For its second album, Benin's Gangbé Brass Band turns up the heat to scorching. The ten-piece outfit, first championed by French band Lo'Jo, follows in a small tradition of African brass, but pushes the whole idea outward. Chanted call-and-response vocals work into horn and percussion lines, all underpinned by a deftly blown euphonium. It's exhilarating stuff, as soulful as anything out of New Orleans (probably the closest American comparison) but with more than a touch of jazz -- just listen to the opening of "Ekui Nawo," which bubbles with Monk-inflected bop before taking a turn back to Africa. But however far the music travels -- and it's very sophisticated in both arrangements and execution -- the heartbeat is absolutely African, propelled by many layers of percussion that create a polyrhythmic spring to keep it all moving. While the band functions primarily as a unit, there are some great individual moments, like Lucien Gbaguidi's sax solo on "Ema Dja," a model of economy and skill. In "Gangbé Vile" they eschew horns altogether and rely on just voices and percussion, and it works perfectly as a statement of intent, before closing with the Western-style march "Guigonon," just because they can. With Togbé, the members of the Gangbé Brass Band have consolidated and developed their ideas to release a thoughtful, mature, and exciting disc.
Gangbé Brass Band
Togbé
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AllMusic Review by Chris Nickson
Track Listing
Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
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1 | Gangbé Brass Band | 05:41 | Amazon | ||||
2 | Gangbé Brass Band | 05:30 | Amazon | ||||
3 | Gangbé Brass Band | 05:03 | Amazon | ||||
4 | Gangbé Brass Band | 05:09 | Amazon | ||||
5 | Gangbé Brass Band | 05:36 | Amazon | ||||
6 | Gangbé Brass Band | 04:58 | Amazon | ||||
7 | Gangbé Brass Band | 05:29 | Amazon | ||||
8 | Gangbé Brass Band | 05:51 | Amazon | ||||
9 | Gangbé Brass Band | 03:24 | Amazon | ||||
10 | Gangbé Brass Band | 05:28 | Amazon |