Various Artists

Stage Door Records revisits Kwamina, the short-lived yet ambitious 1961 Broadway musical from the co-writer of Damn Yankees and The Pajama Game.  Kwamina (which translates to "born on Sunday") recounted the (fictional) life story of Peter Kwamina Mwalla, the son of a West African tribal chief who returns to his home country after attending medical school in London, bringing with him modern methods which don't sit well with his traditional village. He's met with opposition by the village's white female doctor, but (in formulaic style) romance blossoms before the evening's end and they eventually work together to teach the tribe's young members. Stage Door will reissue the original cast recording (starring Sally Ann Howes, Terry Carter, Brock Peters, and Robert Guillaume) as an expanded 2-CD entry in its Deluxe Edition series. This presentation, made possible as a result of current U.K. public domain laws, has the stereo Original Broadway Cast Recording accompanied by three alternate takes from the album sessions and a special bonus recording of "Another Time, Another Place" by original star Sally Ann Howes.  The second disc is dedicated to cover recordings from Kwamina including a new-to-CD studio cast recording, a jazz LP of the score by the Billy Taylor Orchestra, and pop covers by such artists as Robert Goulet, Jerry Vale, Al Martino, The Kingston Trio, Joanie Sommers, and Gordon MacRae. George Dansker has written new liner notes.