By chance I happened upon a totally unrelated LP—West African Cosmos, a record I had been meaning to highlight on AD for some time. If you dig on West African afrobeat and fusion this album is indispensable.
Alternately recorded in Paris and London between 1975 and 1976, and released by CBS Records, several of the West African Cosmos tracks have popped up on compilations over the years. All good, but for those of you feeling the two samples below, I seriously recommend seeking out the LP in its entirety. You’ll thank me later.
Wasis Diop
The mid-1970s, he is the guitarist of the group of West African Cosmos, which prepares its name because of the musical cosmos of West African musicians is a broad. So here: jazz, funk and soul meet Afrobeat, Highlife and Mbalax. After a few years, he begins to make itself independent, piece by piece, the band still in the back.
Around 1974, Wasis met another Senegal musician from Guinea-Bissau, Umban Ukset. First they joined as a duo, then created a real group, West African Cosmos. Far earlier than what is now called world music, West African Cosmos combined western and African sounds into Afro-jazz. The group was on incessant tour throughout the world for many years, and brought out an album with CBS.
west african cosmos - 01-emeraude by b.c.lowfreq
Tracklist
01. Emeraude 6:50
02. Jeviñelo 4:31
03. Afro Digè 9:32
04. Wuyè Wuyè 5:28
05. Loy 4:45
06. Sumasañone 6:09
http://www.mediafire.com/?znhxwwxefk5
ReplyDeleteHello, if is possible that you put a new link,about of West African Cosmos please? Thank
DeleteFranK
Thanks for this. Here's another album by (I think) Wasis's brother:
ReplyDeletehttp://likembe.blogspot.com/2009/03/racines-africaines-et-feeling-jazzy.html