Dudu Pukwana Zila ’86 – Here’s one I saved from my dad’s shed. No, really, my dad keeps Anglo-African jazz LPs in his garden shed. True story. There were six, or seven LPs in his shed ready to be taken to a local charity shop when in my, quite frankly, disturbing fashion* I smelt them out on my way to the car, slipped in and liberated a couple; charity beginning at home and all that.
I knew the name Dudu Pukwana and I’m pretty sure I got taken to see him play when I was a kid, I remembered the cover of Zila ’86 anyway, with its curious mix of Zulu art and almost spider web design. Dudu Pukwana was born in Walter Township, Port Elizabeth, South Africa and joined Chris McGregor’s Blue Notes as an alto player in the early 60’s. Inevitably, the hassle the Blue Notes got from the South African authorities as a mixed-race group caused them to leave for Europe, ending up in London. The Blue Notes became McGregor’s legendary outfit The Brotherhood of Breath, which featured and showcased Pukwana’s soloing. Taking full advantage of all London and its ex-pat South African jazz scene had to offer, Pukwana was involved in the pioneering afro-rock group Assegai, who released 2 LPs on Vertigo and afro-jazzers Spear, as well as playing with 1537-fave Hugh Masekela. By 1978 he formed his own group Zila and his own label, Jika Records, to release them on.
All of which brings us on to Zila ’86, you can guess the year it was released. Alongside Pukwana’s considerable talents, Zila featured amongst others, a brilliant guitarist called Lucky Ranku^ and singer Pinise Saul** as well as using Django Bates on synth and piano. Zila were a jazz outfit for sure, but they also blended elements of township jive, kwela^^ and incorporated latin-sounding rhythms at times into their music too, in other words just the type of big melting pot music I go for.
The first two tracks on Zila ’86 are the standouts. First up ‘Madodana (The Young Ones)’, has all the upbeat hustle and jive you could possibly want, Pukwana blowing strong over a tumultuous rhythm. In contrast ‘Hamba (Go away)’, despite the title has a slightly muggy, swampy seductive feel about it, the vocals of Pinise Saul are particularly potent on this one. Unfortunately, for my money, that’s all that hits home for me and I think that the problem lies in the production. The band, as you’d expect are never less than excellent but they end up sounding a bit stifled over the course of the whole LP, despite being co-produced by Pukwana and his wife, there are certain 80’s tropes and sounds that come through – lack of a good deep bass sound being a criminal one of those; it neuters the sound.
Ultimately, I quite accept that the fault for my slight disappointment of Zila ’86 may well just rest with me, I always prize rawness in music and I am more of a fan of African music, in all its myriad forms and guises, than of jazz, in all its myriad forms and (dis)guises. It may well just be the case that I want this LP to be something it is not, a deeper more dangerous creature perhaps, a hybrid of Fela Kuti’s dangerous funk and Dollar Brand’s earthy abstraction, would be perfection.
But I don’t want to leave you thinking that Zila ’86 is no good and, Crom forbid, that Dudu and his band aren’t either by extension. That’s definitely not the case. Just listen up to the excellent playing throughout, I can just tell that they would have cooked live. In fact, although it isn’t from this LP, check out the live clip below from ’87 with the brilliant guitar opening from Lucky Ranku, that’s why I wanted more from Zila ’86.
622 Down.
PS – I think I should get their live LP Life In Bracknell & Willisau by way of closure.
*think the Childcatcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but for vinyl.
^who played African drums on Mike Oldfield’s Ommadawn, trivia fans.
**no laughing at the back there, class!
^^South African street music, very rhythmic, good to dance to, jazz-influenced, often features pennywhistle as lead instrument.
Man, I really need to step up my game in regards to Anglo-African Jazz LPs are concerned. If I saw this in a record shop I’d buy it on that album cover alone. Your post on Fela Kuti a couple years ago got the wheels turning. Unfortunately I haven’t bought any yet. Your passion for the music makes me want to put down some hard earned cash.
