The Cliffs feat. Winston Mankunku Ngozi - 1975 - Alex Express

The Cliffs feat. Winston Mankunku Ngozi 

1975

Alex Express

01.Alex Express 03:39

02.Over The Cliff 06:16

03.Gu Gu Lethu 04:07

04.Ever Green 05:13

05.Revelation 06:40

ALTO SAX – Winston Mankunku Ngozi

TRUMPET – Stompie Manana

TRUMPET – George Tyefumani

ORGAN – Roger Khoza

GUITAR – Allen Kwela

BASS – Philip Kiti

DRUMS – Peter Jackson

Hailing from Cape Town, tenor saxophonist Winston Mankunku Ngozi (1943-2009) is a venerated figure in the pantheon of South African jazz. Inspired by Coltrane while rooted in indigenous folklore, he released the classic album Yakhal’ Inkomo at the outset of his career with the Mankunku Quartet in 1969. Backed by the Cliffs, Alex Express documents Mankunku’s return to the studio in 1975 with a handful of new and original compositions and his inimitable tone on full display. Shaking off the burden of Yakhal’ Inkomo, which was heralded as an earnest manifesto for modern South African jazz, the album is a carefree affair that leans into township grooves with joyful exuberance. In addition to a collaborative project with Mike Makhalemele entitled The Bull and the Lion, Alex Express is the first of just two rare snapshots of Mankunku in the 1970s. Disillusioned by the recording industry, it would take until his resurgence in the 1990s for Mankunku to flesh out his recorded legacy.

Fantastic funk from South African saxophone legend Winston Mankuku Ngozi – working here in the group The Cliffs, who serve up a sweet 70s vibe for his solos! The instrumentation is great – a rougher-edged take on American jazz funk of the time – almost as if the aesthetic of 60s Prestige Records soul jazz moved forward, but without the same sort of polish – perfect for bringing out the edge in Ngozi's alto, as he blows in a group with Stompie Manana and George Tyefumani on trumpets, Roger Khoza on organ, and Allen Kwela on guitar.