Uhuru Kwanza
Context
First movement of the suite Uhuru Afrika, composed by Randy Weston and arranged by Melba Liston, preceded by an introduction on a text by Langston Hughes. Recorded in November 1960 in New York with an orchestra of more than twenty musicians, the work celebrates African independence by blending Afro-Cuban percussion and modern jazz. Released on Roulette in 1961, it was banned in South Africa in 1964.
In the genealogy of jazz
This track belongs to Hard bop, Third stream. Among the origins and influences of Hard bop: Blues, spirituals, work songs, Bebop (Minton's, Monroe's).