Moncur III, Grachan - New Africa vinyl lp (due to size and weight, this price for the USA only. Outside of the USA, the price will be adjusted as needed)
SKU
28-BYGG5293211.1
Grachan Moncur III - trombone
Roscoe Mitchell - alto saxophone, piccolo flute
Dave Burrell - piano
Archie Shepp - tenor saxophone
Alan Silva - bass
Andrew Cyrille - drums
Recorded August 11, 1969 in Paris and originally released as Actuel 21, this was the great composer and trombonist Grachan’s third album after two great ones on Blue Note.
Some of this is mellower than a lot of the fire-eating Actuel’s, but one of the best Actuels! Hugely recommended.
“A vital document of artistic resistance and spiritual searching,
New Africa captures a transformative moment in jazz and
global Black consciousness. Recorded in Paris in 1969 by the
storied BYG label, the album stands as a deeply personal and
boldly experimental statement from American trombonist and
composer Grachan Moncur III — one of the most compelling
figures of the avant-garde movement.
Driven by a sense of urgency and vision, New Africa channels
the energy of a world in flux. Moncur, deeply moved by his
journey to Algiers during a pivotal cultural gathering, poured
that experience into a work that is at once avant-garde and
grounded in ancestral memory. The music does not seek
comfort — it provokes, interrogates, and ultimately uplifts.
Across its four tracks, Moncur challenges structure, tone, and
expectation. The album’s movements shift fluidly between
tension and resolution, melody and abstraction, lament and
celebration. It is jazz as prophecy — rooted in Black radical
thought and extended through fearless improvisation.”