Rare Sudanese Funk Recording From The Scorpions Now Available
Over the past few years, the Berlin-based Habibi Funk label has released some of the best compilations focused on rare seventies and eighties era Arabic funk and jazz. Most recently, the label has reissued the highly obscure 1979 soulful funk album Jazz, Jazz, Jazz from the Sudanese group The Scorpions.
This incredible recording is very eclectic in it’s overall sound, blending Sudanese-rooted music with powerful horn arrangements, seventies-era crime soundtrack-like grooves, funky rhythms, and Soukouss influences. Saif Abu Bakr soulful vocals and tight instrumentation play a strong role in unifying all the different elements throughout the album.
Up until the release of Jazz, Jazz, Jazz, the Habibi Funk label had only released compilations focused on different Arabic regions and genres. Due to how great the record is from start to finish, the label made the conscious decision to re-issue the entire album. The Scorpions disbanded as a group a few years after the release of Jazz, Jazz, Jazz due to political upheaval in Sudan, however the album went on to be highly sought out by record collectors (going for upwards of $1,000 USD).
Overall, this is great and much-needed reissue, highlighting one of the most groundbreaking and important albums to come out of Sudan region during the late seventies. Don’t sleep, I expect this record to sell out very quickly!
