#Sabu Martinez

[1001albumsrated]

#11: Sabú - Palo Congo (1957)

Genre(s): Afro-Cuban, Rumba, Jazz

This is the first album in 1001 Albums to really blindside me. I've listened to a hell of a lot of Blue Note albums over the years (and bought and sold even more) but I've never seen this thing in my damn life. That being said, I'll admit that Rumba (and Afro-Cuban music at large) is a musical blind spot for me. I've heard enough bits and pieces over the years to recognize the sound, but it's not something I've ever had the chance to go deep on.

Palo Congo, according to my scholarly Google research, is the first album by conguero Sabú Martínez (credited here simply as Sabú), and his first and only release on Blue Note. It features Arsenio Rodríguez on guitar, a name that I recognize but can't quite place, but who is apparently a Real Big Deal in the world of Afro-Cuban music. Like most Blue Note records, and a large chunk of jazz at the time, it was recorded by legendary recording & mastering engineer Rudy Van Gelder (if you've ever seen "RVG" in the dead wax of a record that's your cue that he did the master for your pressing, and it probably sounds damn good as a result).

I was really surprised by this one. This is a great listen. Most of the album is comprised of a dense layer of percussion with call and response vocals, with some stringy bass and scuzzy guitar (and, I believe, some other Cuban string instruments) sneaking in around the edges. The percussion section is covered in a thick layer of cavernous reverb, which is an odd choice for RVG (who usually is of the recording school of presenting the music as-it-is with a realistic live sound), but it creates a fascinating atmosphere in this case. The percussion hits are clean, followed by watercolor reverb trail as the tails of the drums all bleed into each other. On some tracks the vocals are more sung, on some they're closer to shouts. The string instrumentation is sparse, sometimes playing a melodic ostinato, sometimes providing rhythmic stabs, always with a gnarly, lo-fi sound to it when it creeps in. There's something very forward-thinking about the sounds here, particularly on an aesthetic/timbral level. Many moments call decades forward in time to early post-punk groups like Savage Republic and Joy Division. Other times the dense, layered atmosphere creates the feel of an African Head Charge track.

Unfortunately this album seems to be out of print across the board. I'd clock it as a prime candidate for a reissue in Blue Note's Tone Poet series, which primarily focuses on bringing long OOP titles back into print on vinyl with some of the best quality pressings on the market today, with a focus on these sorts of beloved deep cuts. Regardless, it's a shame it's not more readily available today. Luckily it's at least on streaming (for the nerds, I listened in hi-res on Qobuz). I'll definitely have to keep an eye out for a copy of this one.

More to the point, MUST you hear Palo Congo before you die? I'm sure glad I did, that's for sure. This album is absolutely killer. I don't know enough about the history of Afro-Cuban music to judge it on a historical or cultural basis, but I think it makes the cut on aesthetic value alone. It's an incredibly fun listen, and one that is sonically forward-thinking in a way that's truly rare to hear.

Next time, we stay in the Afro-Cuban vein with Cubop artist Machito and his album Kenya!

[soulmusicsongs]

Afro Temple - Sabu Martinez (Afro Temple, 1973)

[guywithbeer]

Enjoy this classic Afro-Cuban jazz album from SABU MARTINEZ.

[djhamaradio]

Duppy Echoes 10.09. Midnight to 02:00am (WCSB 89.3FM Cleveland)

Roy Ayers - Just love you

Jayne Cortez - Lead

Pastor TL Barrett - After the rain

Billy Harper - Cry of hunger

Burning Spear - Door Peep

Little John Feat Billy Boyo - Janet Sinclair

The Scientist - Dangerous Matches

Desmond Dekker - Look What

The Movers - Give 5 or more

Kendrick - For Free?

Celestine Ukwu - Okwekuwe Na Nchekuwe

Sabu Martinez - Meapestaculo

Fela Kuti - Mrgramatalogical

The Roots - I will not apologize

Flying Lotus - Beginners falafel

Funkadelic - Tales of kid funkadelic

Erykah Badu - The Cell

[odedmusic]

Sabu Martinez & Sahib Shihab | Album: Winds & Skins | Jazz • Percussion ...

#OdedFriedGaon #OdedMusic #OdedFullAlbumPlaylist #OdedWeekendPlaylist

[tabadolat]

Sabu Martinez - Afro Temple

[bamboomusiclist]

7/17 おはようございます。Crown Heights Affair / Dreaming A Dream DEP-2017  等更新しました。

Carola & Heikki Sarmanto Trio / Carola & Heikki Sarmanto Trio JAZZPUU-8LP Laurel Masse / Easy Living pr7206 Carmen McRae / I Am Music bst84475g/Bnla462g Stan Getz Chet Baker / Line for Lyons sntf-899 Dave Brubeck / A La Mode 3301 Artie Shaw / Artie Shaw And His Orchestra LN3150 George Shearing / You're Hearing George Shearing And His Quintet e3216 George Shearing / The Way We Are 21 22309-4 George Shearing / Light Airy & Swinging　21 21960-7 John Coltrane / Africa Brass as6 Christoph Spendel / Raspail Hotel TRION3104 Sabu Martinez / Sorcery Wl101 Johnny Lytle / Good Vibes Mr5271 Art Lande Jan Garbarek / Red Lanta ecm1038st Crown Heights Affair / Dreaming A Dream DEP-2017 Mott the Hoople / Mott s69038

~bamboo music~ https://bamboo-music.net  info@bamboo-music.net   530-0028 大阪市北区万歳町3-41 シロノビル104号 06-6363-2700

[fuchinobe]

Afro Temple (1973, Grammofonverket, EFG-7341)

[cookie-nigel-dolan]

Art Blakey Percussion Ensemble (Drum Suite, 1957)

Art Blakey  –  drums

Ray Bryant  –  piano

Candido Camero  –  bass, bongos, congas, vocals

Sabu Martinez  –  bongos, congas, vocals

Philly Jo Jones  –  drums

Oscar Pettiford  –  bass, cello

Specs Wright  –  drums, timpani, gong, vocals

Image source: x

[reverbradio]

Reverberation #335 1. Sabu Martinez - Wounded Knee 2. Paulo Bagunça e a Tropa Maldita - Olhos Risonhos 3. Luiz Gonzaga Jr. - Galope 4. Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo - Mister Misterio 5. Hélio Matheus - Eu Réu Me Condeno 6. Afterglow - Afternoon 7. East of Underground - Smiling Faces 8. Ultimate Spinach - Jazz Thing

[soulmusicsongs]

My Christina - Sabu Martinez (Afro Temple, 1973)

[guywithbeer]

Enjoy this old school Afro-Cuban jazz tune from Sabu Martinez.

[programme-standard]

Sabu Martinez 1930 1979

[cimono]

Sabu -  Palo Congo (1957)

Label | Blue Note

Nationality | USA

Genre | Latin Jazz

Running Time | 40:52