Africa music reviews

The Afrobeat style is largely the creation of Fela Kuti, who reshaped the music map of Africa with his heavy, soul-drenched big-band funk from the motherland. During a trip to California in the late '60s, he became heavily influenced by James Brown, jazz, and the Black Power movement, things that shaped his music for the next three decades. He was jailed in his native Nigeria for his political dissent and on release continued as a radical musical spokesperson against oppression. But it is for the massive slabs of dance music that he is mostly remembered--juggernauts of brass, percussion, and bass lines that shake the earth, sometimes for 20 minutes at a time. The five selections on Afrobeat cover several periods and band transitions, from Africa 70, Africa 80, and Egypt 80. Also included are the awesome "Cross Examination," produced by Bill Laswell and featuring Aiyb Dieng and P Funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell, while jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers appears on "Africa--Center of the World." Richly textured and provocative, this is a great introduction to one of Africa's greatest musical legends. --Derek Rath