dusted mag sez:
…an absolute original that flies in the same circles as some of the greatest jazz and soul records of the early '70s. Maulawi Nururdin's Maulawi covers a staggering landscape, and does a virtual Sherman's March across the territories of funk, blues, post-Palladium latin jazz, samba, and his own unique take on the outtasphere; burning it all down with punishing resolve, and reviving it all in his own image. Maulawi, Nururdin's solo album that died a commercial death shortly after its 1974 release, reveals a palette of compositional depth and sonic intelligence that Nururdin would have had a tough time topping had he recorded again. The product of an era rife with social and political tension, this work highlights a street-hot assembly of musicians as they document their composer/bandleader's detailed, colloquial vision.
Spiritual but gritty, hip, compelling and percussive, Maulawi is (as Dusted points out) something like a cross between Miles (Evil Live era) and Curtis at his Chi-town funkiest. Intrigued? You should be. If you've never heard this lost-classic one-of-a-grooving-kind album — originally on the Strata label but reissued on Universal Sound — then you're in for a major treat. Enjoy it while you can.
tracks:
Street rap; Root In 7/4 plus; Eltition; Naima; Sphynx rabbit.