"Louis Moholo-Moholo, son of the soil, has embarked on this musicial journey with two of South Afrika's treasures - pianists Mervyn Africa and Pule Pheto. The third pianist is is old friend and favourite, Keith Tippett. Louis's warm, vibrant and marvellous sounds celebrrate the ememory of his long departed brothers: Mogezi Feza, Johnny Dyani, Chris McGregor, Dud Pukwana, Harry Miller; and his beloved mother Dorah Lulu Moholo." - Mpumi Moholo. "Take a leaf from our past and blend it with fresh leaves from our modern day trees, so that tomorrow when our children hear our music they will in turn take a leaf from their past (which I hope will be us) thus empowering themselves with new leaves to carry on the tradition handed down to us."  --- Louis Moholo Moholo / drums Mervyn Africa / piano Pule Pheto / piano Keith Tippett / piano --- Recorded September 1995 at Gateway Studios, Kingston, by Steve Lowe. Mixed and mastered by Martin Davidson. 

First studio recording of Louis’s latest group creating great, joyous, South African influenced music. "From its gamelan-like-opening cut, to its closing peaceful moments, this is world-class improvisation and masterful compositional thinking. The star of this session is of course the leader who gives his name to the quartet. Louis Moholo-Moholo, a powerful, effusive and sensitive drummer who moved from his native South Africa to Britain in the 1960s and became an important voice in the then burgeoning improvised music scene seems to have lost none of his exquisite verve and can still lay down some mighty flourishes on his kit. He's joined here by three other blokes who are much younger men, but pianist Alexander Hawkins, bassist John Edwards bass and saxophonist Jason Yarde are all up to the task of matching the leader's drive. The insistent, irrepressible "For the Blue Notes" which starts off the set, alludes to the drummer's legendary band of the 60s. Other historical references include the piece "Tears for Steve Biko," which is part lament, part protest song. The title cut is one solid blockbuster of a tune, with everyone going full throttle. The most loveable thing about this session recorded in November 2013 is that there's a balance of what has often been called "inside" and "outside" playing, as this quartet, with a finely-honed telepathic sense, works as a tight unit, even when each musician is pushing at the limit of cohesion and coherence in some of the wilder moments, of which there are many. But the music can downshift to a lullaby softness, as in 'Something Gentle" and sway gracefully in the waltz-time of "Angel-Nomali." There's lots to praise here, but just the magic of Moholo's playing, with its inevitable echoes of his phenomenal free jazz style of the 60s makes this a memorable release well worth having.' --- John Edwards / bassAlexander Hawkins / pianoJason Yarde / saxophoneLouis Moholo Moholo / drums ---