It’s very hard to research the name “Mandingo” without coming across movies from the 70s and porn actors, but thanks to the wonderfully helpful allmusic.com, I discovered this particular Mandingo is not the man on the cover brandishing a sinister-looking, decidedly non-traditional kora (oh no, wait, it’s a gravikord!), but an Afro-funk supergroup composed of him (his name is Foday Musa Suso), Bill Laswell, Jeff Bova, and Nicky Skopelitis. The KCMU folks might have had a similarly difficult time digesting this record, but it seems in the end they were won over.
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“I was tempted to judge this ‘book’ by its cover, and, indeed, it is highly produced, but I think they’ve used the technology well instead of being victims of it & successfully blended african, hip-hop, & ‘ethnic’ (awful word) sounds in an engaging way. I wish there was more variety between cuts, but this is still a solid M. His instrument is beautiful. P.S. Read the credits. -- Nola” “‘’First I look at the purse...’ -- The Contours” “‘First I stare at the stick...’ -- Nola” “Technology? Makes this kind of music, Nola. Rock with it!” |
