Yakhal' Inkomo [Special Edition with Tip-on Sleeve & OBI] (LP)

DESCRIPTION

The Mankunku Quartet's 1968 album Yakhal' Inkomo clocks in at just over 30 minutes of jazz perfection. This compact, and to-the-point, album would sit comfortably among some of the best works in the catalogues of quintessential jazz labels such as Blue Note, Prestige, and Impulse. Yakhal' Inkomo, however, was originally released on the South African label World Record Co., which has led to it becoming an elusive, highly sought-after piece for jazz collectors — with original pressings sometimes fetching up to £1,000.

Widely regarded as one of the finest South African jazz albums, DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson reinforced its legacy when he featured it on his genre-defining radio show The 20 – South African Jazz.

Tenor saxophonist Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi recorded the session on 23rd July 1968 at Manley van Niekerk Studios, Johannesburg, with Dave Challen engineering and Ray Nkwe producing. The record is made up of two original Mankunku compositions on the A-side (Yakhal' Inkomo and Dedication (To Daddy Trane and Brother Shorter)) and two covers on the B-side — Horace Silver’s Doodlin’ and John Coltrane’s Bessie’s Blues. What is striking is how Mankunku’s original works not only hold their own alongside Silver and Coltrane, but arguably outshine them — a testament to his skill as both a composer and performer.

The quartet features:

• Winston Mankunku Ngozi – Tenor Saxophone

• Agrippa Magwaza – Bass

• Early Mabuza – Drums

• Lionel Pillay – Piano

Pillay was of Indian descent, making this a mixed-race group — which under apartheid was in direct defiance of segregation laws. The very recording of Yakhal' Inkomo was therefore an act of artistic resistance. The album’s title translates to “the bellow of the bull” — a symbolic, emotionally charged metaphor which was understood by Black South Africans as an act of protest, though it bypassed the scrutiny of the white government.

For this reissue, Mr Bongo enlisted the mastering expertise of Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, who cut a special half-speed master from the original tapes. Following his work on Mr Bongo’s reissues of Arthur Verocai, Marcos Valle, and Ian Carr, Miles once again delivers stunning clarity and warmth.

This edition comes in a replica sleeve, faithfully mirroring the original World Record Co. artwork and labels. As producer Ray Nkwe noted in the original liner notes: “This is the LP that every jazz fan has been waiting for.” Over 50 years later, that statement still rings true — Yakhal' Inkomo is a timeless jazz classic.

TRACKLIST

1. Yakhal' Inkomo – 8:51

2. Dedication (To Daddy Trane And Brother Silver) – 10:07

3. Doodlin’ – 6:01

4. Bessie’s Blues – 7:36