Masters of Gwo Ka, Masters of Jazz

Ornette Coleman is a truly remarkable artist, who literally endured beatings in the 1950's in order to make himself heard. His entire musical conception was so radical then (he even inspired disdain from some legendary Jazz modernists), but has become an integral part of modern jazz expression, and Coleman himself is now one of the (living) saints of the Jazz tradition. Which is why he was asked to curate a London music festival happening this Summer on the South Bank: Ornette Coleman's Meltdown.

I saw David Murray and the Gwo Ka Masters live tonight at QEH as part of the Meltdown. It was a great show! Murray may not owe a direct stylistic debt to Coleman, but there's no doubt that the older man is a spiritual godfather of his intense, wired-directly-into-the-soul saxophone playing. The Gwo Ka project is a merging of Murray's sax with traditional (Gwo Ka) musicians from Guadeloupe plus a Jazz Funk band. It all worked rather well on the night, and a differing emphasis on the various elements of the group sound provided pleasant variety to the set. The concert made me quite happy, and I was inspired to go home and listen to some more music from Guadeloupe...

First off, a CD from one of the Guadeloupeans who shared the stage with Murray tonight - Francois (Fanswa) Ladrezeau. His album "ESPWA KOURAJ" is a lively and original graft onto the roots of the vocal and percussion tradition of Gwo Ka - it's truly something special from the first minute.


The next recommendation is "TWA SET" by Erick Cosaque, a legendary Caribbean musician. It's rare to find any of Cosaque's recordings (online specialist vendors of used vinyl, e.g. http://cdandlp.com, would probably be the best bet), although he's made quite a few over a long career. So I snapped up this 2009 recording when I saw it available online, and certainly wasn't disappointed. It's mellow, lovely, authentically Caribbean music, and makes me long for a few days spent in island sunshine.


Sounds samples for both albums are available from Antilles Mizik (see album links above), who seem to be the only retailer making these albums internationally available.