Will Schube is ready for winter.
As soon as you reach your breaking point and the summer heat approaches absurdity, Numero Group comes along and begs for a few more sweaty nights. Their latest, Bobo Yéyé: Belle Époque in Upper Volta, won’t be out until the end of October but our first taste from Volta Jazz is a burner that calls for barbecues and pool parties.
This re-issue takes music from Burkina Faso’s Upper Volta, during a time of peace sandwiched between decades of fighting amongst the various French colonized countries surrounding the small nation. This era—‘60s/‘70s—produced a ton of eclectic African pop music, all of which is collected on Numero Group’s 3-disc set. As always, this is great stuff you wouldn’t have heard otherwise, so first single from Volta Jazz, “Wêrê Wêrê Magne,” is a wonderful addition to the summer playlist. It’s always interesting how these fascinating, exciting music scenes pop up around the world, and it goes to show just how much more work and room for discovery there is in the re-issue world. Luckily for us, Numero Group does all the heavy lifting.
