Review: Dele Sosimi & The Estuary 21 - The Confluence LP (Wah Wah 45s)

 

Regular readers of YATM will know that we go a long way back with Wah Wah 45s and Mr. Dom Servini so for the 25th Birthday Party compilation that came out last week, here's a bit of a selective retrospective!

Especially as there's a massive 32 tracks to celebrate 25 years (Ed. Wonder who thought of that equation?) and as Dele Sosimi has had such a fantastic year here's a chance to check the track 'Mo Se B'ólá Tán'? (Track 31. on the compilation - see below and original album review in earlier this year).

Review: Dele Sosimi & The Estuary 21 - The Confluence LP (Wah Wah 45s)

Posted by Gerry Hectic | File under : Dele Sosimi, The Confluence LP, The Estuary 21, Wah Wah 45s

This confluence is the meeting of the musical minds of the Thames Estuary and the "Afrobeat Ambassador" from The Shrine, Fela Kuti’s Egypt 80 and cofounder with Femi Kuti of the Positive Force. 

That's a pretty big body of water (no get enemy) as once aain, Dele Sosimi (formerly keyboardist and other musical duties with aforementioned Afrobeat legends) who is now based in the UK joins Sam Duckworth (formerly known as Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly).  "Hang on", you may be thinking to yourself, "Didn't this come out this time last year and still sounds brilliant?" We'll you'd be right on both counts except that this is the new LP verson and it's bigger and therefore even more brilliant!

As this album is firmly rooted in Afrobeat, the obvious tracks that will engage are the previous singles, 'Ride Out The Storm' / 'Mo Ṣe B’ọ́lá Tán' (see review HERE) and 'You Don't Have To' (see reveiw HERE) and, again, 'Ori Mi' and 'Òt​í​tó Ti J​áde' (albeit my calls for longer versions has been unheeded) along with 'Open Up' which also features UK jazz legend and Essex resident, Snowboy (aka Mark Cotgrove).

Other top musicans featured include Alfa Sackey (percussion), Callum Green (drums), Philip Van Den Brandeler (bass), Pete Fraser (sax), Sam Eagle (voice/guitar) and Lizzy Dosunmu (vocals) along with multi-instrumentalist Duckworth.

'Stories' is at the carib-pop-end of this meeting of minds but the new 'BIG' tracks are 'Alagbara Ma Me Ro' that's a time-after-time winner plus the Essex Go-Go of 'For The Love Of It' and at 60s jazz club towpath shuffle of 'The Ramblings'.

This is no Sosimi-lite (or Mr Get Cape etc 'heavy' for that matter) as this is all giving it their all and finding something special.  Who'd have thought that chance radio interview Dom Servini (now Jazz FM DJ you know) did with Dele did all those years ago would find us at 'The Confluence' (LP version). Who indeed.

P.S, get lively as the vinyl is likely to sell out quick.

 

Artist: Dele Sosimi & The Estuary 21
Release: The Confluence LP
Release Date: 5th April, 2024
Label: Wah Wah 45s
Catalog Number: WAHLP025 
Format: Vinyl 12 - Limited Edition / Digital / BANDCAMP

Review: Various Artists - We Wah 25 (Part 11/32 - Part-Time Heroes - 'Realise' feat. Jono McCleery) (Wah Wah 45s)

Regular readers of YATM will know that we go a long way back with Wah Wah 45s and Mr. Dom Servini so for the 25th Birthday Party compilation that came out last week, here's a bit of a selective retrospective!

Especially as there's a massive 32 tracks to celebrate 25 years (Ed. Wonder who thought of that equation?) and as Jono McCleery is riding high on his album on Sonar Kollectiv, 'Reconcile' (see review HERE), has anyone mentioned that he featured on Part-Time Heroes track 'Realise'? (Track 11. on the compilation - see below and original album review in October, 2008).

