Count Ossie And The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari
Tales Of Mozambique
★★★★
SOUL JAZZ. CD/LP
Afrocentric reggae jazz tour-de-force, with bonus tracks.
Steeped in West African drumming traditions, master percussionist Count Ossie helped birth the ska hybrid through wild jazz jams held in praise of the ‘Most High’ at his Rastafari encampment in the east Kingston hills. The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari subsequently emerging in the early 1970s after Ossie joined forces with the gifted saxophonist and former Sun Ra collaborator Cedric Brooks. More accessible than their unfettered Grounation debut, the 1975 epic Tales Of Mozambique is a wondrous and deeply moving work exploring the horrors of the slave trade and Jamaica’s post-colonial aftermath, with Brooks’ mournful sax meanderings tastefully laid over a bed of expressive hand drumming from Ossie and his group, Samuel Clayton’s intermittent oration an evocative guide. Issued with rare instrumental bonus tracks Samia and Rasta Reggae, this edition is available on limited purple vinyl and purple CD.