October 15: Fela Kuti was born in 1938
Music is the weapon of the future
~Fela Anikulapo KutiImagine Che Guevara and Bob Marley rolled into one person and you get a sense of Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti.
— Herald Sun, February 2011
Category Archives: World Music
August 19: Ginger Baker Birthday
“They credited us with the birth of that sort of heavy metal thing. Well, if that’s the case, there should be an immediate abortion.”
~Ginger BakerIf I am playing any music at all it is jazz music.
~Ginger BakerThere are a lot of great drummers. But Ginger Baker is an inspiration because of a certain almost relaxing quality that he brings to the drums. While a lot of drummers are putting speed and power first, Baker put rhythm first.
~bgamall.hubpages.com
Ginger Baker Biography – youtube video:
October 15: The late Fela Kuti was born in 1938 – 76 years ago
Music is the weapon of the future
~Fela Anikulapo KutiImagine Che Guevara and Bob Marley rolled into one person and you get a sense of Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti.
— Herald Sun, February 2011
Teacher Don’t teach Me No Nonsense (live):
Continue reading October 15: The late Fela Kuti was born in 1938 – 76 years ago
Today: The late Fela Kuti was born in 1938 – 74 years ago
Music is the weapon of the future
~Fela Anikulapo KutiImagine Che Guevara and Bob Marley rolled into one person and you get a sense of Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti.
— Herald Sun, February 2011
From Wikipedia:
| Birth name | Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Fela Anikulapo Kuti Fela Ransome-Kuti |
| Born | 15 October 1938 Abeokuta, Nigeria |
| Died | 2 August 1997 (aged 58) |
| Genres | Afrobeat, Highlife |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter,instrumentalist, activist |
| Instruments | Saxophone, vocals, keyboards,trumpet, guitar, drums |
| Years active | 1958–1997 |
| Labels | Barclay/PolyGram,MCA/Universal, Celluloid, EMI Nigeria, JVC, Wrasse,Shanachie, Knitting Factory |
| Associated acts | Africa ’70, Egypt ’80, Koola Lobitos, Nigeria ’70, Hugh Masekela, Ginger Baker, Tony Allen, Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti, Roy Ayers, Lester Bowie |
| Website | www.felaproject.net |
Fela Anikulapo Kuti (15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), or simply Fela was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.
Music Style
The musical style performed by Fela Kuti is called Afrobeat, which is a complex fusion of Jazz, Funk, Ghanaian/Nigerian High-life, psychedelic rock, and traditional West African chants and rhythms. Afrobeat also borrows heavily from the native “tinker pan” African-style percussion that Kuti acquired while studying in Ghana with Hugh Masekela, under the uncanny Hedzoleh Soundz. The importance of the input of Tony Allen (Fela’s drummer of twenty years) in the creation of Afrobeat cannot be overstated. Fela once famously stated that “without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat”.
Afrobeat is characterized by a fairly large band with many instruments, vocals, and a musical structure featuring jazzy, funky horn sections. The “endless groove” is used, in which a base rhythm of drums, shekere, muted West African-style guitar, and melodic bass guitar riffs are repeated throughout the song. Commonly, interlocking melodic riffs and rhythms are introduced one by one, building the groove bit-by-bit and layer-by-layer to an astonishing melodic and polyrhythmic complexity. The horn section then becomes prominent, introducing other riffs and main melodic themes.
John Dougan (allmusic):
It’s almost impossible to overstate the impact and importance of Fela Anikulapo (Ransome) Kuti (or just Fela as he’s more commonly known) to the global musical village: producer, arranger, musician, political radical, outlaw. He was all that, as well as showman par excellence, inventor of Afro-beat, an unredeemable sexist, and a moody megalomaniac. His death on August 3, 1997 of complications from AIDS deeply affected musicians and fans internationally, as a musical and sociopolitical voice on a par with Bob Marley was silenced. A press release from the United Democratic Front of Nigeria on the occasion of Fela‘s death noted: “Those who knew you well were insistent that you could never compromise with the evil you had fought all your life. Even though made weak by time and fate, you remained strong in will and never abandoned your goal of a free, democratic, socialist Africa.” This is as succinct a summation of Fela‘s political agenda as one is likely to find. ..read more @ allmusic.com
Teacher Don’t teach Me No Nonsense:
Water No Get Enemy (1975)
Album of the day – Gentleman (1973)
Sam Samuelson – allmusic:
Gentleman is both an Africa 70 and Afro-beat masterpiece. High marks go to the scathing commentary that Fela Anikulapo Kuti lets loose but also to the instrumentation and the overall arrangements, as they prove to be some of the most interesting and innovative of Fela‘s ’70s material. When the great tenor saxophone player Igo Chico left the Africa 70 organization in 1973, Fela Kuti declared he would be the replacement. So in addition to bandleader, soothsayer, and organ player, Fela picked up the horn and learned to play it quite quickly — even developing a certain personal voice with it. To show off that fact, “Gentleman” gets rolling with a loose improvisatory solo saxophone performance that Tony Alleneventually pats along with before the entire band drops in with classic Afro-beat magnificence.