Part-Time Heroes - Meanwhile... After Gilles Peterson’s recent trip to Japan where he met up with Part-Time Heroes promoting the new album, Meanwhile…, don’t be surprised to see these guys back in the Worldwide awards at the end of the year.
Just to reiterate, Part-time Heroes are from Southampton (not Bournemouth, Gilles how could you make such a basic error as that?) and their classic track ‘Realise’ was voted 26th in the Best Track category of Gilles Peterson’s 2006 Worldwide awards. Not bad for a couple of part-timers but since then, the duo of Ross Wakefield and Toby Vane are now very much full-time with this project and this is the debut album. Their mix of thoughtful soul-jazz and dancefloor knowledge has helped them work with some excellent vocalist that really suit their style. ‘Realise’ will always be a standout track in any set (see the single review HERE) but Jono McCleery also sings on a downtempo flute strings number called ‘Angels Fly’ which is just awesome. And whilst we’re getting reflective, ‘Stop, Fade, Blur’ (with highly acclaimed jazz vocalist Laura Vane; any relation?) is as good as it gets! These two tracks together, ‘Stop, Fade, Blur’ and Angels Fly’, get me every time but Ms. Vane, like most of the vocal guests, gets two tracks and her other track ‘In My Soul’ ends the CD up the up. These guys certainly have an ear/eye for a femaile vocalist as Bridgitte Amofah has appeared on The Nextmen’s album This Was Supposed To Be The Future and Dr. Rubberfunk’s My Life At 33. Here she gets the optimistic ‘Sun Will Shine’ and sentimental on ‘Method’. Liane Carroll featured on ‘Shadowlands’ on the ‘Realise EP’ and she continues to be a regular on the Hospital label. Her other track is ‘What It Could Be’ that’s linked with the instrumental ‘What’s The Noise? (Part II)’. What with the other instrumental, ‘Distance’, Part-Time Heroes take on the Koop’s, Zero 7s and Portishead’s of the world and come out points winners. The single from the album is more of a dancefloor sound, ‘Ready For Change’ featuring Pete (Elektrons, Domu Presents Pete Simpson, Joey Negro & The Sunshine Band) Simpson although the idea is to keep their PTH Projects guise for the club scene. The album launch was at Cargo in September and more llive band gigs are promiesed for next year but when they are not live, they are just as happy with their PTH Soundsystem so keep an eye open and don’t miss at any opportunity to see and hear them. Mr. Servini sir, you’ve done it again - Wah Wah 45s forever! Hectic Mix nominations: ‘Realise’, ‘Shadowlands’ [modern classics], ‘Stop, Fade, Blur’, ‘Angels Fly’, ‘Distance’. Reviewed: Part-time Heroes - Meanwhile… (Wah Wah 45s) Cat. No. WAHCD009 Release date: September 2008 Tracklisting: 1 Intro (0:39) 2 Ready For Change (4:20) feat. Pete Simpson 3 Shadowlands (5:07) feat. Liane Carroll 4 Realise (7:15) feat. Jono McCleery 5 Stop, Fade, Blur (4:56) feat. Laura Vane 6 Angels Fly (5:25) feat. Jono McCleery 7 Sun Will Shine (5:38) feat. Bridgette Amofah 8 What’s The Noise? (Part II) / What It Could Be (6:32) feat. Laura Vane 9 Method (Don’t Say Goodbye) (4:36) feat. Bridgette Amofah 10 Distance (5:36) 11 In My Soul (5:57) feat. Laura Vane + Hidden Track Links www.parttimeheroes.co.uk www.myspace.com/theparttimeheroes www.wahwah45s.com www.myspace.com/Misslauravane www.lianecarroll.co.uk www.mumsthewordmusic.com Gilles Peterson :: 2nd October 2008 :: Gilles Peterson’s Nu Japanese Mix Dee Dee Bridgewater - ‘Tokyo Blues’ (Verve) Hajime Yoshizawa - ‘Open Door’ (Village Again) Tokyo Zawinul Bach - ‘Mint Palladium’ (Body Electric) Cro-Magnon - ‘Morning Haze’ (Jazzy Sport) Audace - ‘Track 7’ (White) Forty Five - ‘Wa’ (Origami Productions) Sleep Walker - ‘Brotherhood’ (Mark Mac Remix) (Jazzamar) Kingdom Afrocks - ‘The Sunshine Has Gone’ (P-Vine) Nation Of Multiverse - ‘Unknown’ (Pravda Test) Quasimode Ft. Carmen Lundy - ‘Sounds of Peace’ (Geneon) United Legends - Thank You (Danny Krivit Re-edit) (Geneon) —Gerry Hectic Sunday 19 October 2008

