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SPIRIT !
The Power of Music
CD
2003 Sunnyside
SSC 3015
CD 2000 Verve/Gitanes
543 256 -2
recorded 24
September 1999
Lafayette, Church, Brooklyn, USA |
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Randy Weston piano
Alex Blake bass
Neil Clarke percussion
Talib Kibwe flute, alt sax
Benny Powell trombone
M’Barek Ben Othman percussion, vocal
Ahmed Ben Othman percussion, dancer, vocal
Ahmed Saassaa guembri, vocal
Abdellah el-Gourd guembri, vocal
Abdenebi Oubella percussion, dancer, vocal
Mostafa Oubella percussion, dancer, vocal
Randy Weston arranger, producer
Brian Bacchus producer
Daniel Richard executive producer
Talib Kibwe musical director
Jay Newland engineer, mastering, mixing
Vincent Caro engineer
Ariane Smolderen photography
Majid Bekkas translation
Rhashidah Elaine McNeill
liner notes |
1 Origin
(Weston)
2 Receiving the Spirit Part 1
(Weston)
3 Receiving the Spirit Part 2
(Weston)
4 Haghouge & String Bass (
Abdellah El Gourd)
5 Chalabati (Traditional)
6 Who Know Them? ( Abdellah El Gourd)
7 El Wali Sidi Mimoun (Traditional)
8 Lalla Mira Part 1 (Traditional)
9 Lalla Mira Part 2 (Traditional)
Lyrics: Who Know Them
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SPIRIT! THE POWER OF MUSIC
Randy Weston African Rhythms Quintet & the Gnawa Master Musicians of
Morocco.
Live recording on Friday September 1999 at Lafayette Presbyterian Church ,
Brooklyn .
The setting was indeed appropriate. This live recording took place
at a Large, beautifully structured and decorated church that reflected the
theme, "Spirit Is Power" on September 22, 1999 in Brooklyn. The
ambience of the stage setting was enhanced with Large plants, incense,
soft lighting in the right areas, spiritual African statues, and drums
placed in just the right spots; just the right atmosphere to ready the
audience for what was to take place next. Even the walls seemed to
come alive and rejoice with the happy procession of images that were
painted on them.
Then, the elders came out to greet the already captivated audience in
royal fashion. It was more Like a meeting with the Counsel of Elders
who came to give the community their messages of wisdom to help us grow
and get back on the right track, especially spiritually. Elders,
Babatunde Olatunji of Nigeria, Randy Weston, and
Abdullah Boulkhair EL Gourd of Morocco were seated together and each
addressed the audience verbally about their concerns about our spiritual
well-being.
Then each eider led his own group in addressing the community (audience)
this time using the best way of all to reach the people, through music,
the universal language and perhaps, the most effective way to express the
theme for the evening, "Spirit! The Power of Music".
Babatunde Olatunji and his group opened the evening with Yoruba
libations.
Then Randy Weston with a piano solo followed with accompaniment by the
African Rhythms musicians.
The Master Gnaoua Musicians from
Tangier and Marrakech of Morocco performed separately and then
together. Later, all the groups co-mingling and joined together,
including Randy Weston & African Rhythms and the Gnaoua Masters of Morocco
for an extraordinary, climactic extravaganza punctuated by the drumming of
Gnaoua master, M'Barek Ben Othman, and Randy's thundering and roiling
piano notes sending the audience into a spiritual frenzy that couldn't be
contained or reserved.
The finale culminated in wriggling bodies, swaying arms, clapping hands,
shouts of jubilee, and dancing feet. The message came home through
the Spirit of all present. Everyone felt it "Spirit, The Power of
Music!"
Copyright © 2000 -
Rhashidah E. McNeill
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