Black Truth Rhythm Band -Ifetayo LP rare afro jazz rock psych funk soul afrobeat

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Black Truth Rhythm Band -  Ifetayo LP + plus 7" + plus digital download - hard to find recent reissue of this 1976 afro jazz calypso soul psychedelic afrobeat funk recording.  new open copy.  collectible.  own this artifact!

Ifetayo - Black Truth Rhythm Band

"Soundway return once more to the Caribbean and are proud to present ‘Ifetayo’ by Black Truth Rhythm Band originally released in 1976. Led by the charismatic Oluko Imo, ‘Ifetayo’ was the only release from the Afro-centric, Trinidadian band and is re-issued here for the first time on CD, vinyl and digital. Whereas most of their peers at the time were looking to the funk of the USA & James Brown for inspiration, Black Truth Rhythm Band looked to Africa, fusing rhythms from Africa & the West Indies with elements of jazz, funk, calypso and soul.

From an early stage in their career it was the African influence that set Black Truth Rhythm Band apart from other West Indian bands. Formed in 1971, the group looked further a field than the USA for their influences, more specifically to Africa, even going as far as giving themselves African names and dressing in African clothes. At the time finding African records in the West Indies was particularly difficult, making the bands choice of influences even more rare.

In 1975 Imo took his musicians into the studio to record the album ‘Ifetayo’. Imo played bass, kalimba, conga, flute and percussion as well as lead vocals.  The album was released the following year in 1976 and despite being released in the US, remained an underground, albeit unique and forward thinking record that has remained out of print for years now.

‘Ifetayo’ was to be the only release from Black Truth Rhythm Band but Imo continued his music and love of African rhythms, going onto record with Fela Kuti in 1988 and later on perform with members of Fela’s Egypt 80 band."

Comes with a non-album bonus track on bonus 7?

Tracklist

1. Ifetayo
2.You People
3. Save D Musician
4. Kilimanjaro
5. Aspire
6. Umbala
BONUS TRACK (on 7" record): Imo

you can hear some of the music on youtube and soundcloud.

"With its unshakeable focus in seeking the very best vintage music from virtually everywhere south of the equator, Soundway Records has reissued a true gem here. Ifetayo, the lone album by Trinidad's Black Rhythm Truth Band, was released in 1976, and disappeared soon thereafter -- until the dawn of crate-digging culture. It is an ambitious, steamy slab of Caribbean funk that endures the test of time. Though the cut "Save D Musician" appeared on Kon & Amir's Off Track, Vol. 2: Queens compilation, and has been sampled elsewhere, this is Ifetayo's first reissue on either LP or CD. Black Truth Rhythm Band were an odd and prophetic unit. While most of the acts from Trinidad during the '70s were busy sopping up American soul, funk, and disco and offering them in clubs with their own rhythms added, these cats looked to the motherland, Africa, for inspiration. Populated by electric bass, guitar, various keys, flute, keyboards, marimbas, and steel drums, and fronted by lead vocalist Oluko Imo (who later sang for Fela Kuti's Egypt 80 band), this music is a far cry from anything that was coming from their homeland. Steel drums were usually employed as novelty instruments in island bands during the '70s, as an attraction for tourists. BTRB used them instead as foundations that were essential to the ensemble's sonic architecture; they mixed them in equal balance with the rest of the instruments on any given track, adding an uncommon darkness to their rich, deep, and moody grooves. While the title track and the aforementioned "Save D Musician" are obvious starting points because of their their eerie, humid, elastic funk, the true depth of the band's genius reveals itself in "Kilimanjaro," where Latin-flavored keyboards, circular Noruba drumming, and the kinetic use of mbiras and flute, accent and illustrate the polyrhythmic flow. Another standout here is "Aspire," where a near Trinidadian calypso is melded into a contrapuntal series of layered rhythms, guitar vamps, and sweet, chorus-like vocals. The best is saved for last, however, when the BTRB throws everything into the pot on the eight-minute "Umbala." It crosses calypso, dread reggae, Fela's Afro-beat, and the melodic richness of Sonny Okuson with an organic funkiness that is not unlike Cymande's, only smoother. Ultimately, Soundway does it again: Ifetayo is a gem through and through. "  t. jurek AMG

take note fans of Ginger Baker Air Force, Fela Kuti, Antibalas, black rock, african soul grooves, tinariwen, dusty groove, etc.


CONDITION:  new open copy.


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