mfs@mhuxr.UUCP (SIMON) (08/11/85)
I don't know all the facts about Fela. I have heard that he is immensely popular in his native Nigeria, where he returned after playing on the London jazz circuit for years. I have also heard that his uncompromising denunciation of the graft and corruption rampant in the Nigerian government have brought upon him the wrath of the authorities. He has made numerous albums, a few of which are released in the United States. This is the only one I have heard. I would appresiate any information that other netters may have on this most extraordinary man. The record was recorded live in Amsterdam, and while the tunes are all twice as long as they should be, it seethes with anger. Make no mistake, despite the sinuous, inviting groove, this is revolutionary music that would scare any distatorship. Like the best reggae, this music can light a fire in the head AND in the feet. By using the instrumentation of jazz with his native rhythmic structures, Fela has closed the circle, since jazz stems from the confluence of European harmony with Afro-American rhythm. Fela is not the first to do this (Abdullah Ibrahim and Dudu Pukwana come to mind) but he has bought the music into the streets. The music is not really describable. It is a feeling, a context rather than a planned structure. As I said, it rambles and could stand some severe editing to showcase Fela's serpentine soprano sax lines and perhaps contrast them with Tajudeen Animashaun's baritone. But the words should not be touched. They speak the truth. For that alone, they should be shouted over rooftops. Marcel Simon