Search - Oneness of Juju :: African Rhythms 1970-82

Nice overview of an overlooked jazz/funk band

A. Benjamin | Goodwell, OK United States | 03/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A good compilation album should leave the listener wanting more. Given that premise, this album succeeds quite nicely, and in the process documents the evolution of saxophonist James Plunky Branch's band (Juju, and later Oneness of Juju) from its beginnings as a jazz combo with strong African influences, to it's transition to a jazz-funk combo, and later a funk combo. The album also features some of the side projects that Plunky and other members of the band were involved with in the 1970s. The packaging is wonderful, including very complete liner notes that detail the band's history, and a reasonably complete discography of the band (both during the period covered by this release, and subsequent recordings by this band). As a document of a period when a noticeable subset of jazz musicians were willing to experiment with African and funk influences, and as a document of the struggles of independent artists to get their progressive and Afro-centric message across to a wider audience, this is invaluable. The music should also serve as a reminder that some of the more recent trends in jazz, such as acid jazz and jazz-rap, have their origins in the various fusions of jazz, funk, world music, and progressive and radical politics of the 1960s and 1970s. This is not to be missed by open-minded listeners who like their jazz funky and their funk jazzy. Get this, and then hope that Strut will continue to reissue the rest of their back catalog."