Re-issue of hard-to-find 1971 jazz album, originally recorded and released in Finland. Fascinating fusion of modern jazz and elements of Caribbean music, African roots and pan. Quintet featuring Rudy Smith from Trinidad & Tobago, plus musicians from Barbados, Surinam, and Ghana. TIP!!
Lars Samuelson, a jazz trumpet player and producer in Sweden who heard this quite unique quintet, was captivated by their concept and sound, and asked them to record an album. Otinku, the resulting album, was recorded in Stockholm in 1971, produced by Samuelson, and originally released on the Odeon label, a subsidiary of EMI Finland. With an Afro-jazz/Caribbean orientation, the selections are a rich mixture of jazz standards and original compositions, including recently re-discovered killer funk tunes “Otinku” and “Sugar Daddy,”and a fine steel jazz version of “Bags Groove.” The album was their only release and is now a sought-after item for steel pan/Caribbean music fans and vinyl diggers.