{"product_id":"mankunku-quartet-yakhal-inkomo-lp","title":"Mankunku Quartet - Yakhal Inkomo LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Mankunku Quartet's 1968 album \u003cem\u003e'Yakhal' Inkomo’\u003c\/em\u003e clocks in at just over 30 minutes of jazz perfection. This compact, and to-the-point, album would sit comfortably in amongst some of the best works in the catalogues of any of the quintessential jazz labels such as \u003cstrong\u003eBlue Note\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ePrestige \u003c\/strong\u003eand \u003cstrong\u003eImpulse\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003cem\u003e'Yakhal' Inkomo’, \u003c\/em\u003ehowever, was originally released on the South African record label World Record Co., which resulted in it becoming an elusive and sought-after piece for jazz collectors. First press copies sometimes fetch as much as £1,000 on the collectors' market. It has been long regarded as one of the finest South African jazz albums and DJ \/ broadcaster \u003cstrong\u003eGilles Peterson\u003c\/strong\u003e cemented this when he included it in his \"best of genre\" focussed radio show, 'The 20 - South African Jazz'.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTenor saxophonist Winston \"Mankunku\" Ngozi recorded the session on 23rd July 1968 at the Manley van Niekerk Studios, in Johannesburg. It was recorded by Dave Challen and produced by Ray Nkwe. The session is built up of two original works by Mankunku on the A-side, 'Yakhal' Inkomo' \u0026amp; 'Dedication (To Daddy Trane and Brother Shorter)', and on the B-side, the \u003cstrong\u003eHorace Silver\u003c\/strong\u003e composition 'Doodlin', and a \u003cstrong\u003eJohn Coltrane\u003c\/strong\u003e number 'Bessie's Blues'. What is striking is how the Mankunku-penned compositions not only hold their own next to Silver and Coltrane, but they are, arguably, the better tracks on the record - a testament to the beautiful writing and playing of Mankunku.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Yakhal' Inkomo' \u003c\/em\u003efeatures the great musicians; Agrippa Magwaza on bass, drummer Early Mabuza, and pianist Lionel Pillay. Pillay was of Indian descent, making this a mixed-race group, thus the very recording of the album was an act of resistance as it broke the apartheid restrictions of the time. The title of \u003cem\u003e'Yakhal’ Inkomo' \u003c\/em\u003emeans “the bellow of the bull”, the Black audience would have understood this as coded community symbolism and an act of protest, but it escaped the attention of the white government.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor this edition, we have enlisted the services of \u003cstrong\u003eAbbey Road Studios mastering\u003c\/strong\u003e, and lacquer-cutting engineer Miles Showell to cut a special \u003cstrong\u003ehalf-speed master\u003c\/strong\u003e from the audio taken off the original master tapes. Miles has previously worked on our Arthur Verocai, Marcos Valle and Ian Carr re-issues, and once again we are blown away by the richness and clarity of Miles' work. We have also presented it as a replica copy using the cover artwork and labels from the primary World Record Co. original version.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the sleeve notes, Ray Nkwe the producer and the President of the Jazz Appreciation Society of South Africa writes \u003cem\u003e\"This is the LP that every jazz fan has been waiting for\"\u003c\/em\u003e and Ray was not wrong, it's a \u003cstrong\u003estone-cold timeless jazz classic\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mr. Bongo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47617837302018,"sku":null,"price":42.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0148\/7449\/files\/a3243415226_16.jpg?v=1775178514","url":"https:\/\/www.beatstreet.ca\/products\/mankunku-quartet-yakhal-inkomo-lp","provider":"Beat Street Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}