LAHRINSPIRATION #5: Brotherhood of Breath

"The Brotherhood ranks among the more neglected major groups in jazz history."
- @JazzizMagazine

I’m not a DJ, but, if I were a DJ, a proper one, this would be my opening track. ALWAYS.

Brotherhood - Mra
Full:
“S-African jazz group Brotherhood of Breath was founded after the dissolution of the musically and culturally groundbreaking Blue Notes in the ‘60s. Like the Blue Notes, Brotherhood of Breath boasted a multiracial lineup that challenged repressive S-African apartheid laws.
[...] both the Blue Notes & Brotherhood of Breath were capable of composing & performing complex, challenging, inspirational, & engaging jazz music that blended free jazz with post-bop, big band, and S-African jazz.”
https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/brotherhood-breath

Full:
Recently @raspberryjones (Piotr Orlov) wrote an excellent @Bandcamp article on The Blue Notes (and its members) and their impact on the European scene. Highly recommended to get started somewhere with this beautiful South-African jazz: https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/blue-notes-south-african-jazz-guide
How South Africa’s Blue Notes Helped Invent European Free Jazz

A quintet of exiles liberated a continent’s jazz perspective.

https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/blue-notes-south-african-jazz-guide
I’d like to highlight some of my favourite members and records.
Dudu Pukwana: great composer (Mra & Nick Tete) and a brilliant saxophonist. What I truly admire is his playing, ranging from swing to free, while you always hear those beautiful S-African melodies. His solo on Davashe's Dream goes deep.

Full:
My favourite albums:
- In the townships:

- Dudu Phukwana and the "Spears": https://matsulimusic.bandcamp.com/album/dudu-phukwana-and-the-spears

- Flute Music

📷: Frans Schellekens
Johnny Dyani: his own stuff is outstanding. I love his compositions, while playing bass, sometimes piano too. Heartfelt singing on some occasions. His music has so much emotion, so real, beautiful and painful at times too.
My favourite albums:

Witchdoctor's Son: https://open.spotify.com/album/7CEEI9oMR992aCbByho4S3?si=TcTv3McJRhaIhMPGOFeSUQ

Mbizo
https://open.spotify.com/album/6YoCrE4GGuwI73BGqiw5di?si=ZgqXUHtZQ5OilTfxZk_8aQ

Song For Biko
https://open.spotify.com/album/6hIsyjQ9EMkjP6x45AaGfF?si=4udypkS2QpKSyHIuKsE8Ng

African Bass Solo Concert
https://singasongfighter.bandcamp.com/album/african-bass-solo-concert-willisau-jazz-festival-1978 /

African Bass
Louis Moholo-Moholo: the last member alive & still pushing boundaries. His greatest work is, without a doubt, ‘Spirits Rejoice’. ‘You Ain't Gonna Now Me 'Cos You Think You Know Me’ is written by Mongezi Feza, but this version is wonderful & an essential:
His recent quartet with @hawkinsmusic, @shabakah Hutchings and John Edwards is a also a pleasure to hear and see. The good guys of @Bimhuis recorded and broadcasted the complete concert last year:
The other members have an equal interesting output, but I haven’t checked it yet. But the Brotherhood of Breath opened up doors for me. Some South-African musicians to check:

- Winston Mankunku Ngozi – Yakhal Inkomo
https://open.spotify.com/album/1i86qAAz2KeNbBtgJUgnmk?si=wRyWiYwAQ2S0UqhEqU6gOw
- Hugh Masakela - Home Is Where the Music Is
https://open.spotify.com/album/7qfqgYcxCsLhu2xIRWKOdD?si=tMWCEbonQFuece7P1fZq5A

- Dollar Brand/Abdullah Ibrahim - African Piano
https://open.spotify.com/album/0wVkwyXwehVFZRv87c1DoE?si=qSMCeO9NRhC1aP03dasCcg

-Assagai – Assagai


-Sean Bergin M.O.B. – Kids Mysteries
https://open.spotify.com/album/4buKJh5tK6qjh4iqRJ3n6M?si=R2M_7JfQQLSq3cmojmnWkw
Dig deeper, find some amazing bootlegs and backstories: http://electricjive.blogspot.com 

More on Chris McGregor: https://www.brandsouthafrica.com/people-culture/arts-culture/mcgregor-s-music-captures-the-african-village

About their last gig before exile: https://theconversation.com/what-lost-photos-of-blue-notes-say-about-south-africas-jazz-history-125163
What lost photos of Blue Notes say about South Africa's jazz history

A rare set of photographs of South Africa's most famous jazz ensemble, the Blue Notes, has added valuable insights to the music archive

http://electricjive.blogspot.com
My favorite Brotherhood of Breath albums:

Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath:


Brotherhood:
All of the members of Brotherhood of Breath connected with EU/USA jazz musicians: Archie Shepp, @DMURRAYMUSIC, Steve Lacy, Don Cherry, Mal Waldron, Peter Brötzmann, amongst others. Look it up.
But to link it to my next thread, Dudu playing together with @han_bennink & Misha Mengelberg is a must-listen. Ahh, can you handle the hard stuff?!

Next thread about the greatest orchestra, ever:
@ICPOrchestra

Full: https://corbettvsdempsey.bandcamp.com/album/yi-yole 
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