Recorded in Paris shortly after the historic Pan-African Festival of Algiers in 1969, Hommage To Africa stands as one of the most transcendent statements of the avant-garde jazz movement. More than an album, it is a ritual of sound – where African consciousness, free jazz, poetry and collective improvisation merge into a hypnotic, spiritual experience. Led by drummer Sunny Murray – famed for his groundbreaking work with Albert Ayler and Cecil Taylor – the session unites an extraordinary cast of leading avant-garde voices including Archie Shepp, Roscoe Mitchell, Jeanne Lee, Lester Bowie and Grachan Moncur III. Together, they create music that feels both ancestral and forward-looking: ceremonial percussion, ecstatic horns, floating vocals and deep emotional resonance. At the heart of the recording are two expansive compositions: ‘Suns Of Africa’, a mesmerizing, slow-burning, mind-expanding journey, and ‘R.I.P.’, a deeply soulful procession shaped by Black American musical traditions and cosmic freedom. Rooted in the cultural awakening of the late ’60s, Hommage To Africa rejects colonial narratives and places Africa firmly at the center – as source, inspiration and future.
