The Afro Soul-Tet ''Afrodesia''

The Afro Soul-Tet

''Afrodesia''
( Original LP on Banyon Records, Cat. # 1001 )
Re-Issued on Luv N'Haight

Tracklisting:
01. Afrodesia
02. Mozamba
03. Soul Rockin’
04. Afro Revolt
05. Drumbouie
06. Torrid Zone
07. Oom-Gowa
08. Slave Traders
09. Aphro Bugaloo
10. Chocolate Drop
11. Le Berber
12. Sand, Sun and Sea

(WORLDWIDE RELEASE WAS ON JANUARY 18, 2011, ON UBIQUITY RECORDS)

Note:
After seeing them play at the Living Room on Sunset Boulevard, producer/musician Jack Millman became manager of the Afro Latin Blues Quintet +1, and signed them to Randy Woods (creator/owner of the Mira, Mirwood, Crestview, Surrey labels) in the late 1960s.Having released several albums the band morphed into the Afro Soultet For just one album, released in limited quantity on Millman's Banyan label. After their short stint as the Afro Soultet, the band became The Afro Latin Soultet releasing records with pianist Phil Moore III at the helm. The Afrodesia album will be re-issued on Luv N'Haight in early 2011. The album mixes jazz, Latin, funk, surf, and exotica - Aphro Bugaloo is one of the more jazz flavored joints.
Luv n’ Haight kills it again with this platter recorded circa 1968-71. The grooves blend Latin Jazz with Straight-ahead Jazz, worldly percussion, Surf, Rock, Funk, oddball sound effects, a touch of Lounge, and some hints of Tropicalia. All coming together for one monster of a set from this Texas combo.

Jack Millman, aka Johnny Kitchen, had a hand in many interesting, obscure and highly collectible records from the 1960s and 1970s. Producing, composing, recording, editing, releasing, licensing – you name it, Millman did it. The records he touched had an eclectic range from psychedelic rock to Latin jazz, and several include editing techniques that can only be described as an early incarnation of sampling in music.
After seeing them play at the Living Room (which later became the Comedy Store) on Sunset Boulevard, Millman became manager of the Afro Latin Blues Quintet +1, and signed them to Randy Woods (creator/owner of the Mira, Mirwood, Crestview, Surrey labels) in the late 1960s.
Having released several albums this band would later become the Afro Soultet. The liner notes to their Afrodesia album state "This is Afrodesia! A Musical collage of many peoples. . .it comes from Africa and from Arabia, from the South Seas and from Asia." Living up to the promise of those notes Afrodesia mixes Latin Jazz, with straight jazz, worldly percussion, surf, rock, funk, oddball sound effects, a touch of lounge, and some hints of tropicalia. Millman produced and released the Afrodesia album on his own Banyon label sometime between 1968-1971 (no release date is listed on the record, and Millman cannot recall a more exact date.)
Somewhere between 500 and 1000 LPs were pressed on Banyon. The album was licensed non-exclusively to Betty Chiappetta (of Vee-Jay fame) for a period of time, but it is possible that the record only saw release as a test pressing during the license, and that no official release was made commercially available. After their short stint as the Afro Soultet, the band morphed one more time into The Afro Latin Soultet releasing records with pianist Phil Moore III at the helm.
(Ubiquity Records)

Afrodesia is the lone album by the Afro-Soultet, which may or may not have been officially released by Banyon sometime between 1968 and 1971 (no one still breathing can remember the exact date). What we do know is that Johnny Kitchen (aka Jack Millman) licensed the record to Banyon's Betty Chiappetta (Vee-Jay Records), and the record received a test pressing. The Afro-Soultet originally hailed from Texas and recorded several albums under the name Afro-Blues Quintet +1, who had previously recorded three albums and seven 45s. After some personnel changes, the band relocated to L.A., where Millman caught them playing the Living Room. He became their manager and entered the band as its "Latin drummer" (Eddie Paris was their "jazz/rock" drummer). Other members included Joey Dubreau on vibes (the lone surviving founding member of their former incarnation), Frank Morris on guitar and harmonica, Dean Elliot on percussion, William Quinn on reeds and winds, and keyboardist Bill Collins. Millman produced Afrodesia, which was reissued by Ubiquity's Luv N'Haight imprint. The dozen tracks that make up this set are a truly wild, exotic, and delicious meld of Latin and soul-jazz, boogaloo, funky instrumental soul, Middle Eastern rhythms and modes, surf, rock, blues, and hard bop. Millman's editing of sounds, such as the amplified, distorted kalimba (decades before we heard Konono No. 1) add to the percussion orgy that is "Drumbouie"; he primitive equivalent of sampling. "Soul Rockin'" weaves together boogaloo, funky handclaps (à la "Fingertips, Part II"), and soul-jazz grooves with a nice tenor solo by Quinn. The title track opens the record with the sound of a thunderstorm, followed by a blues progression via Morris' electric guitar and harmonica vamps. The army of percussion -- congas and timbales playing triple time over two syncopated drum kits -- underscores a tight groove accented by flute and an electric organ. "Mozamba" layers a Wes Montgomery-esque guitar vamp over Nigerian and Afro-Cuban polyrhythms. Collins' piano solo is a driven chord sequence reminiscent of Ramsey Lewis from the same era, but rawer and tougher. "Slave Traders" is straight-ahead hard bop jam with a two-saxophone head, swinging congas, drum kit, and a fine piano break by Collins. "Aphro Bugaloo" follows it with a less Latin, more post-bop feel. Afrodesia is a true lost classic and belongs in any soul or Latin jazz collection, as well as in any serious groove digger's crate. [This title is available on LP as well, and comes with a digital download coupon.]

Information (Sounds of the Universe):
A mixed bag of heavily percussive, high sprited late 60's Afro-Latin rhythms from The Afro Soul-tet on Ubiquity!
The Afro Soul-tet formed in Texas circa 1968. 'Afrodesia' mixes Latin Jazz, straight jazz, worldly percussion, surf, rock, funk, oddball sound effects, a touch of lounge, and some hints of tropicalia.
The vinyl comes with a CD version and download code.

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