Africa Roll [LP]

M'Bamina - Africa Roll [LP]

M'Bamina - an ensemble of musicians from Congo, Cameroon, and Benin, who arrived in Italy in the early 70's. Settling between northern Italy and the Pavia area, they began performing in small clubs and community events, bringing with them a vibrant rhythmic heritage: African polyrhythms, call-and-response vocals, funk-infused bass lines, and Caribbean or Afro-Latin colors absorbed along their musical journeys. Their raw, contagious energy on stage quickly drew attention.
The recording sessions of this album - held in Turin in 1975 - produced a remarkably warm and direct sound. The music feels almost live: grooves rooted in African tradition, but open to funk-rock structures and modern arrangements. It is a natural fusion, never forced. Tracks move between tribal rhythms, funk basslines, light electric guitars, congas and Afro-Latin percussion, with call-and-response vocals, and melodies that echo both Congolese tradition and the lineage of Latin jazz. Not by chance, one of the album's most striking tracks, "Watchiwara", reinterprets a Latin standard through M'Bamina's own rhythmic language.
Tracklisting:
A1. Kyrie Paien
A2. Wendo
A3. Malonga
A4. Bakoko
A5. Messe Noire
B1. Benguela
B2. Ayewa
B3. Watchiwara
B4. N'Zoumba
B5. African Drums