There (3:30)
12 Ohio Penitentiary 511 Jazz Ensemble - Psych City (10:45)

Links
www.jazzmanrecords.co.uk
Gilles Peterson :: 27 March 2008 :: At The Movies mix
The Rongetz Foundation - ‘One Leg Dancer’ (Heavenly Sweetness)
The Frank Derrick Total Experience - ‘No Jive’ (Jazzman)
Various - Afro Blue (Blue Note)
Cat: 0777 7 80701 2 2
Mulatu Astatke with The Heliocentrics & Gilles Peterson, Karen P at Cargo, 83 Rivington Street, London 17th April 2008 www.cargo-london.com (I hear FLY contributor and DJ Ben V and Glen Bigga ‘I’ve got a new 12” coming out’ Bush will be attending - not as a couple though!)
Sat 12th April, 2008: Sofrito are Londons sharpest edge when it comes to Hot Tropical Music from Africa, the Caribbean and South America. Launching a new series of sessions this Saturday, they are joined by SARAVAH SOUL who are also launching their new album on Tru Thoughts. We’re talking Live Brazilian Funk from the band, with Hugo Mendez & Frankie Francis (DJs) in full tropical combat mode as the Jazz Cafe takes a barrage of global rhythms that will infect your bones till you’ve danced it off! www.DestinationOut.com