Juju - Chapter Two: Nia

Juju - Chapter Two: Nia

Strut presents a brand new reissue of Juju’s powerful Afrocentric album ‘Chapter Two: Nia’ from 1974, originally released on Strata East.

Juju formed in San Francisco and moved to New York in July 1972."We were avant-gardeartists and revolutionary agents for change," explains bandleader James “Plunky” Branch."We played venues like Slugs, the East, and Ornette Coleman’s loft on Prince Street; we alsomet and hung out with the greats, from Pharoah Sanders to John Gilmore."

By 1974, Plunky and the band had relocated to Richmond, Virginia."New York’s cost of livingwas high, and I thought Richmond could be a fresh creative environment. We stayed in thehome of my oldest and best friend, which we dubbed the Juju Raga Artist House. We livedupstairs and converted the downstairs into the first black arts gallery and performance spacein the state." In June 1974, Juju recorded their second album for Strata-East, Chapter Two:Nia, at Eastern Recording Studios in Richmond."The music was Afrocentric," continuesPlunky,"and we included black nationalistic poetry written and spoken by Ngoma Ya Uhuru, ahigh school friend who had spent time with Amiri Baraka’s Spirit House." The album alsofeatured a remarkable freeform cover of Pharoah Sanders’ classic ‘Black Unity.’

Juju became the local Virginia exponents of progressive ideas that were being expressednationally and internationally, attracting a small, active group of artists and supporters.However, being in the South, Richmond's black music audience leaned towards blues,gospel, and soul. After much consideration, Juju decided to incorporate trap drums and abackbeat, blending these rhythms with electric sounds, and rebranded as Oneness Of Juju.With a new lineup and renewed energy, the band began a new chapter, releasing their classicAfrican Rhythms album a year later.

Tracklist:
A1. Introduction 2.40
A2. Contradiction (For Thulani) 5.10
A3. Black Experience 3.44
A4. Nia 8.36
B1. The End Of The Butterfly King
B2. Black Unity 15.58

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for looking at our listing, below are a few points to consider before making a purchase:

- All records we sell are Brand New - pre-orders will normally come sealed but if you are purchasing in stock items, please note the copy may have been unsealed for display in the shop. Please email straight after purchase to enquire if this is of importance to you.

- Orders won't ship until all items are released, so keep this in mind when purchasing multiple pre-orders or a mix of in stock and pre-order items.

- The 'Product' page will show the most up to date info we have with regards to the item and its release date, but this information is subject to change so check in with us if you have any questions.

- We unfortunately don't offer tax/vat outside of the UK via the website so please keep in mind that when the items arrives in your country you may be liable to pay a further charge before delivery. (all UK orders the price you see is the price you will pay). Please also note that we are unable to adjust the declared value on items sold internationally.