Isn’t it terrible what 80s production values did to some really great music? So many albums I’d love to hear be re mastered and remixed from the master tapes and have that horrid gated reverb and chorus yanked from the snare drums. I’d love to hear Stevie Ray Vaughn’s first three records reproduced with some 70s production values. Dryer and tighter. ‘Couldn’t Stand The Weather’ would sound absolutely amazing…you know, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Anyways, your dad has the coolest garden shed I’ve ever heard of.
Thank you and I’m sorry for any unnecessary expenses incurred! it’s why I like reviewing my own collection, I tend to only keep stuff I like so I can enthuse about (near enough) everything.
Yup, it’s a damn fine shed. I also snagged ELP ‘Tarkus’ and Tangerine Dream ‘Alpha Centauri’ in the same raid! True story.
What??? Tarkus AND Alpha Centauri??? My God man you’re out of control. Take a damn valium for God’s sake.
Alpha Centauri…is that their first one? Man, now I’m jealous. Happy for you, but still kind of jealous.
Yup, all in the shed.
Alpha Centauri isn’t in the best condition though, it’s a year older than me and I’ve got plenty of surface noise and crackle myself!
Whenever I move there’s crackle and surface noise. Let’s just say the record and us are well seasoned. Broke in, if you will.
Well done for saving this from the charity shop! I’m very intrigued, have liked everything I’ve heard by Dudu but not really investigated any albums. The presence of Django Bates, one of my faves, is a real coup.
Glad you liked it Matt. This one just needs to sound a bit more like the live clip I posted, which was only the following year. I agree Django Bates is an excellent player too.
Does your dad only keep Anglo African Jazz records in the garden shed? Is he that into segregating his music collection?
Yup, it’s a strict vinyl apartheid. Only fully African jazz albums are allowed in the house, all non-jazz LPs are just stored under a bit of canvass on the driveway.
Sad the sound on this is underwhelming. Congrats on your charity find! 😉
I have a horn like that hanging in my garage, it was my Dad’s. It’s a gun powder horn.
The man just gets cooler and cooler!
My Dad’s the coolest. He also gave me his scuba diving knife that straps to your leg.
Bad 80s production strikes again. If only this was recorded 6 years earlier … sometimes I wish that folks would go in and re-record their 80’s albums. Just to hear the songs without the dated production gimmicks.
… oh, and I really like the cover too.
What happened to people’s ears in that decade?
It is a great cover, definitely needed rescuing this one.
Quite possibly a glitch in the matrix. One that took a whole ten years to resolve!
I’d have rescued this for the cover alone. Well done, sir.
laughed out loud at the cool caption, I can only dream of ever attaining 2 saxes/unspecified horn cool!
This is for sure one of the most interesting albums you have posted so far. I wish I heard of this before!
Thank you Mike. Doesn’t everyone’s dad keep Afro-jazz records in their shed?!
It’s good, a really interesting sound I just wish the production didn’t have that 80s touch to it.
My Dad kept his lawnmower in his shed. Now, after they moved, he doesn’t even have a shed.
Also: Arthur “Two Sheds” Jackson.
No shed?! that’s inhumane!
Nope, he has a garage at the new place, though, where before they didn’t, so I suppose that’s a trade-off.
Man needs food. Man needs woman. Man needs shed.
How about just A Man Needs A Maid? 🙂
Wasn’t that on Shed Never Sleeps, or was it recorded with Crosby, Shed, Nash & Young?
He’s done many versions. Also check out Sheds With Angels and Long May You Shed.
I’m a big fan of ‘Hey, hey, my, my (Into the shed)’ and ‘This Shed’s For you’.
Me too! We could make a mixed tape. Cowgirl In The Shed, Cinnamon Shed, After The Goldshed, Shedern Man and, of course, Heart Of Shed.
My dad most certainly didn’t!
80’s production, yeah I get what you mean. It lessens the purity of it.