Solomon Ilori – Igbesi Aiye

Back in stock. The first time these have been accessible via a stylus, both ‘Igbesi Aiye’ and ‘Gbogbo Omo Ibile’ were recorded back in 1964 for Solomon Ilori’s Blue Note album – languishing in the session vaults until they were recently resurrected for bonus material. Layering percussive elements atop one another until there’s a sediment of groove, these tracks are jazz flecked and full of pace – as Donald Byrd and Hubert Laws wield their trumpet and flute respectively, whilst Chief Bey and Sonny Morgan get busy on the skins under the watchful eye of pianist Coleridge Perkinson. Far more subtle and expansive than the work of Ilori’s long player, the tracks included here verge heavily on the jazz border regions and thereby open the afro-beat genre up to a much wider audience. Hot, frenetic and full of fantastic horns, this is music from a coalition of artists at the very top of their game. Solomon Grundy!