Weekend Guide: Theater Nov 7, 2009
": *** Bill Daugherty's '40s-era musical about the Great Depression seems all too relevant today. Triad Theater, 158 W. 72nd St.; 212-352-3101. "CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION": **; Annie Baker's play about an acting class in a community center is ultimately too gentle, but it sports a fantastic ensemble. Watch for Tracee Chimo and Heidi Schreck. Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 416 W. 42nd St.; 212-279-4200. Closes Nov. 15. "COUNTY OF KINGS": *** The charismatic Lemon Andersen... (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Femi Kuti: Blending Afrobeat, politics Oct 27, 2009
Nigerian musician Femi Kuti is son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti ... Son of Afrobeat pioneer and political activist Fela Kuti, Femi inherited his father's zeal for both music and activism. (CNN -- World)
Hey, 'Fela!' You need some buzz Oct 23, 2009
Bill T. Jones' rousing musical about Nigerian musician and political activist Fela Kuti, production sources say ... The hip-hop mogul and the movie star are putting a combined $3 million into Bill T. Jones' rousing musical about Nigerian musician and political activist Fela Kuti, production sources say. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Marie Daulne’s iPod - make that iTunes - shuffle Oct 9, 2009
With that in mind, her iTunes shuffle spit out a cornucopia of artists, from Fela Kuti to Jacques Brel, who have obviously shaped Zap Mama s vibrant sound that bridges African and European influences ... No Agreement, Fela Kuti. (Boston Globe)
Nigeria singer's joy at Mobo win Oct 2, 2009
The singer says her influences include Nigeria's iconic Afro-beat performer Fela Kuti as well more contemporary acts like a US rapper Mos Def. She also cites Nigeria writer and human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa as an inspiration. (BBC News -- Africa)
Fair days are here again in Haines Jul 31, 2009
a ten-piece Afrobeat ensemble honoring Nigerian musician Fela Kuti; Pamyua, who's tribal funk and world music include styles from the Inuits to Australia. The Whiskeydicks, Nicole Fournier, Spoonshine, Love Life Music and the Alaska String Band from Juneau will perform along with many others. (Juneau Empire)
Country Fair and Arts Festival planned Saturday Jul 30, 2009
Comparisons have been drawn to Talking Heads, Fela Kuti, Bjork and James Brown, but Rubblebuckets afro-beat inspired, trip-rock soul experience is beyond classification. In addition to winning Relix Magazines Jam-Off competition in July 2008, Rubblebucket was recently named Best New Band of 2008, by Seven Days Vermont. (Big Sky Lone Peak Lookout, MT)
Musical ambassador King Sunny Ade at MFA Wednesday Jul 12, 2009
It stood in contrast with the protest music of the late Fela Kuti, Nigeria s best-known artist overseas. Unlike the fiery and eccentric Fela, Ade has made his living the traditional way, playing primarily private events and parties. (Boston Globe)
Six Day Festival of Amnesty International's Ground-Breaking Comedy/Rock Benefit Shows - Includes Six World Premieres & One All-Day Marathon Screening! Jun 20, 2009
Performances include The Police (specially reformed after a 4-year hiatus), U2, Peter Gabriel, Miles Davis, Jackson Browne and Lou Reed, Carlos Santana, Fela Kuti, Joni Mitchell, Yoko Ono, Joan Baez, The Neville Brothers, Bryan Adams, Howard Jones and appearances by Robert DeNiro, Michael J. Fox, and Muhammad Ali. There will be a free giveaway at the screening -- all attendees will receive a limited-edition commemorative poster at the event. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Bonnaroo festival gives stage to African acts Jun 16, 2009
Like Toure, Kuti is the son of an African legend: the Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. When the African acts arent on stage, their influence on American rock can be heard in bands such as the Dirty Projectors and Yeasayer, who are also slated to play at the annual festival on a farm about an hours drive from Nashville. (MSNBC -- Music)
• Events Calendar Jun 5, 2009
San Francisco's award-winning Afrobeat ensemble, performs at 8 p.m. JULY 6 at Neurolux Lounge, 113 N. 11th St. Doors open at 7 p.m. The 10-piece West African funk band is touring in support of their newly released studio album "Peralta House." The ensemble honors the legacy of Afrobeat inventor Fela Kuti by melding crafted arrangements and jazz-tinged harmony with high energy grooves. Tickets are 12 in advance at or 14 at the door. (Burley South Idaho Press, ID)
