GANGBE BRASS BAND
WHENDO (Roots Racines) (Contre-Jour CJ015)

Gangbé Brass Band from Benin come on strong with another heavy-hitting jazz-inflected album. Drumming is to the fore, but we get more horns and better arrangments than their first album as they explore their roots. From Fela Kuti's Kalakuta Republic to New Orleans is a giant step but they stride across with spirit. "Oblemou" tells tales from the front lines of the New Orleans marching bands of yore, but they are not sloppy drunks weeping in their mint juleps. They keep the solos tight and tidy. "Remember Fela," a tribute to Fela Kuti, states everything you need to know about Afrobeat in a simple groove. The percussive bed makes for a restless horn section and they churn along, shredding the sheets. Then there's bits of everything musical in between those disparate worlds. My favourite track is "Segala" which quotes Mancini -- the "Pink Panther" theme and not "Baby elephant walk" which you'd expect! WHENDO is a classic album. -- Doctor Rhythm