Guinea, 1999, afro-jazz
This is good shit, but it’s definitely more afro than jazz. It’s like the jazz is just incidental, a way through which Soumah disseminates his music, sounds very much rooted in his Guinean experience and cultural traditions. Saxophone is beautiful, but for me, it’s the passionate flute that is truly wonderful. The percussion rumbles and thumps throughout, and he’s not afraid to let the balafon and the djembe carry the complex rhythm. Such bright sonic themes on the harp offset by his gruff vocals as a striking counterpoint.
Museum Musica 