Review: Various Artists - We Wah 25 (Part 10/32 - Jamie Finlay - 'Daylight' feat. Ellen Beth Abdi) (Wah Wah 45s)

Regular readers of YATM will know that we go a long way back with Wah Wah 45s and Mr. Dom Servini so for the 25th Birthday Party compilation that came out last week, here's a bit of a selective retrospective!

Especially as there's a massive 32 tracks to celebrate 25 years (Ed. Wonder who thought of that equation?) and part of the celebrations was Wah Wah 45s stage on the Friday at WeOutHere Festival with Jamie Finlay and band that travelled all the way from Manchester to Dorset, starting out in 'Daylight' and ended as one of the gig's of the day in the Tomorrow's Warriors Big Tent (Track 10. on the compilation - see below as he was due to be the star turn at the London Jazz Festival launch  back in November, 2008).

Somebody called 'Speedy S' gave us an update; Speedy S eh!

Europe: City Guides/Events						FLY HOME NEWS AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST ASIA/PACIFIC CARIBBEAN EUROPE -Features -Reviews -City Guides/Events LATIN AMERICA US/CANADA - - - - - - FLY VIDEO FLYkr GALLERIES FLY CD SHOP (UK) FLY CD STORE (US) www.flickr.com what is this?
Wah Wah!! London Jazz Festival Launch (Cargo, 14.11.08) The best ever London Jazz Festival has the best ever launcher, its Dom Servini and a bunch of his favourite Wah Wah 45 folks.
It’s not that long since the brilliant Meanwhile… from the Wah Wah 45’s Part-Time Hereos but Mr. Servini and the boys now bring us the official London Jazz Festival launch and the Jaime Finlay album launch all rolled into one! You’ll recall Jamie Finlay (composer, producer, musician, DJ from Manchester) released the ‘Little Trumpet’/’Temperature’ 12” three years ago so the debut album Pocket Science is definitely long awaited especially as he’s been picked as ‘one to watch’ for sometime; comparisons with Prince, Plantlife, George Clinton and, legendary producers, the Mizell Brothers no less. In support are the London based funk band, The Filthy Six (sort of half of a Dirty Dozen?) that find their influences in the golden age of late 60’s Blue Note artists such as Lou Donaldson, Grant Green, Jimmy McGriff, Donald Byrd and other Droppin’ Science types. Currently hosting a monthly night at the world famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, London and other gigs across town, they now get a chance to burn up the Cargo dancefloor with their mix of original material and classics. They’ve got their own debut album Knockout ready to drop soon so it’ll be a double launch nigt. On the DJ front, Pete Isaac makes the long trip up from the West Country from the home of Jelly Jazz for a rare London appearance (so get there early) and your usual Wah Wah 45’s residents will also be on hand to entertain you. Looks like Wah Wah’s out to make the rest of the LJF an anti-climax! Links www.myspace.com/jamefinlay www.wahwah45s.com LIVE: JAMIE FINLAY & HIS ORCHESTRA + THE FILTHY SIX DJS: PETE ISAAC + WAH WAH RESIDENTS (DOM SERVINI, SIMON GOSS & CAPSTONE) 8-3am £10 adv, £6 before 9, £12 on the door www.cargo-london.com 83 Rivington Street, EC2 www.myspace.com/thefilthysix www.jellyjazz.com London Jazz Festival - Fri 14th - Sunday 23 November 2008 londonjazzfestival.org.uk www.bbc.co.uk/radio3 —Gerry Hectic Friday 7 November 2008