Oneness of Juju was an American spiritual-jazz/funk band from Washington, D.C., that grew out of Ju Ju. Background Oneness of Juju evolved from Ju Ju, an avant-garde jazz sextet that released the 1973/74 albums A Message From Mozambique and Chapter 2 Nia on Strata-East. Saxophonist James “Plunky Nkabinde” Branch formed Ju Ju in San Francisco, […]
Ju Ju was an American avant-garde jazz ensemble from San Francisco that released two albums in 1973/74 on Strata-East. They morphed into Oneness of Juju and released five further albums over the following decade. Members: J. Plunky Branch, Michael “Babatunde Olatunji” Lea (percussion), Al-Hammel Rasul [aka Tony Grayson] (piano), Jalongo Ngoma [aka Dennis Stewart] (percussion), […]
Lon Moshe — born Ron Martin in Chicago, Ill. — is an American jazz vibraphonist who was active during the 1970s. He first played with San Franciscan Afro-jazz/funk sextet Ndikho Xaba and the Natives, which issued a 1971 album on Trilyte. That same year, he appeared with bandmates Ndikho Xaba and Plunky Nkabinde on a […]
Oneness of Juju is the debut album by American Afro-jazz/funk ensemble Oneness of Juju, released in 1975 on Black Fire. Tracklist: A1. “African Rhythms” (7:17) A2. “Kazi” (4:20) A3. “Funky Wood” (1:13) A4. “Tarishi” (3:55) A5. “Mashariki” (3:22) B1. “Chants” (1:14) B2. “Don’t Give Up” (5:41) B3. “Incognito” (8:10) B4. “Poo Too” (3:43) B5. “Liberation […]
Chapter Two: Nia is the second of two albums by American avant-garde/spiritual-jazz ensemble Ju Ju, released in 1974 on Strata-East. The band would morph into Oneness of JuJu for the following year’s African Rhythms. Tracklist: A1. “Introduction” (2:40) A2. “Contradiction” (5:10) A3. “Black Experience” (3:44) A4. “Nia” (8:36) B1. “The End of the Butterfly King” […]
Ndikho Xaba & the Natives were an American spiritual jazz ensemble that released a 1971 album on the self-operated Trilyte Records. The band was led by South African-born musician Ndikho Xaba and included future Ju Ju/Oneness of Juju members Lon Moshe and Plunky. Members: Ndikho Xaba (piano, percussion, horn), Plunky (saxophone, vocals), Ken Shabala [aka […]
