Picked this up at the weekend. It’s a new Honest Jon’s compilation, based on a trawl through the EMI 78s archives in Harrow. It collects 23 different recordings which were made in London between 1927-29 by African singers and musicians. This material was recorded solely for export to emerging African markets which EMI was trying to create at the time, exporting gramophones as well as the discs to play on them.
The sleevenotes make one reflect on the hidden histories of black people in this country – like a lot of great black music, it’s a by product of the colonial experience – and they go into a fair amount of depth about the early black presence in this country – seamen mostly who faced a lot of racism from their white colleagues on the waterfront. I’m left really curious to know about who/what/where exactly it was being exported to – the sleevenotes refer to EMI staking out the markets for themselves but amongst whom? Who exactly was buying this music and these gramophones?
And as should go without saying, the music itself is pretty wonderful. I love stuff like this. It’s the quality of being transported in time, right back to the beginnings of recorded music. It’s like a little window in history opening up, the closest we’ll get to a time machine. Several tracks sound very melancholic, a reflection of being trapped in an alien and unwelcoming land perhaps? Others have the call and response structure of sea shanties, while others are traditional arrangements with lyrics reflecting themes of African folklore and village life. A few tracks sound like embryonic highlife. There is also one utterly terrifying recording by Ben Simmons, which sounds like a possession rite. Unsurprisingly this didn’t get released
Link here with a lot more information: http://www.honestjons.com/label.php?pid=32803&LabelID=14815
I have a number of collections of similar stuff. Don’t know if these are familiar or not to people on this board – but a few faves are:
Shango, Shouter & Obeah – Supernatural Calyspo from Trinidad.
What it says on the tin, amazing antiquated calypsos with obeah/vodoun themes.
Good For What Ails You: Music From the Medicine Shows
Early recordings from the tail end of the American Medicine shows, travelling circuses with added pharmacies – where the phrase “snake oil” comes from. A mix of vaudeville musics and skits and some early blues soundalikes. Wicked.
Mento Madness. Motta’s Jamaican Mento 1951-1956. Something of a slightly later vintage. You can hear the foundations of reggae and ska in these tunes, I swear.
There’s a bit of CD hate going down in the “Buying Records” thread which I mostly agree with . BUT one of the things that makes me love these is the care and attention with which they’re packaged. Detailed fascinating sleevenotes plus lots of great pics and early artwork.
There’s a few more but I’ll have to wait till I’m at home before listing….
Anymore for anymore? Thoughts on the music, or this kind of digging deep?
The sleevenotes make one reflect on the hidden histories of black people in this country – like a lot of great black music, it’s a by product of the colonial experience – and they go into a fair amount of depth about the early black presence in this country – seamen mostly who faced a lot of racism from their white colleagues on the waterfront. I’m left really curious to know about who/what/where exactly it was being exported to – the sleevenotes refer to EMI staking out the markets for themselves but amongst whom? Who exactly was buying this music and these gramophones?
And as should go without saying, the music itself is pretty wonderful. I love stuff like this. It’s the quality of being transported in time, right back to the beginnings of recorded music. It’s like a little window in history opening up, the closest we’ll get to a time machine. Several tracks sound very melancholic, a reflection of being trapped in an alien and unwelcoming land perhaps? Others have the call and response structure of sea shanties, while others are traditional arrangements with lyrics reflecting themes of African folklore and village life. A few tracks sound like embryonic highlife. There is also one utterly terrifying recording by Ben Simmons, which sounds like a possession rite. Unsurprisingly this didn’t get released
Link here with a lot more information: http://www.honestjons.com/label.php?pid=32803&LabelID=14815
I have a number of collections of similar stuff. Don’t know if these are familiar or not to people on this board – but a few faves are:
Shango, Shouter & Obeah – Supernatural Calyspo from Trinidad.
What it says on the tin, amazing antiquated calypsos with obeah/vodoun themes.
Good For What Ails You: Music From the Medicine Shows
Early recordings from the tail end of the American Medicine shows, travelling circuses with added pharmacies – where the phrase “snake oil” comes from. A mix of vaudeville musics and skits and some early blues soundalikes. Wicked.
Mento Madness. Motta’s Jamaican Mento 1951-1956. Something of a slightly later vintage. You can hear the foundations of reggae and ska in these tunes, I swear.
There’s a bit of CD hate going down in the “Buying Records” thread which I mostly agree with . BUT one of the things that makes me love these is the care and attention with which they’re packaged. Detailed fascinating sleevenotes plus lots of great pics and early artwork.
There’s a few more but I’ll have to wait till I’m at home before listing….
Anymore for anymore? Thoughts on the music, or this kind of digging deep?
