New CD of Old Liberian Classics

Songs of the African Coast: Cafe Music of Liberia
A collection of unique popular music recorded in 1948 in Liberia by ethnomusicologist Arthur Alberts. The music is a mix of genres echoing Calypso and early jazz (and includes songs made famous during the folk scare of the 60s like "Chicken is Nice," "Gbanawa," "Woman Sweeter Than Man" and "Hold Me Tight"), played by small ensembles (usually piano, guitar and bass, occasionally some hot horn work, too), and sung in English. Includes detailed notes and interesting photos. The 18 recordings, along with the accompanying commentary, showed the intricate connections between African and American music.

Link.


Speaking of which, I just won this item on eBay. I already have a promo copy of the record with no cover, but I wanted to read the liner notes. Apparently Gayflor lives in the US and still tours cultural festivals all over the world. The record has one really nice dancefloor jazz track like something you'd hear on Gilles Peterson's show. Cool you can see the Masonic Lodge in the background of the cover pic.