The New York mainstream press is all over Bill T Jones’ musical “Fela!,” which recently opened in the city. Everybidy wants the show to succeed in a downmarket. “The New York Times” has done a few pieces– a preview and a review, while “The Village Voice” published a long piece by one of its music writers, Rob Harvilla, who also wondered alout about Fela’s political legacy:
Great little video of Jimi Tenor and Tony Allen talking about their collabo.
I like the sound of this.
Belated H/T: Steve Coplan
I like the sound of Brooklyn band, Burkina Electric. Here they perform with composer Lukas Ligeti on “Soundcheck,” a music program on WNYC, the New York City public radio station.
Some bad 1970s West African funk courtesy of one of the continent’s craziest bands, Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou. This track is called “Gbeti Madjro.”
“Fela!,” the Bill T. Jones musical about the life of the Nigerian Afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, is opening on Broadway on October 19.
I had tickets during the show’s short Off-Broadway run last year, but on a night when the show was canceled. This time I won’t miss it.
From the compilation album “Truth & Souls: African Music Today Vol 1.,” (the work of record collector Philip Lehman) comes “Feeling Good” by Afrofunkers Bama and the Family. Described as “laid-back Afro strut” by Wax Poetics Digital, where I first spotted it.
Sample this piece of AfroFunk here.
Go buy it. Saturday will feel even better.
