Jazz was born in America in the early 20th century, evolving out of a meeting of African and European music traditions. Once the style began to develop around the world, jazz found its way back to Africa, which spawned the internationally acclaimed likes of Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba and Abdullah Ibrahim.
Because this is a Take Five list, there's only room for five songs from five artists — not exactly a definitive assessment of an entire continent's music. Please tell us about your own favorite African jazz songs, artists and albums in the comments section below.
For more entries in the Take Five series, click here. And don't forget to subscribe to the Jazz Notes newsletter.
1 of
— Cover for Ethiopiques, Vol. 4: Ethio Jazz & Musique Instrumentale, 1969-1974
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2 of
— Rough Guide to South African Jazz
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3 of
— Golden Afrique Vol. 1
Golden Afrique Vol. 1
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4 of
— Cover for Cape Town Revisited
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5 of
— Cover for Africa Straight Ahead
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