Jazz /
Viva la Black - Live at Ruvo
For its appearance at the 2004 edition of the Ruvo Festival, Canto General founder and festival director Pino Minafra invited Keith Tippett, Tippetts and Louis Moholo-Moholo to guest with the orchestra and the Faraualla singers. With a repertoire drawn from Mongezi Feza, Dudu Pukwana, Harry Miller and some Keith Tippett originals, the musicians paid tribute to those who had sought to bring forth light and sound through jazz from beneath the desperate dark shadow of apartheid.
Khumbula (Remember)
A duo recording from October 2004, produced by Evan Parker, which marked the first time that Louis Moholo-Moholo and Stan Tracey had worked together for thirty years and the first time ever as a duo. The pair entered Gateway Studios in Kingston, London with no prior discussion on what form the music should take, choosing instead to let the music take them. This glorious album is the result.
Anatomy of a South African Village
One of the most beautiful albums of the first production of the great South African pianist. Recorded live in 1965 at Cafe Montmartre in Copenhagen, in trio with Johnny Gertze - double bass and Makaya Ntshoko - drums, "Anatomy of a South African Village" shows the various aspects of the poetics of the then Dollar Brand and future Abdullah Ibrahim. From the circular and hypnotic pianism of African inspiration to the angularity of Monkish style, here expressed in the declared reinterpretation of c…
Rufus
A memorable session in August 1963 when in the hot New York, John Tchicai - alto sax, Archie Shepp - tenor sax, Don Moore - double bass and J.C. Moses - drums, met each other. Four young lions of the New Thing struggling with scratchy themes and a lot of highly contagious rhythms.
Consequences
Though short-lived, the New York Contemporary Five brought together NY free players Don Moore on bass, J.C. Moses on drums, Archie Shepp on tenor saxophone, and Don Cherry on trumpet with Danish alto saxophonist John Tchicai, in a remastered edition of their 1966 album "Consequences", expanded with Shepp's revisiting of the material in a sextet with Sunny Murray and Ted Curson.
Touching
A magnificent document of the music of the young Paul Bley. Recorded at the end of 1965 with Kent Carter - double bass and Barry Altschul - drums, "Touching" shows the already advanced musical conception of someone who over the years will establish himself as one of the greatest pianists in the history of Jazz. Between original pieces and compositions by Carla Bley and Annette Peacock, Bley's music unfolds with an autonomous step and extreme originality compared to most of the avant-garde pianis…
Mpumi
An album of piano / drums duets that Louis named for his beloved, and now tragically departed, wife Mpumi. The recordings took place in London in September, 1995, though the album was not actually released until 2002.
"Louis Moholo-Moholo, Son of the soil, has embarked on this musical journey with two of South Afrika's treasures - pianists Mervyn Africa and Pule Pheto. The third Pianist being his old favourite and friend, Keith Tippett. Louis's vibrant, warm and marvellous sounds celebrate the m…
Bò Kay La Vi-a
Ogun presents Bò Kay La Vi-a by Francine Luce. One of the lesser-known gems in the Ogun catalogue - check the the list of participating musicians to start with! Francine, originally from Martinique but a long-time resident of the UK, has contributed her unique vocals to Louis Moholo-Moholo's Unit and Septet, and to the Dedication Orchestra, but this her debut album from 1999 remains her only recorded output under her name on Ogun.
Bush Fire
Ogun presents Bush Fire by Louis Moholo, Evan Parker, Pule Pheto, Gibo Pheto, Barry Guy Quintet. Recorded at Gateway Studio, London in July, 1995 and released in 1997. "Musicians who refuse to follow passing fashions represent a vital rejuvenating force on any music scene, and perhaps especially today in a jazz world dominated by nostalgia and revisits to the past. The influence of South African musicians on the British jazz scene has been a crucial inspiration to that kind of independence. Loui…
Different Times Vol 2
A second volume of valuable documents from the Ogun archives by label co-founder Harry Miller. the tracks come from three sessions spanning 1977-1982. All feature Harry on bass with Louis Moholo-Moholo behind the drum kit and Trevor Watts on sax, other musicians included are Alan Wakeman (sax), Bernie Holland (guitar), Keith Tippett (piano), Alan Tomlinson (trombone), Dave Holdsworth (trumpet). This joyful music, at times rough around the edges but full of life and spirit, conviction and enthusi…
Different Times Vol 1
Precious artefacts from the Miller family's box of tapes. This album presents three tracks recorded in London (1973) with a line up of Harry Miller, Louis Moholo-Moholo, Chris McGregor, Mike Osborne, Nick Evans. Four more tracks come from a French festival (1976) with Miller, Moholo-Moholo and Osborne joined by Keith Tippett, Mark Charig and Malcolm Griffiths.
