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A Message From Mozambique

by Black Fire

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    A1 STRUGGLE (HOME) 16.10
    A2 SOLEDAD BROTHERS 5.15

    B1 FREEDOM FIGHTER 3.35
    B2 MAKE YOUR OWN REVOLUTION NOW 11.05
    B3 FATHER IS BACK 2.05
    B4 NIROBI / CHANTS (Traditional) 8.00

    Includes unlimited streaming of A Message From Mozambique via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £11 GBP  or more

     

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about

The first ever reissue of Juju’s powerful 1973 album for Strata-East, ‘A Message From Mozambique’.

The roots of Juju started in San Francisco after Plunky had met his musical mentor, Zulu musician Ndikho Xaba, helping to form his band Ndikho and The Natives. Three members of The Natives (Plunky, bassist Ken Shabala and vibes / flute player Lon Moshe) then joined Marvin X’s theatrical production The Resurrection Of The Dead, joining local musicians Al-Hammel Rasul (keyboards), Babatunde Lea (percussion) and Jalango Ngoma (timbales).

When the production ended, the six musicians formed Juju. “We had high-energy rehearsals that lasted for hours and, as a band, we became powerful and began gigging around the Bay Area,” remembers Plunky. Although oriented towards Black Nationalism, the band fed off the Bay Area’s culturally diverse communities as Plunky shaped an inclusive worldview based on collective political, social and artistic activities. During this time, the Soledad Brothers case and Angela Davis were prominent and the band supported Professor Davis and the cause.

Juju’s music matched the fire of their activism. “As a band, we blew, pounded and stroked our instruments like there was no tomorrow, like our life’s work was wrapped up in each session. We approached our performances like religious rites and the music mesmerised, informed and awakened people.” The band’s first album, A Message From Mozambique, was intentionally political. While the anti-war movement focused on Vietnam, Juju looked towards wars being waged in South Africa, Angola and Mozambique over issues of white supremacy and control of natural resources. A second album, ‘Chapter Two: Nia’ would follow before the birth of Oneness Of Juju during the mid-‘70s.

This definitive reissue is fully remastered by The Carvery from the original tapes and features original artwork and a new interview with Juju bandleader James “Plunky” Branch.

credits

released March 17, 2023

PLUNKY NKABINDE: Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Vocals
KEN SHABALA: Bass, Double Bass, Flute, Vocals
LON MOSHE: Flute, Piccolo Flute, Vibraphone, Vocals
AL-HAMMEL RASUL: Piano, Shekere, Vocals
BABATUNDE LEA: Congas, Drums, Percussion, Vocals
JALANGO NGOMA: Timbales

Produced by JuJu Raga
Recorded by Marty Payne, Home studio, San Francisco
Final Album Mix by Marzette Watts

Design & Layout by Collis H. Davis, Jr.
Original Back Cover Art by Suying Foon
Original Album Photography by Thulani Nkabinde

Liner notes by James “Plunky” Branch

Originally released on LP by Strata-East in 1973 (SES 19735)

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about

Black Fire Washington, D.C.

Official archive of Jimmy Gray's seminal independent soul and jazz label & collective that he ran out of Richmond, VA between 1975 and 1993. Working from the original master tapes and unreleased session, artists include Oneness Of Juju, Lon Moshe, Byard Lancaster, Theatre West, Wayne Davis and more.... ... more

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