MARK TURNER is staggered by a gifted jazz pianist from the Welsh Valleys
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Global Routes with Tony Burke: April 2, 2024
The musical progeny of the Rumble in the Jungle, and contemporary Nigerian Afrobeat
JESSICA WIDNER explores how the twin themes of violence and love run through the novels of South Korean Nobel prize-winner Han Kang
SARAH TROTT explores short fictional slices of life in the American midwest from a middle-aged and mostly female perspective
New releases from Black Country, New Road, Anouar Brahem, and Jaywalkers
RICHARD CLARKE recommends a hugely valuable text for those seeking theoretical analysis and practical action to defend public services
JOHN HAWKINS is moved by an oral history that examines five black families pushed into homelessness in the US
BOB NEWLAND recommends an outstanding study of how images have shaped narratives of identity, resistance and power in South Africa
IT is not often that a boxing match changes the course of an entire music industry — but that’s what happened when Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in 1974 in the famous Rumble In The Jungle in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
The promoter for the “fight of the century” was the irrepressible Don King, who according to the booklet notes to Analog Africa’s Congo Funk! — Sound Madness From The Shores Of The Mighty Congo River (Kinshasa/Brazzaville 1969-1982) secured the $10 million needed to stage the fight from the megalomanic president of Zaire Mobutu Sese Seko,(aka Mobutu) who rose to power with the aid of the US and Belgium in exchange for giving them unlimited access to the riches of the country.
As part of the deal Mobutu agreed to a three-day music festival, Zaire ’74, prior to the fight, featuring an array of local stars including guitarist Franco with international guests Miriam Makeba, Manu Dibango, BB King and salsa stars Celia Cruz with the Fania All Stars.
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