Blue Stompin’

Blue Stompin’, originally released on Rashid Vally’s As-Shams/The Sun label in South Africa in July 1977, is a tour-de-force meeting of two seemingly unlikely saxophone collaborators. Kippie ‘Morolong’ Moeketsi was a founder member of The Jazz Epistles, along with Abdullah Ibrahim (or Dollar Brand as he was known then), Jonas Gwangwa, and Hugh Masekela. Hal Singer was a veteran of Duke Ellington’s orchestra as well as stints with Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, Jay McShann and Don Byas in the Be-bop era. In 1965, he emigrated to France and joined the sizeable contingent of Afro-American Jazz ex-pats who had made Paris their home. He is probably best known now for his 1969 Polydor album “Paris Soul Food”, on the back of which he toured extensively throughout Europe. In 1974 he went on a U.S. State Department-sponsored tour of South Africa, which was the genesis for the 1977 Blue Stompin’ release; a 1974 session featuring Singer and Moeketsi which re-worked the title track of Singer's 1959 Prestige album with Charlie Shavers, (Blue Stompin' - Prestige 7153) as a bluesy workout with R&B overtones, but this time incorporating Moeketsi taking the place of Charlie Shavers in trading lively solos. Spirited covers of "Scrap Iron' by Charles Hodges, 'Hang On In There' by Duke Pearson and 'Yes Baby' by Kenny Burrell round out this straight-ahead set, albeit with a decidedly South African flavor.