Ahmed Abdul-Malik Jazz Sahara LP Riverside RLP 12-287 Mono 1959 Johnny Griffin For Sale

Description:Recorded in October 1958 at Reeves Sound Studios in New York and issued on Riverside in 1959 and widely celebrated by jazz historians and musicians as one of the earliest experimental fusions of American hard bop jazz with traditional Arabic and Middle Eastern music, Jazz Sahara was bassist and oud player Ahmed Abdul-Malik's debut as a leader. It is an early and ambitious blend of jazz and Middle-Eastern music, built on traditional Arab and North African melodies rather than chord changes. Tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, then Abdul-Malik's bandmate in the Thelonious Monk Quartet, soars over an ensemble of oud, violin, kanoon, darabeka, duf, bass and drums. Griffin plays on three of the four extended tracks. The closing piece, "Farah 'Alaiyna," goes without the jazz horn. The album was produced by Bill Grauer with engineering by Jack Higgins, and the liner notes are by Orrin Keepnews.

About the Artist:Ahmed Abdul-Malik (1927–1993) was born in Brooklyn to a family of Sudanese descent. He studied violin as a child and played everything from symphony orchestras to Greek, Syrian and Gypsy weddings. In the 1950s he worked with Art Blakey, Randy Weston, Coleman Hawkins and Don Byas. He became best known as the bassist in Thelonious Monk's quartet from 1957. Alongside his jazz career, he was among the first musicians to bring the oud into jazz, which made him a pioneer of what would later be called "world music" fusion.

Album Specifications:

• Title: Jazz Sahara (Ahmed Abdul-Malik's Middle-Eastern Music with Johnny Griffin)
• Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, Spectrosonic
• Artist: Ahmed Abdul-Malik
• Label + Catalog Number: Riverside Records – RLP 12-287
• Country: US
• Year: 1959
• Genre: Jazz (Modal, Folk / Middle-Eastern)
• Personnel: Ahmed Abdul-Malik (oud, bass); Johnny Griffin (tenor sax, all tracks except B2); Naim Karacand (violin); Jack Ghanaim (kanoon); Mike Hamway (darabeka); Bilal Abdurrahman (duf); Al Harewood (drums)
• Loose / Sleeved: Sleeved (original Riverside jacket)
• Condition: Record VG+ / Sleeve VG+. The vinyl shows light surface hairlines and scuffs with no deep gouges visible in the photos. The jacket shows seam and edge wear along the back bottom edge, a small tear, and tape at the top back.

Tracklist:

Side 1

1. Ya Annas (Oh, People) – 11:23
2. Isma'a (Listen) – 9:13

Side 2

1. El Haris (Anxious) – 11:31
2. Farah 'Alaiyna (Joy Upon Us) – 7:02