"FELA LIVES"
We could go on for pages about why Fela Kuti was such a towering figure in music and in the world. He absolutely deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Marley, Dylan, Lennon. Or as Mos Def once said: "Fela Anikulapo Kuti was James Brown, Huey Newton, Rick James, Bob Marley, Duke Ellington, and ODB all rolled up in one black African fist. The protest artist as a real live, awake and hungry human being. Africa's original rock superstar."
But of course words mean nothing compared to hearing that blistering Afrobeat groove. And experiencing it live is something else altogether. Fela's shows at his nightclub in Nigeria were legendary sweat-soaked marathons, and he toured the States in the late 80s/early 90s -- but we were both pretty young then and not in-the-know.
Which is probably why the show at Central Park felt so special. It was as close as we could possibly get to the real thing -- the same smoking band, Egypt 80, now led by Fela's youngest son Seun.
Our friend and guest photographer Eric really captured (in the pictures above and below) how Seun was channeling his father.
Goodies: "Many Things" is our fave song from the brand new debut album by Seun Kuti & Egypt 80.
that show was on fire!
afterwards, i netflixed some live dvds of Fela and Femi to continue my Kuti experience. i think Seun comes closer to the patriarch's intensity (it doesn't hurt having daddy's band). his sound is more raw than Femi's. i did appreciate Femi's vibe and philosophy of music, as shared in the film ("Live at the Shrine").
i like that Mos Def quote.
thanks for sharing a few of the pics. your readers can see the full set at http://eperl.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album06
Posted by: ep | July 17, 2008 at 07:47 AM
Wow! Those are phenomenal photos! And I love that quote by Mos Def. What's he been up to lately?
I'm not as familiar with some of the great African artists as I obviously should be. There are a lot of songs and artists I've enjoyed, but I need to learn more about artists like Fela. You've given me a terrific research project!
As always, thanks for the brand new "Musical Biscuits"!
JO
Posted by: JO | July 17, 2008 at 06:15 PM
Hello there, I am looking for an upcoming music director indian male/female, but before that let me clarify no money is involved in this. Its just that i keep on writing a few poems, songs etc and i just need somebody to mould those words into a heart touching & unique composition. I will then publish it on the internet and publicize it by his/her name and lyrics will be mine. I do not want anything out of it especially money coz i have enough to satisfy my needs.
Posted by: generic viagra | April 05, 2010 at 12:11 PM
what can I say? music is my life and i can't live without it ...
Posted by: cheap soft cialis | April 08, 2010 at 06:51 PM
Can a music education student teach only music history in the schools upon completion of a BME?
I am a music education student and really enjoy music history, or as it is now known as musicology. I want to know can I teach only Music History in the public schools (Or be a clinican) to the public schools in Music History?. How can I go about this?. I would appreciate advice from a music teacher in the public school system or other music teachers. No jokes, serious only please. Thank you.
Posted by: buy sildenafil citrate | April 19, 2010 at 05:22 PM
In its role as an anabolic agent, HGH has been used by competitors in sports since the 1970s, and it has been banned by the IOC and NCAA. Traditional urine analysis could not detect doping with hGH, so the ban was unenforceable until the early 2000s when blood tests that could distinguish between natural and artificial hGH were starting to be developed. Blood tests conducted by WADA at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece primarily targeted hGH.[2]
Posted by: buy kamagra online | April 22, 2010 at 01:17 PM
What are the factors that make one guitar easier to play than another? I play guitar and I've noticed that some guitars are just easier to play.
Posted by: discount propecia | April 26, 2010 at 04:52 PM
WOW Great Show I like to watch it from the back stage. Thanks for sharing this pics. keep posting such a nice stage show information.
.....Alex
Posted by: buy viagra | July 12, 2010 at 04:50 AM
Hey ... I had to stop at this site to say that this incredibly informed about one of the sweetest instruments and subtlety of the music as the guitar, just amazing, thanks for improving my life with this information, because as they say around ... . never stop learning to play guitar.
Posted by: guanacaste costa rica | July 15, 2010 at 12:09 AM
Lovely stuff, and I agree about 'you just can't stop' as the one to have, although I have never been able to cope with this name nonsense, so far as I'm concerned they'll always just be 'The Beat'.
Posted by: viagra online | August 13, 2010 at 05:18 PM
I am grateful for you discussing this in the internet page.
Posted by: undandao | April 05, 2011 at 05:25 PM
Hey! I've been a fan of your blog during the last couple of months and it's inspired me to start my own cyber space, treating all kinds of topics and things I enjoy speaking of. I just wanted you to know the importance of your work here. By the way,how can I add those different sections of "Recent Posts" and "Favorite blogs" on mine???
Posted by: viagra online | May 13, 2011 at 09:50 AM
than you for shred it with us i like it
Posted by: cialis online | December 25, 2011 at 07:34 AM