Procession Live At Toulouse
“Procession” captures Chris McGregor’s Anglo/South African big band in explosive form. Originally released on LP in 1978, this historic recording has been painstakingly restored from the original two-track analogue masters for this 2013 CD edition, which features an additional 23 minutes of music.
Pipedream
King Crimson/Soft Machine alumnus Mark Charig played in Keith Tippett's group and Centipede big band, and here on his sole Ogun album Keith and vocalist Ann Winter formed a trio to create a gem of free improvisation. Recorded over two cold days in January 1977, in a Bristol church, it was released on LP as OG 710, then reissued in 2010 on CD (OGCD033) with an extra previously unreleased track.
All Night Long
The phenomenal trio of Mike Osborne, Harry Miller and Louis Moholo-Moholo at their fiery best. Tracks 1-6 were recorded at the Willisau festival in Switzerland in April 1975. Track 7 is of vague origin but is of a similar vintage, recorded live in Europe (somewhere...)
Trio & Quintet
** Two LPs (Border Crossing + Marcel's Muse) on one CD, in a six-panel digisleeve ** Reissue (from 2004) of the two Mike Osborne albums released by Ogun on LP format now together on CD: 'Border Crossing', featuring the renowned Trio with Louis Moholo and Harry Miller, recorded live at the famous Peanuts Club in Bishopsgate, London, in 1974, and 'Marcel's Muse' recorded in 1977.
"Uneven and raw, but full of unflinching magic and flinty beauty." - John Fordham, The Guardian
Rogue Element
Recorded live in a French club in May 1978, this important document captures the Soft Head line up on cracking form and in quality audio crispness. The original LP was released in 1978 (OG527) and the CD reissue (OGCD013) in 1996, including two extra tracks. Please note the typo on the spine - Soft Heap - this album does not feature Pip Pyle!
Hugh Hopper - bass guitarElton Dean - alto sax, saxelloAlan Gowen - electric piano, synthesiserDave Sheen - drums
Coxhill on Ogun
Ogun presents Coxhill on Ogun by Lol Coxhill. Packaged in a double-gated cardboard sleeve including a short biography of Lol Coxhill, portrait photo and visuals on inner panels. Artwork [Inside Etching] – Claire Coxhill. Artwork [Inside Painting] – Stephen Cochrane. Executive Producer – Hazel Miller. Layout – David Ilic. Mastered By [CD Mastering] – Shawn. Photography [Portrait] – An Italian Friend. Soprano Saxophone, Producer – Lol Coxhill. Visuals: "Diverse" illustration (front) from Victorian…
Live at Willisau
This famous recording previously released as an LP now on CD with extra music launched the Ogun label. Recorded live at the Willisau Jazz Festival, Sept. 1974. Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath big band was exciting packed audiences throughout Europe, and needed an outlet provided by this new label, home of the South African family. The cover was designed by Niklaus Troxler with sleeve notes by Val Wilmer.
Recorded live at Willisau, Switzerland, 27 January 1973 by Roland Janz. Edited and re…
Malagasy at Newport
** Carefully remastered. 4 page booklet with rare and unpublished photos ** In May 1972, the wave of anger and the thirst for freedom that had swept the world in 1968 arrived in Madagascar. The Malagasy youth took the opportunity to exile in search of a brighter future. Several of them, all jazz musicians and often polyintrumentalists, came to Paris with their afro hair and bellbottoms. Their names were Sylvin Marc, his cousin Ange "Zizi" Japhet, Del Rabenja, Gérard Rakotoarivony and Frank Rahol…
Madagascar Now - Maintenant 'Zao
** Carefully remastered. 4 page booklet with rare and unpublished photos ** While he was working on the repertoire for the new version of his group Malagasy, with young Malagasy musicians he had met in Paris in 1972 (and who can be heard on the album "Malagasy At Newport-Paris"), Jef Gilson realised that two of his new discoveries, in addition to being established polyinstrumentalists (who both had sharpened their skills in the legendary seja-jazz band from La Réunion, Le Club Rythmique), were a…