Castles of Ghana | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1986 | |||
Studio | East Studio | |||
Label | Gramavision [1] | |||
Producer | John Carter, Jonathan F. P. Rose | |||
John Carter chronology | ||||
|
Castles of Ghana is an album by the American musician John Carter. [2] [3] It was released in 1986. [4] Carter premiered the music at The Public Theater, in November 1985. [5] Carter chose the title after being informed that former Ghanaian castles had been used to hold Africans sold into slavery. [6]
The album was the second part of a five-part series on Black history, titled Roots and Folklore: Episodes in the Development of American Folk Music. [7] [8] The liner notes were written by Carter, who described the atrocity of slavery. [9] Benny Powell played trombone on the album; Andrew Cyrille played drums. [10] [11]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [7] |
Robert Christgau | B− [12] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [13] |
MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide | [14] |
Robert Christgau wrote that "this ain't jazz, it's modern chamber music, quite European in view of its ostensible subject." [12] The New York Times called the album "a powerful jazz composition in its own right and an ideal setting for the composer's hard-edged, penetrating clarinet improvisations." [15]
The Gazette noted that it "is not easy listening," writing that "Carter's compositions are closer to the European brand of improvised jazz, without the rhythmic and harmonic convention usually associated with the music." [16] The Los Angeles Times determined that Carter demonstrates "his amazing facility for jumping from one register to another with an ease that seems to extend the [clarinet]'s naturally capacious range." [17]
The Philadelphia Inquirer listed Castles of Ghana among the 10 best jazz albums of 1986. [10]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Castles of Ghana" | |
2. | "Evening Prayer" | |
3. | "Conversations" | |
4. | "The Fallen Prince" | |
5. | "Theme of Desperation" | |
6. | "Capture" | |
7. | "Postlude" |
John Wallace Carter was an American jazz clarinet, saxophone, and flute player. He is noted for the acclaimed Roots and Folklore series, a five-album concept album set inspired by African American life and experiences.
Nefertiti is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released in March 1968. Recorded at Columbia's 30th Street Studio over four dates between June 7 and July 19, 1967, the album was Davis' last fully acoustic album. Davis himself did not contribute any compositions- three were written by tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, two by pianist Herbie Hancock and one by drummer Tony Williams.
Off the Coast of Me is the debut album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released in 1980. The album was reissued in 2003 with additional bonus tracks by Universal Island Records.
Of Human Feelings is an album by American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Ornette Coleman. It was recorded on April 25, 1979, at CBS Studios in New York City with his band Prime Time, which featured guitarists Charlie Ellerbee and Bern Nix, bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma, and drummers Calvin Weston and Coleman's son Denardo. It followed the saxophonist's failed attempt to record a direct-to-disc session earlier in March of the same year and was the first jazz album to be recorded digitally in the United States.
The Blow-Up is a live album by the American band Television, released as The Blow Up on cassette in 1982. It was reissued in 1990 and again in 1999. The songs first appeared on a bootleg titled Arrow.
Guitar is a 1986 solo studio album by American jazz guitarist Sonny Sharrock. He recorded the album with producer Bill Laswell at RPM Sound Studios in New York City. As the project's sole instrumentalist, Sharrock performed and overdubbed his guitar improvisations onto other sections of a song he had recorded beforehand.
Thermonuclear Sweat is an album by the American jazz group Defunkt. It was released in 1982 via Hannibal Records. The group broke up after the release of the album, reforming in 1986.
Kill Tunes is the second album by the American indie rock band Leaving Trains. It was released in 1986 via SST Records.
Toots in Memphis is an album by the Jamaican reggae musician Toots Hibbert. Released in 1988, Toots in Memphis was recorded without the Maytals. The majority of the album's tracks are covers of American R&B songs.
Contenders is the debut album by the English indie rock band Easterhouse, released in 1986.
Antecedente is an album by the Panamanian musician Rubén Blades, released in 1988. The album was often reviewed with La Pistola y El Corazón, by Los Lobos, which also was a return-to-roots effort.
Music for Babies is the debut album by British musician Howie B, released in 1996. It is about becoming a father.
Santa Ana Winds is an album by the American musician Steve Goodman. Goodman finished the album a short time before his 1984 death of leukemia. It was reissued by Omnivore Recordings in 2019.
Long Gone Dead is the second album by the American band Rank and File, released in 1984. Founding member Alejandro Escovedo left the band prior to the recording sessions for the album.
Beasts of No Nation is an album by the Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. It was released in 1989. Kuti is credited with his band Egypt 80.
It's Alright is an album by the American musician Chris Stamey, released in 1987. Stamey supported it with a North American tour that included Alex Chilton on keyboards. It's Alright was expected to be somewhat of a mainstream success; it did not perform as well as envisioned, and Stamey was dropped from A&M Records two years after its release.
Royal Garden Blues is an album by the American saxophonist Branford Marsalis, released in 1986. Marsalis promoted it with a North American tour.
Journey of Dreams is an album by the South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, released in 1988. Journey of Dreams also served as the title of a film about frontman Joseph Shabalala, directed by David Lister and shot around the same time. Shabalala chose the title in part to describe his journey from his birthplace of Ladysmith to international success. It also refers to his desire to get the sound he heard in his dreams on to record.
Late is an album by the American clarinetist Alvin Batiste, released in 1993. Issued as part of Columbia Records' "Legendary Pioneers of Jazz" series, it was Batiste's first album for a major label.
Rhythm People (The Resurrection of Creative Black Civilization) is an album by the American saxophonist Steve Coleman, released in 1990. He is credited with his band, the Five Elements.