Gwotet cover
Released

Gwo-ka is a polyrhythmic folk music, played on hand drums, originating on the islands of the Guadeloupean archipelago in the Francophone Caribbean. It dates back to the 17th century, but modern gwo-ka performers like drummer and vocalist Klod Kiavue have updated the music somewhat, adding electric bass, congas, and djembe. Gwotet is Murray’s third collaboration with Kiavue, and the music is sweeter and rougher by turns than on 1998’s Creole or 2002’s Yonn-Dé, where they first took the band name David Murray & The Gwo-Ka Masters; some pieces feature as many as eight horns, and gentle, almost highlife-esque guitar. But Murray’s solos frequently reach screaming heights of ecstasy, and when special guest Pharoah Sanders turns up on “Ouagadougou” and “Ovwa,” the energy level goes through the ceiling.

Phil Freeman

Suggestions
Illuminations cover

Illuminations

Carlos Santana, Alice Coltrane
Giant Beauty cover

Giant Beauty

أحمد [Ahmed]
Saturn Sings cover

Saturn Sings

Mary Halvorson Quintet
Yakhal' Inkomo cover

Yakhal' Inkomo

Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi
Street Priest cover

Street Priest

Ronald Shannon Jackson & the Decoding Society
Live in Vilnius cover

Live in Vilnius

David S. Ware Quartet
Crystals cover

Crystals

Sam Rivers
Bending Bridges cover

Bending Bridges

Mary Halvorson Quintet
Wisdom of Elders cover

Wisdom of Elders

Shabaka & the Ancestors