Grachan Moncur III - New Africa

Grachan Moncur III — New Africa

An Afrocentric jazz landmark

Remastered from the original master tapes

Deluxe Limited Edition 140-gram vinyl in gatefold jacket

A fearless, Afrocentric jazz landmark — remastered from the original tapes and reissued in deluxe form, with new liner notes, restored art, and a visionary lineup that still burns with revolutionary fire. A vital document of artistic resistance and spiritual searching, New Africa captures a transformative moment in jazz and global Black consciousness. Recorded in Paris in 1969 by the storied BYG label, the album stands as a deeply personal and boldly experimental statement from American trombonist and composer Grachan Moncur III — one of the most compelling figures of the avant-garde movement.

Driven by a sense of urgency and vision, New Africa channels the energy of a world in flux. Moncur, deeply moved by his journey to Algiers during a pivotal cultural gathering, poured that experience into a work that is at once avant-garde and grounded in ancestral memory. The music does not seek comfort — it provokes, interrogates, and ultimately uplifts. Across it's four tracks, Moncur challenges structure, tone, and expectation. The album's movements shift fluidly between tension and resolution, melody and abstraction, lament and celebration. It is jazz as prophecy — rooted in Black radical thought and extended through fearless improvisation. More than 50 years on, New Africa remains a resonant artistic cry: urgent, unresolved, and unafraid to imagine what liberation might sound like. This reissue gives the album the treatment it has long deserved, offering listeners a renewed opportunity to engage with one of the most potent recordings of its time — and of ours.

 

 

1. New Africa

2. Space Spy

3. Exploration

4. When

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