I wanna use the wild card day of 2/22/22 to post a sizzling show -- thoroughly Black History Month-appropriate -- for which the exact date isn't certain, but that we at least know celebrates its 50th anniversary this month.
These guys are pretty beloved and should need little introduction.
When we were kids we called them the African Jethro Tull, because they had lotsa flute in their tunes.
Acknowledged pioneers of African Rock -- someday I will find a way to blog Count Buffalos, and give 'em company -- yet, for as long as they've been a thing, there are precious few live tapes of them in action.
Few, but thankfully not none.
Take this little 47 minutes of fun, broadcast once upon a time on the BBC around the time of their 2nd LP in early 1972.
Luckily Swiss Radio rebroadcast it in 2007, and someone was waiting with the knobs a-twiddling.
So, without further adieu, here comes Osibisa, from the Paris Theatre in London 50 years ago!
Osibisa
Paris Theatre
London, U.K.
February 1972
01 Beautiful Seven
02 Spirits Up Above
03 Y Sharp
04 The Dawn
05 Woyaya
06 Survival
07 Kokorokoo
Total time: 47:28
Teddy Osei – tenor saxophone, flute, percussion & vocals
Sol Amarfio – drums, percussion & vocals
Mac Tontoh – trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion & vocals
Spartacus R (Roy Bedeau) – bass & percussion
Wendell Richardson – guitar & vocals
Robert Bailey – organ, piano, timbales, percussion & vocals
Loughty Lasisi Amao – tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, congas & percussion
captured from a Swiss Radio DRS3 FM rebroadcast and edited by zingapoor, August 2007
transition between Tracks 06 & 07 smoothed by EN, February 2022
331 MB FLAC/February 2022 archive link
331 MB FLAC/February 2022 archive link
I will have one more BHM blast this weekend, so stay tuned. Now that it's all online I am trying to be a little more proactive about posting stuff.
For now, you'll all be Happy Children if you pop this slappin' Osibisa concert... and don't forget to thank the Spirits Up Above!!--J.
