My People

Joe Zawinul | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 17, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Escapade Records
• ASIN: B000001ZZ9
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #370,595 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Introduction to a Mighty Theme

2. Waraya

3. Bimoya

4. You Want Some Tea, Grandpa?

5. Slivovitz Trail

6. Ochy-Bala/Pazyryk [Live]

7. Orient Express

8. Erdäpfee Blues (Potato Blues)

9. Mi Gente

10. In an Island Way

11. Many Churches

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Joyous, Percolating Global Grooves, September 11, 2007

By 

David J. Ohanlon "David J OHanlon" (Lilyfield, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My People (Audio CD)

Although definitely not "jazz", from the gorgeous opening chords this disc is a WINNER!! In drawing together some of the best talent in "world music" (eg. Salif Keita) Zawinul has treated each guest artist with the ultimate respect, giving them full composer credits & plenty of upfront performance space to show off their unique talents whilst underpinning & propelling each track with his wonderful array of sonic effects & grooves from the keyboard. You will find yourself bopping along to most of this disc (and just wait till you hear the throat singing - it will blow you away!!!). HIGHLY recommended (& I don't give 5 stars away lightly.......)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my all-time favorite albums, January 29, 2011

By 

Keith Jefferies (Sherman Oaks, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My People (Audio CD)

Recommended to me by my Austrian massage therapist friend, and played while we were eating cheese and sipping wine at 2:30am one Saturday night, this just blew me away. He called it "state of the art" world jazz. Significant elements from Africa, Cape Verde Islands, and the Caribbean, with cool synth and raw sounds and rhythms from all over. It punches so many of my buttons that I can't get enough of this album. Bought it in 1998 and will listen to cuts from it every few weeks.

Intro to a Mighty Theme and Waraya, the opening tracks, definitely set the mood. Intro almost sounds like something from an ethereal African-American church, and then all of a sudden there is singing in an African language, plus spoken word. All very soothing, familiar and foreign at the same time. Then you move into Waraya, which has a cool driving modern African beat and great vocoder vocals. Bimoya is a terrific multilayered journey in the same vein.

In an Island Way is probably my favorite. It has so many cool elements that jam together, it's both smooth and multi-punctuated. It makes me happy like chili fries.

Mi Gente is one of my favorites also. The drums and the beginning are just AWESOME. And the cool layering as they get into first verse. There's something so African about it, and then the great tight horns. AND it is in Spanish. You get sort of a Cuban sense about it, along with Cape Verde.

And You Want Some Tea, Grandpa is a very visual and touching. Quite an ethereal song, which you will understand even though you don't speak the language.

Some of the songs are a bit challenging to the uninitiated listener, but even so they are interesting and not at all boring.

Even though I listened to Mr. Zawinul back in the 70s in my college jazz classes, THIS is the album I will always cherish and remember.

4.0 out of 5 stars zawinul -my people, June 5, 2010

By 

Richard N. Stretton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My People (Audio CD)

this is an album of zawinul's world music with a large number of artists from all over the world-world tour