…read more @ allmusic.com
Other October 15
Continue reading Today: The late Fela Kuti was born in 1938 – 74 years ago
Today: Paul Simon is 71
“Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die. ”
― Paul Simon“It’s actually very difficult to make something both simple and good.”
― Paul Simon
Marc Anthony inducts Paul Simon Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions 2001:
From Wikipedia:
| Birth name | Paul Frederic Simon |
|---|---|
| Born | October 13, 1941 (age 71) Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Folk rock, folk pop, soft rock,worldbeat |
| Occupations | Musician, Songwriter, producer,bandleader |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass, piano,percussion, lute, alto saxophone, piccolo |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Labels | Columbia, Warner Bros., Hear Music |
| Associated acts | Simon & Garfunkel, Art Garfunkel, Ladysmith Black Mombazo |
| Website | www.paulsimon.com |
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an award-winning musician whose talents in composing, performing, and vocal harmony placed him at the forefront of the singer-songwriters on an international scale. Simon’s fame, influence and commercial success began as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, launched in 1964 with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair’s songs, including three that reached No. 1 on the U.S. singles charts: “The Sound of Silence“, “Mrs. Robinson“, and “Bridge Over Troubled Water“.
Simon & Garfunkel – The Boxer – Live in Central Park, 1981:
The duo split up in 1970 at the height of their popularity, and Simon began a successful solo career, recording three highly acclaimed albums over the next five years. In 1986, he released Graceland, an album inspired by South African township music. Simon also wrote and starred in the film One-Trick Pony (1980) and co-wrote the Broadway musical The Capeman (1998) with the poet Derek Walcott.
- Simon has earned 12 Grammys for his solo and collaborative work, including the Lifetime Achievement Award.
- In 2001, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- in 2006 was selected as one of the “100 People Who Shaped the World” by Time magazine.
- Among many other honors, Simon was the first recipient of the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007.
- In 1986 Simon was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music where he currently serves on the Board of Trustees.
From allmusic.com – Mark Deming:
Paul Simon is one of the most successful and respected songwriters of the second half of the 20th century. Rising to fame in the mid-’60s, Simon‘s songs were mature and literate, but also melodically engaging, and spoke to the concerns and uncertainties of a generation. As the 1960s gave way to the ’70s and ’80s, Simon‘s work tended to focus on the personal rather than the larger world, but he also expanded his musical palette, and helped introduce many rock and pop fans to world music.
..read more over @ allmusic.com
From The Washington Times (John Hayden):
The List: Top 10 Paul Simon songs
- Mother And Child Reunion (1972)
- Hearts and Bones (1983)
- Peace Like A River (1972)
- Father and Daughter (2006)
- Late In the Evening (1980)
- The Boy in the Bubble (1986)
- Kodachrome (1973)
- Senorita With a Necklace of Tears (2000)
- That’s Where I Belong (2000)
- American Tune (1973)
Check out the article over here: Top 10 Paul Simon Songs
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Paul Simon 1991 Tokyo 11/14 America:
“Mother And Child Reunion” (Live) – Paul Simon – Berkeley, Greek Theatre – October 20, 2011:
Album of the day – Paul Simon (1972):
From allmusic.com – William Ruhlmann:
If any musical justification were needed for the breakup of Simon & Garfunkel, it could be found on this striking collection, Paul Simon‘s post-split debut. From the opening cut, “Mother and Child Reunion” (a Top Ten hit), Simon, who had snuck several subtle musical explorations into the generally conservative S&G sound, broke free, heralding the rise of reggae with an exuberant track recorded in Jamaica for a song about death. From there, it was off to Paris for a track in South American style and a rambling story of a fisherman’s son, “Duncan” (which made the singles chart). But most of the album had a low-key feel, with Simon on acoustic guitar backed by only a few trusted associates (among them Joe Osborn, Larry Knechtel, David Spinozza, Mike Manieri, Ron Carter, and Hal Blaine, along with such guests as Stefan Grossman, Airto Moreira, and Stephane Grappelli), singing a group of informal, intimate, funny, and closely observed songs (among them the lively Top 40 hit “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”). … read more over @ allmusic.com
Other October 13: