JUJU - Live At 131 Prince Street

Double LP with 12-inch insert sheet

First international reissue of full sessions from JuJu's 1973 concert at Ornette Coleman's gallery

Features previously unheard 15-minute long version of Pharoah Sanders' "Thembi"

Includes new sleeve notes, interview with bandleader James "Plunky" Branch and rare photos

Part of Strut's ongoing work reissuing the complete Black Fire independent jazz and R&B catalog

Strut continue their in-depth archive reissues from the Black Fire label with a definitive edition of JuJu's Live At 131 Prince Street, recorded in 1973 at Ornette Coleman's gallery in New York and featuring a previously unheard
recording of the Pharoah Sanders composition "Thembi."

After forming in San Francisco while working on the Marvin X theater piece "The Resurrection of the Dead," JuJu began to hone their uncompromising fusion of Afro-Latin rhythms with free and spiritual jazz before signing to
Strata-East for the A Message From Mozambique album in 1972.

"We moved to New York and became part of the avant-garde community on the Lower East Side and Greenwich Village," remembers bandleader Plunky Branch. After a high profile live show at the Lincoln Center, Ornette
Coleman invited JuJu to his gallery and loft at 131 Prince Street to perform there and to stay on while he left on tour. "That was life-changing for us," continues Plunky."It was fabulous. The recordings you hear on this album
are in close proximity to each other, maybe across one day or a weekend at the gallery."

Alongside tracks written by the JuJu band members, such as the 5/4 tempo "At Least We Have A Horizon Now," they play choice covers from their peers. Plunky explains, "‘Thembi' is a Pharoah Sanders piece which he wrote for his wife in 1971 and it's one of my favorite pieces by him. "Azucar Pa Ti" was written by Eddie Palmieri; we loved him too and enjoyed Latin music in general. Here we play 'Mozambique,' based on an Afro-Cuban rhythm and we regularly played that for 10 minutes before morphing into ‘Azucar.' ‘Out Of This World,' written by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen, was inspired by John Coltrane who recorded a version of it on his ‘Coltrane' album in '62."

JuJu's Live At 131 Prince Street is out on Strut on February 12, 2021 on 2LP and 1CD. Remastered by The Carvery from the original reel to reel tapes and including full sleeve notes based around a new interview with bandleader James "Plunky" Branch.

Musicians:
Plunky Nkabinde, saxophone, flute, vocals, shekere, cowbell
Ken Shabala, bass, percussion, vocals
Babatunde, congas, percussion, vocals
Al-Hammel Rasul, keyboards, shekere, vocals
Jalango Ngoma, timbales, congas, percussion
Lon Moshe, vibraphone, flute, percussion

 

Side A

1. At Least We Have A Horizon Now

Side B

1. Thembi

Side C

1. Mozambique/Azucar PA TI

Side D

1. Out Of This World

2. Rosalie/ Juju’s Door

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