Moko Jumbie, Plane To Catch, LP

Vinyl LP pressing. Bonded over the struggles of the pandemic and a mutual love for Motown, Soul and Afrobeat, Denmark's renowned outlet for jazz, April Records, proudly presents 'Moko Jumbie', the debut by it's latest outfit A Plane To Catch. Exploring the rich exchange between West African musical traditions and Western funk and soul, this is music meant for dancing, transporting the listener to dance floors both real and imagined. Featuring warm, raw production the record creates a real sense of energy and intimacy, as if the listener is in a dark club with an electric jam band. Through the eight compositions the quintet joyfully navigates familiar harmonic clichés from 70's soul tunes, a variety of infectious toe-tapping grooves, playful improvisations and melodic duo horn arranging. Explorations of darker tonalites popularised by Ethio-Jazz legend Mulatu Astatke provide a welcome departure through harmonic contrast and propulsive polyrhythmic groove.