Jimmy Giuffre 3 – 1961

Art Blakey & the Afro Drum Ensemble’s The African Beat is a landmark jazz percussion album. Released in 1962, the album was one of the first to bring together African music and American jazz together one in one singular musical statement. Art explains in the liner notes, “For one thing, this is the first time I’ve been able to use so many African drummers along with American jazzmen… I’m convinced that these performances show that it is possible to blend African and American rhythms without strain or self-consciousness.” Art also blended multiple African cultures together, assembling a diverse group of musicians with roots from Nigeria, Senegal, Jamaica, and Sudan. Traditional African percussion instruments used on the album include talking drum, conga, bambara drum, corboro drum, log drum, chekere, and thumb piano.
– Phil Cho
Recommended – Full Listen
A1 Prayer By Solomon G. Ilori
A2 Ife L’Ayo (There Is Happiness In Love)
A3 Obirin African (Woman Of Africa)
A4 Love, The Mystery Of
B1 Ero Ti Nr’ojeje
B2 Ayiko Ayiko (Welcome, Welcome, My Darling)
B3 Tobi Ilu
Bass – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Bata, Congas – Robert Crowder
Congas – James Ola Folami
Congas, Drums [Telegraph Drum], Percussion [Double Gong] – Chief Bey
Design [Cover] – Reid Miles
Drums [Bambara Drum, Log Drum, Corboro Drum], Percussion [Double Gong] – Montego Joe
Drums, Timpani, Gong, Drums [Telegraph Drum] – Art Blakey
Lacquer Cut By – Van Gelder*
Liner Notes – Nat Hentoff
Oboe, Flute, Saxophone [Tenor], Horns [Cow Horn], Kalimba – Yusef Lateef
Percussion [Chekere], Maracas [African Maracas], Congas – Garvin Masseaux
Photography By [Cover Photo] – Francis Wolff
Producer – Alfred Lion
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Timpani – Curtis Fuller
Vocals, Whistle [Penny Whistle], Talking Drum – Solomon G. Ilori