Orchestra Baobab’s “Specialist In All Styles” Gets the Vinyl Reissue Treatment

<p>At 50 years old, Orchestra Baobab is one of the grand big bands of West Africa, and also something of a comeback story. The group went on an extended hiatus after releasing the great album <em>Pirate’s Choice </em>in 1982, and returned 20 years later with 2002’s <em>Specialist in All Styles</em>, which any group&mdash;new or old, continuously active or just off extended hiatus&mdash;would be proud to add to its discography. </p> <p>This fall, for the first time, fans can add <em>Specialist</em> to their vinyl collections. World Circuit Records is <a href="https://worldcircuit.lnk.to/SpecialistLP">releasing the record on Sept. 25 </a><a href="https://worldcircuit.lnk.to/SpecialistLP">and you can already pre-order a copy right here</a>. To celebrate, the band and the label put out this video of the group playing the album’s final track, “Jiin Ma Jiin Ma,” at the Jazz Vienne festival in France in 2015. </p> <div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/K2Bo_DG4Ir8" allowfullscreen="" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0"></iframe></div> <p><em>Specialist in All Styles</em> kicked off a new century and life for Baobab, as well as a late-career string of great albums. I, for one, am clearing space in my record collection’s “O” section.</p>