Fela in focus for Black History Month

This year, February could be considered Fela Kuti History Month. With the critically acclaimed Bill T. Jones Broadway musical FELA! currently packing 'em in at New York's Eugene O'Neill Theatre pimped out to look like The Shrine, the late Nigerian Afrobeat shaman is having his music back catalogue given the ultra-fancy reissue treatment.

On February 16, Knitting Factory Records launches the first phase of their chronological roll out of Fela's finest recordings with the Chop N' Quench Deluxe Package bringing together nine albums worth of material originally cut between 1969 and 1974 (including The '69 LA Sessions, Live With Ginger Baker, Fela's London Scene, Shakara, Roforofo Fight (plus 2 singles), Open & Close, Afrodisiac, Gentlemen and Confusion)  on six digi-packs with original artwork along with Carlos Moore's authorized biography Fela: This Bitch Of A Life. For those with no interest in CDs, Knitting Factory is also offering a digital download version in 320 kbps MP3s (plus free Apple Lossless file upgrade) as well as ringtones. So if your mom happens to call you while you're out power lunching with Jay-Z, it'll be considerably less embarrassing if your cellphone suddenly starts blaring out the horn riff from Shuffering and Shmiling.
For those who grabbed all the Fela Kuti stuff they needed during the prior reissue onslaughts of Universal and Wrasse, the Now Again subsidiary of Stones Throw has come up with the perfect set to complement the collection of the Fela fan who has everything. Black Man's Cry: The Inspiration of Fela Kuti is a cleverly conceived 15-track selection of obscure covers, tributes and thinly disguised rip-offs from around the globe which reveal the unmistakable influence of Fela's music from the 70s right through to today.

Along with the expected contributions from Fela's Nigerian contemporaries, there are a few surprises from South America and the Caribbean. For some unknown reason, Fela's tune Black Man's Cry is a repertoire staple for a number of steel pan bands and there are three different recorded versions included here, with the GTE sponsored Slyvania East Side Symphony and Mosco Tiles Fonclaire Steel Orchestra both performing it as a medley with Egbi Mi O – go figure. The unexpected highlight however is Lisandro Meza's squeeze-box fueled blast through Shacalao which will be a shock to anyone familiar with the Colombian accordion king's more popular vallenato recordings that followed years after that self-released single was recorded.  Vinyl enthusiasts will appreciate the fact that Black Man's Cry compilation will also be issued as a limited box set of four 10" records as well as a single CD.
Here's the track listing:
  
Black Man's Cry: The Inspiration of Fela Kuti
1. Dan Satch And His Atomic Band - Woman Pin Down
2. 6th Infanrty Brigade Of The Nigerian Army - Black And Proud
3. Bola Johnson - Never Trust A Woman
4. Bola Johnson - Hot Pants
5. Segun Bucknor - Adebo
6. Jerry Hansen - Sisi Mi
7. Phirpo Y Sus Caribes - Comencemos
8. Cumbia Moderna De Soledad - Shacalao
9. Lisandro Meza - Shacalao
10. Lever Brothers Gay Flamingoes - Egbi Mi O, Black Mans Cry (Medley)
11. Mosco Tiles Fonclaire Steel Orchestra - Black Mans Cry
12. Sylvania East Side Syphony - Egbi Mi O, Black Mans Cry (Medley)
13. Daktaris - Up Side Down
14. Karl Hector And The Malcouns - Toure Samar
15. Whitefield Brothers - Lullaby For Lagos

Not to be left out of the February Fela festivities, Soundway is putting out their fourth installment of their ongoing Nigeria Special archival compilation series, Nigeria Afrobeat Special: The New Explosive Sound in 1970s Nigeria. Compiled by Soundway boss Miles Cleret, the triple LP set (also available on disc with five less tracks) due out February 22 favours obscurity over quality with disastrous results.

Loading up collections with unknown oddities wasn't as much a problem when Cleret began doing these regional compilations but since rival compilers started concentrating their digging efforts on West Africa as well, there have been fewer amazing "lost" artifacts on his sets and more mediocre tracks by relative unknowns. Nigeria Afrobeat Special's main attraction is the Fela Kuti & Africa 70's original 45 version of Who're You? before the song was re-recorded at Abbey Road for the Fela's London Scene album. All the rest, well, not terribly explosive.

Nigeria Afrobeat Special
1. Fela and The Africa 70 - Who re you? (Original 45 Version)
2. Bongos Ikwue and The Groovies - Otachikpopo
3. Orlando Julius and His Afro-Sounders - Afro-Blues
4. Saxon Lee and The Shadows International - Mind Your Business
5. Eric Showboy Akaeze and His Royal Ericos - We Dey Find Money
6. Mad Man Jaga - Hankuri
7. The Nigerian Police Band (The Force 7) - Mori Keke Kan *
8. Bob Ohiri and his Uhuru Sounds - Ariwo Yaa
9. The Anansa Professionals - Enwan
10. Godwin Omabuwa and His Casanova Dandies - Do The Afro Shuffle
11. The Tony Benson Sextet - Shish Ke Bab *
12. Segun Bucknors Revolution - Gbomojo
13. The Black Santiagos - Ole
14. Abiodun Bakare and His Kobis band - Nigeria *
15. The Martins Brothers Dance Band - On Shakara O *
16. The Sahara All Stars - World People *
* Vinyl only tracks

 

Further on the Fela tip, the man of the hour is featured on the cover of Wax Poetics No. 39 – The Africa Issue which is currently on stands. In addition to an excerpt from Carlos Moore's aforementioned biography Fela: This Bitch of a Life, there are informative features on Fela's drummer of choice, Tony Allen, Nigerian illustrator Ghariokwu Lemi responsible for Fela's mind-bending record sleeves, Senegalese super stars Orchestre Baobab, Mali's awesome Rail Band, Benin's Orchestre Poly-Rythmo, Pax Nicholas and DJ Rich Medina. There's also a profile on obsessive digger Frank Gossner behind the consistently great Voodoo Funk blog who is readying a reissue compilation of his own called Lagos Disco Inferno 1976-81, soon to be released by Academy LPs who recently reissued sought-after African grail items by The Mebusas, S.J.O.B. Movement and Ofege.

Fela Kuti - Don't Gag Me, Live in Calabar, Nigeria 1971



LINKS
Knitting Factory Records http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/felakuti
FELA! http://www.felaonbroadway.com
Fela Kuti site http://www.fela.net
The Shrine - Afrobeat site http://www.afrobeatmusic.net
Now Again Records http://www.nowagainrecords.com
Soundway Records http://www.soundwayrecords.com
Fela Kuti Live at Berlin Jazz Days, November 14, 1978