Live! [Bonus Track]

Performer: Fela Kuti
Distributor: Caroline Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Fela Kuti (vocals); Ginger Baker (vocals, drums); Peter Animashaun (guitar); Igo Chiko (tenor saxophone); Lekan Animashaun (baritone saxophone); Tunde Williams, Eddie Faychum (trumpet); Maurice Epko (bass); Tony Allen (drums); Henry Koffi, Friday Jumbo, Akwesi Korranting (congas); Tony Abayomi, Isaac Olaleye (percussion). Includes liner notes by Jacqueline Grandchamp-Thiam & Rikki Stein. Digitally remastered by Pompon (Translab, Paris, France). Full performer name: Fela Ransome Kuti & Africa '70/Ginger Baker. Personnel: Ginger Baker. Liner Note Authors: Mabinuori Idowu; Jacqueline Grandchamp-Thiam; Rikki Stein. Recording information: Berlin Jazz Festival (1978). Photographer: Bernard Matussiere. It's hard to go wrong with Fela Kuti's work from the 1970s, and LIVE!, which features the Afrobeat innovator backed by his powerhouse band Africa '70 and ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker, is no exception. Like all of Fela's recordings from the era, LIVE! consists of just a few tracks, each of which approximates or exceeds the ten minute mark. Yet the arrangements are so dynamic on these tracks, the criss-crossing polyrhythms so absorbing, and Fela's incantatory vocals so entrancing that the long running times never seem a factor. Every cut crackles from beginning to end with its mixture of funk, jazz, and traditional Nigerian music, underscoring once again Fela's revolutionary, indelible contribution to world music. Fans of Ginger Baker will want to take note that the drummer is not showcased except on a bonus track, which pairs the drummer with Fela percussionist Tony Allen for a smokin' sixteen-plus minute drum solo. Originally released in 1971, this LP had Fela Kuti solidifying the format that would take him into international visibility in the years to come: extended tracks with grooves that mixed African and funk rhythms, punctuated by rudimentary lyrics. There are just four songs on the album, none shorter than seven minutes, and all but one going over the ten-minute mark. More than a dozen strong, his band, the Africa '70, cooks pretty well on tracks that fuse jazz, soul, and African music in a trancelike fashion that avoids becoming stale, despite the length of the arrangements. Ex-Cream/Blind Faith drummer Ginger Baker's name was given prominence in the billing, probably to attract rock- and pop-oriented listeners who might not ordinarily take a chance on music from the African continent. However, it's Fela and Africa '70, not Baker, who are the dominant presence on a record that sounded much like a mixture of James Brown, fusion, and Nigerian forms. [The 2001 CD reissue on MCA adds a comparatively disappointing 16-minute drum solo by Ginger Baker and Africa '70 drummer Tony Allen, recorded live at the 1978 Berlin Jazz Festival. If Fela had any involvement with that track, it's not noted on the sleeve. The disc was re-released again in 2006 by England's venerable Wrasse imprint, with newly remastered sound, though the MCA/Barclay pressings look exactly the same.] ~ Richie Unterberger & Thom Jurek

Fela Anikulapo Kuti was the controversial and unapologetically political creator of Afro-beat. With his charismatic presence, he presided over a teeming collective of musicians, which frequently made him a target of the authorities in his native Nigeria. A composer, singer, and musician, Fela cited the Black Panthers as a primary influence, and his innovative style reflected the influence of both African and Western music, particularly the jazz he had absorbed during a visit to the U.S. in the late 1960s. In live performances, he filled the stage with dancers, singers, and musicians in glamorous, glittery costumes, and his recordings offered marathon jams riding on the crest of an unshakeable groove and Fela's scathing broadsides.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25