Those who were surprised five years ago at how little “Africa” was on the first recording of Omri Ziegele und Irene Schweizer Where’s Africa (Intakt 098) will be astonished now how “African” this second Where’s Africa CD sounds. This is not only because of the nostalgic pieces of Dollar Brand, Chris McGregor and Johnny Dyani, and also not only because of Ntshokos discrete drumming; it is because of the attitude that is indeed so altogether un-European. See, in Europe music is not allowed to be so outrageously beautiful, so merry with melody and sound, so unbroken and touching – especially not contemporary jazz. But: Omri Ziegele’s Where’s Africa-Trio is far from being a colourful acoustic travelogue about townships romantically jazzed up. It is rather the result of long journeys through forty years of fiercely lived – and sometimes suffered – history of jazz. In the course of this history a lot of things simply settled: the vain virtuosity, the desperate originality, the bathos and the hysterical forced happiness, the false complexity and the pompous art gesture. The remains of the long journey to oneself is this masterpiece. It’s about time

Sound engineer: Martin Pearson
Cover art: Christoph Hauri
Graphic design: Jonas Schoder
Photo: Francesca Pfeffer
Liner notes: Christian Rentsch

Recorded June, 30 and July, 1, 2009 by Schweizer Radio DRS, Radiostudio Zürich. Produced and published by Intakt Records, Patrik Landolt