Critic's picks - world music May 17, 2009
FEMI KUTI Last year belonged to his much younger half-brother Seun Kuti, but among the children of Afrobeat prophet Fela Kuti, it was Femi who was already an established musician when Fela died in 1997, and has carried the torch longest since then. There's a measure of rivalry in the air, as Seun has gathered many of Fela's original band, while Femi has sought more explicitly to mark his difference from the protean Fela, venturing into reggae, house, and other vibes, as well as Christianity. (Boston Globe)
Full luminous line-up May 12, 2009
Seun Kuti - the son of world music icon Fela Kuti - fronts his father's band for a night of pulsing Afrobeat, frenetic dance and pure joy. Opera Theatre. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Shake-up led to profound changes in Akron/Family's sound and approach to music May 9, 2009
Seaton noted that guitarist Olinsky had always been fascinated with African rhythms, and that, as he adapted to being the only guitarist, looked to influences like Tinariwen and Fela Kuti as a way to combine rhythm and lead in a single melodic line. The new sound had a more open architecture, with plenty of space embedded into its riffs and patterns. (Fresno Bee -- Lifestyle)
On the Net: Charting online music discovery May 7, 2009
uestlove of the Roots a rabid Fela Kuti fan that he hear him. After mentioning Franco to John Eriksson of the Swedish band Peter Bjorn and John, he suggested Zimbabwe's Green Arrows. (Yahoo News -- Technology)
iPod Shuffle: Lucy DeVito May 1, 2009
How else to describe the 26-year-old actress' iPod, where a shuffle yields cult '60s folkie Karen Dalton, late indie-rock troubador Elliott Smith, Afropop pioneer Fela Kuti, and - oh, the irony - '70s prog-rock gods Yes ... "Water No Get No Enemy," Fela Kuti. (Boston Globe)
You Can Make a Killing in Real Estatein Lagos, Nigeria Apr 1, 2009
A Fela Kuti impersonator dances for an audience of no one. Farther down, away from the bar lights, the beach takes on a seedier vibe. (Slate)
Top 3 Albums of 2008 Mar 27, 2009
As their American counterparts, Antibalas, set out to do, the Souljazz Orchestra's main purpose is to keep the Afrobeat sound - invented by Nigerian legend Fela Kuti in the 1970s alive and kicking well into the new millennium. Conscious, positive lyrics are backed by the infectious afro-beat grooves that never seem to grow tired. (Suite101.com)
Thievery Corporation's New CD Revie... Mar 11, 2009
Femi Kuti, the Nigerian saxophonist and son of Fela Kuti, lends his horn playing and vocals on "Vampires," a satirical statement about the International Monetary Fund. It takes on more legitimacy coming from a musician who has seen the situations described in the song firsthand. (Suite101.com)
Sam Mendes, Jade Goody, K'naan Feb 23, 2009
Finding refuge first in New York and then in Toronto, where he still lives, he devised a musical persona indebted both to alternative hip-hop and to the legacies of Fela Kuti and Bob Marley. Parts of "Troubadour" were recorded at Marley's Tuff Gong studios in Jamaica at the invitation of Damian Marley, who takes an effective guest turn on "I Come Prepared," the album's liveliest track. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Musical warrior Feb 21, 2009
His father was Fela Kuti (Seun was his youngest son), the creator of Afrobeat, tireless rebel and political activist, both lover and unforgiving critic of his native Nigeria, great musician, poet, prophet, mystic, wild man, polemicist, thorn in the side of the corrupt Nigerian establishment and passionate lover of life. Fela Kuti was one of the great unsung musical heroes of the late 20th century ... The band's musical director, who is known as Baba Ani (his real name is Lekan Animasahun) and... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Sasha Frere-Jones: Beyoncé, at last. Feb 9, 2009
The one time I met her, backstage at a Destiny s Child concert in Peoria in 2000, she talked about listening to Miles Davis and Fela Kuti affinities I didn t know how to process until I heard Apple Pie. la Mode, from the following year s Destiny s Child album, Survivor. (New Yorker)
Common, Barry Manilow have new CDs Feb 7, 2009
Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band, Chopteeth Afrofunk Big BandThis Washington, D.C., crew, assembled by bassist Robert Fox and guitarist Michael Shereikis, was initially inspired by the musical legacy of Nigerian icon Fela Kuti. The album opens with "Struggle," a thunderous bit of Afrofunk that does, indeed, invoke the Fela Kuti vibe. (MSNBC -- Music)
