Friday 9 October 2015

African Day (Hawk, 1971)

This long epic is a treat for my ears. Coming from South Africa, it's the most important track by Hawk, one of the many bands that didn't reach a well deserved international recognition becouse of the long period of isolation their Country went through. "African Day" is the title track and the opening song of the band's debut work and is the musical depiction of a day in the Black Continent,drawing a series of vivid scenes.

After this debut album, Hawk released a second work then disbanded.

It's a fine example of what some reviewers used to call afro-rock, or more simply folk-prog. How many good harmonies, what a beautiful flute... not to mention the ethnic rythms! This epic transforms the sun, the trees, the animals, the human beings in musical sketches, changing tempos and pleasant melodies. And what's even more surprising, the band melted a great deal of different genres and moods to create a coherent and convincing suite. Too bad they didn't have a longer career!

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