"Fela!" is a musical about the life of Nigerian musician and composer Fela
Kuti who died in 1997. In 1958 Fela was sent off to study medicine, by his father a reverend and teacher, like his two brothers
before him, but Fela decided he wanted to study music instead. While in school he formed a band that played a fusion of Jazz
and Highlife (a genre of music from Ghana characterized by jazzy horns and multiple guitars). In 1967 he decided to change
musical directions and called it Afro Beat. He took his sound and band to the United States in 1969 and discovered Black Power
and the Black Panther movement. That is when his music changed from love to social issues.
He return to his
home in Nigeria and opened a recording studio, which also served as a compound for him, his family and his band to reside.
He also opened a night club Afrika Shrine where he performed regularly. His lyrics began to tell a political story of government
corruption and military abuse, and as a result his studio and club were raided regularly by the government.
In 1977 he renamed his band Afrika '70 and release an album titled "Zombie" a description used by Nigerians to
describe the military soldiers and their methods. The album became an immediate success which brought over a 1,000 soldiers
to his studio and night club resulting in the burning of both his places and the death of his mother - when she was thrown
out a window. Fela sent his mothers' coffin to the residence of the military general, who claimed the burning and death were
caused by one "unknown soldier." Fela later rebuilt his properties and in 1984 the government attacked them again.
Fela's passion for justice, for him and his people, never stopped, but it was only his death in 1997 from complications
to AIDS that silence him. In 2008 an off-Broadway musical on his life was launched with the help of Tony Award winning director/choreographer
Bill T. Jones. By 2009 "Fela!" was running on Broadway thanks to the financial backing of Jay-Z and Will and Jada
Pinkett-Smith. That same year Universal Music U.S. licensed the catalog of Fela's music to Knitting Factory Records.
"We set up a website," Brian pointed out. "That had never been done by Universal Music. We can now sell through
the website...a Fela community. Two of the 26 album covers we've made into posters."
The CD "Fela!"
provokes visions of the colorful and energetic Broadway musical. Sahr Ngaujah plays Fela, Lilias White, with the beautiful
vocals, plays Fela's mother Funmilaya Kuti (a feminist activist) and Saycon Sengbloh plays Fela's American girlfriend Sandra
Izsadore (Fela had 27 wives in Nigeria).
Of the 22 selections on the "Fela!" album the ones I find
playing over and over again are "Trouble Sleep" a powerful song sung on-stage by the ghost of his mother - lyrics
talks of standing up for what you believe; "Lover," is a passionate selection with heavy horn support and African
drum beating as an echo - is about when he fell in love with the American, Sandra; "Upside Down" makes you want
to get up and do something productive -"Open that Dictionary" the lyrics say; "Rain," sung by Lilias who
shows an impressive vocal range, and "Dance of Orisas (Shakara)" which gives me visions of an African tribal dance
scene.
I haven't seen the musical, but just reading about it, Fela's life and hearing the CD I can see why
Jay-Z and the Smiths decided to support it. Fela was a remarkable man and lived a remarkable and socially conscious life.
The Broadway musical ‘Fela!,' that received the financial backing from Jay-Z and Will and Jada Smith, releases CD on
Knitting Factory Records
