Griot Galaxy
Encyclopedia
Griot Galaxy was an avant-garde
jazz
band led by Detroit saxophonist and poet Faruq Z. Bey
. The band was founded in 1972 with drummer Tani Tabbal
, bassist Jaribu Shahid, and saxophonists Bey, Anthony Holland and David McMurray. Their first recorded appearance is often cited as coming from a 1976 album by Phil Ranelin
entitled Vibes from the Tribe. Bey is featured with Ranelin on a track called He the One We All Know with drummer Tariq Samad and David Abdul Kahafiz on zeetar. Bey is credited as Faruk Hanif Bey.
The first recording by Griot Galaxy proper was 1981's Kins, released on Black and White Records. In 1983, two tracks appeared on an LP called The Montreux Detroit Collection, vol. 3: Motor City Modernists, recorded at Detroit's Montreux Jazz Festival
. A 1983 performance at the Detroit Institute of Arts
(DIA) was recorded, but shelved until it was released by Entropy Stereo in 2003.
Throughout 1984, Griot Galaxy toured extensively in Europe. A live recording from Austria was released as Opus Krampus by the German label Sound Aspects. This was the last recording of the group, which officially disbanded in 1989 after Bey was involved in a serious motorcycle accident five years prior.
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band led by Detroit saxophonist and poet Faruq Z. Bey
Faruq Z. Bey
Faruq Z. Bey is a jazz saxophonist and composer from Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is best known for his work with Griot Galaxy. Griot Galaxy played hard free jazz with distinct compositions, often by Bey. Odd meters and polyrhythms were a frequent feature of the group's tunes, which would give way...
. The band was founded in 1972 with drummer Tani Tabbal
Tani Tabbal
-Biography:By age fourteen Tabbal was playing professionally, performing with Oscar Brown Jr. In his teens he also performed with Phil Cohran and the Sun Ra Arkestra....
, bassist Jaribu Shahid, and saxophonists Bey, Anthony Holland and David McMurray. Their first recorded appearance is often cited as coming from a 1976 album by Phil Ranelin
Phil Ranelin
Phil Ranelin is an American jazz and experimental music trombonist.Ranelin was born in Indianapolis, and lived in New York before moving to Detroit in the 1960s...
entitled Vibes from the Tribe. Bey is featured with Ranelin on a track called He the One We All Know with drummer Tariq Samad and David Abdul Kahafiz on zeetar. Bey is credited as Faruk Hanif Bey.
The first recording by Griot Galaxy proper was 1981's Kins, released on Black and White Records. In 1983, two tracks appeared on an LP called The Montreux Detroit Collection, vol. 3: Motor City Modernists, recorded at Detroit's Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
. A 1983 performance at the Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...
(DIA) was recorded, but shelved until it was released by Entropy Stereo in 2003.
Throughout 1984, Griot Galaxy toured extensively in Europe. A live recording from Austria was released as Opus Krampus by the German label Sound Aspects. This was the last recording of the group, which officially disbanded in 1989 after Bey was involved in a serious motorcycle accident five years prior.