A stunning selection of highlife material from the Nigerian scene – a huge double-length collection that really offers up a vivid example of the music that was in place before the big wave of 70s Afro Funk and other new styles! The work here is different than some of the more commercial highlife recordings you might know – especially those from the big 80s years of world music – as the recording quality is often nice and raw, and the focus is mostly on acoustic percussion, electric guitar, and jazzier horn lines next to the vocals – with grooves usually moving at a mighty nice clip in a bold explosion of color! The bulk of the work on the 19 track set is from the 50s through the early 70s – and titles include "Yei Ngebewoh" by ET Menseh & The Tempos, "Akwanoma Hiahii" by Rambler Dance Band, "Muntie (Highlife Charanga)" by Ramblers International, "Eyaa Dudm" by Professional Uhuru Band, "Ogiobo" by Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Titibitis Of Africa, "Osondi Owendi" by Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, and "Koko Ahataw Kur" by George Williams Aingo. CD

The great drummer Tony Allen left our planet all too soon – but not before cutting this fantastic album as part of the Jazz Is Dead series – a killer record that may be one of the best he's given us in the past decade or so! The format here is different than some of Tony's other records, but also different than the other Jazz Is Dead records – as the instrumentation is fuller than those, with a brace of horns that really fills things up – while Tony delivers these amazing rhythm patterns on the bottom, supported with basslines from Adrian Younge, who also adds in all sorts of very cool keyboards! There's more noise and darkness at times than we've heard on some of Allen's bigger label sets – and we mean that in a really great way – and the drummer is maybe most up in the mix of all the instruments, so you can really hear Tony going to town at his funky best. Titles include "Don't Believe The Dancers", "Steady Tremble", "Ebun", "Oladipo", "No Beginning", "Lagos", and "Makoko". (Deep Funk, Global Grooves) CD

A really wonderful third album from Osibisa – and a record that really crystallizes the group's sound into a trademark blend of African roots and more progressive-styled jamming! There's a mode here that's perfect for the cross-cultural London of the post-colonial 70s – a style that brings many strands of music into the capital, and mixes them up with some of the headier styles going down at the time. Bits of highlife echo alongside more tribally-based percussion – but most of the instrumentation on the set also has a strong ear for jazzy changes, especially during the flute and keyboards passages that make the record so great. Titles include "Kokorokoo", "Che Che Kule", "Sweet Sounds", "Sweet America", and "Do You Know". CD

One of the coolest Afro Funk groups of the 70s – and an outfit who definitely earn the "poly rhythmic" in their name! TP Orchestre have a jagged, jaunty sound that's totally great – really playfully rhythmic, in a way that breaks from the mold of most of their 70s contemporaries on the African scene – in a mad mix of beats and guitars that changes up heavily – often in the same song! The work here has a very fluid quality – pulled together in the Soundway mode with a focus on tracks that will appeal to overall fans of 70s funk, but also done with a real thought for displaying the true range of the group's mighty talents. Titles include "Angelina II", "Aihe Ni Kpe We", "Gbeto Vivi", "Agnon Djidjo", "Ne Te Faches Pas", "Kokoriko", "Hwe Towe Hun", "Gendamou Na Wili We Gnannin", "Mi Si Ba To", and "Medida". CD