I'm a total fanatic of the Nigerian bandleader and creator of the Afrobeat genre, Fela Kuti - I own all of his albums (about 77) and the films and video clips made about him. He is my favourite ever composer/musician.
After seeing him perform live at the Afrika Shrine in Lagos during the recording of Band On The Run, Paul McCartney said that Fela's was the greatest group he had ever heard (they brought him to tears) - a pretty high recommendation!
Plus, Afrika 70 contained the greatest drummer of all-time IMHO, the rhythm genius known as Tony Allen (still going strong at 76 years of age).
Even though Fela passed away in 1997, it's only fairly recently that his work has begun to get the recognition it truly deserves. Give him a listen, then tell me it's not the greatest dance music ever!
After seeing him perform live at the Afrika Shrine in Lagos during the recording of Band On The Run, Paul McCartney said that Fela's was the greatest group he had ever heard (they brought him to tears) - a pretty high recommendation!
Plus, Afrika 70 contained the greatest drummer of all-time IMHO, the rhythm genius known as Tony Allen (still going strong at 76 years of age).
Even though Fela passed away in 1997, it's only fairly recently that his work has begun to get the recognition it truly deserves. Give him a listen, then tell me it's not the greatest dance music ever!
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