Cat No: ARCH0501
Format: CD

Archie Shepp’s second release on his own label is “Kindred Spirits” (Vol.1) recorded in 1999 with musicians of Dar Gnawa of Tangier, plus his own quartet : Tom McClung, piano, Wayne Dockery, bass, & Steve McCraven, drums. Shepp had met Dar Gnawa when playing at a festival in Morocco, earlier the same year, and was instrumental in arranging for them to visit & perform in Paris. These live recordings were made at concerts at the Arab Word Institute and the ‘Temps du Maroc’ Festival at the Trianon Theatre, Paris.

This is pulsating, hypnotic music with the Western improvised, free jazz of Shepp’s flowing sax lines meeting the ritual, percussive trance of the North African ‘gnawa’ tradition - black, healing, ‘purifying’ musicians. The leader of 5-man Dar Gnawa, is Maalem Abdellah El Gourd who takes lead vocal duties and plays ‘guimbri’ - a three stringed bass guitar. The rest of the band provide chanting and traditional percussion instruments including ‘qrakech’ (iron castanets). Dar Gnawa have previously been involved in ‘fusio’ projects with Randy Weston and the late Johnny Copeland.