Nice article on Fela Kuti and the resurgence of his music and legacy in Amercian Culture at the moment. The musical ‘Fela’ which is backed by Will Smith, Jay Z and several more heavy hitters has been a resounding success on  Broadway and is scheduled to tour the rest of The USA and perhaps further afield such is the positive feedback to the project.

Click here for LA Times article

 

We have been following these guys since their first recordings and they delivered a superb live show for us last year in The Sugar Club, their new Lp came out last week – Rising Sun – and we just hawked this new single and video accompaniment on youtube

The new album is out on Strut Recordings and is probably at a record store near you if you still deal in format and if you want to download it, go to this link .

Click here to view the embedded video.

Let us know what you think, sounds like a real progression from the last Lp which was top-notch

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fans of Afrobeat this is for you. Take Me Away Fast (This is a preview) is a documentary about made by a German DJ/Collector Frank Voodoo Funk which covers his travels looking for records in the West Coast of Africa.

Here is his blog, regularly updated with sizzling cuts and mixes from the motherland for you to download. Frank gets around Africa and faithfully scans the records, cover art, uploads mixes from his journeys and writes articles about his finds and puts us on to a whole world of african music.

There is more than enough going on in the blog to hip you to some forgotten gems and bring you up to speed with the history behind the records and collectors he is buying from. Recommended

Our favourite funk label have a new download to give away, bless the good people at T&S

scopolamine
Truth & Soul is proud to present the first single from Michael Leonhart & The Avramina 7. Long time trumpet player for many of the T&S releases, Michael Leonhart has masterfully created something that sounds like the musical love child of R.D Burman, Fela Kuti, & Beck. A mix of reverb drenched vocals, afro beat horns, and fluttering tablas all work in perfect harmony on The Avramina 7′s first single on Truth & Soul.

A Little bit about Michael Leonhart & The Asvamina 7: ” As a solo artist Michael has released six albums — “Aardvark Poses” (1995), “Glub Glub vol. 11″ (1997), and “Slow” (2002) all on the Sunnyside label; “The Suzy Lattimore EP” (2005) & “The Ballad of Minton Quigley “(2006) self released and 2008’s “Hotel Music” on limited edition vinyl with hand painted covers released through St. Ives (an imprint of Secretly Canadian). He has composed and performed music for movies, television, dance, fashion shows and theater, and has appeared on over 100 albums.  At age 17, Michael was honored as the youngest Grammy recipient in history, cited as the most outstanding musician in a U.S. high school.  That same year ABC World News named him “Person of the Week”.

Michael has performed with Steely Dan since 1996, recording two albums with them, including 2000′s Grammy winning Album of the Year “Two Against Nature” on which he was a featured soloist, arranger and conductor. He has performed and/or recorded with such diverse artists as A Tribe Called Quest, Arif Mardin, Arto Linsday, Bill Frisell, Bobby McFerrin, Bonnie Raitt, Brian Eno, Busta Rhymes, Caetano Veloso, D.J. Spooky, David Byrne, Henry Mancini, James Brown, John Barry, Joshua Redman, Lenny Kravitz, Mark Ronson, Michael McDonald, Mos Def, Natalie Merchant, Q-Tip, Raekwon (Wutang Clan), Slash (Guns and Roses/ Velvet Revolver), Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Todd Rundgren, and Wynton Marsalis.  Most recently, Michael recorded with Yoko Ono as a featured member of the Plastic Ono Band for her upcoming album, “Between My Head and the Sky”. Michael also appears on upcoming albums by Sharon Jones and the Dapkings, Foreigner, Sean Lennon, and Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto).

After 20 plus recordings as the house trumpet player for Truth and Soul records, the Brooklyn based funk and soul label will release Leonhart’s heavy-funk concept album “Seahorse and the Storyteller” late this year.”

The band was founded in 2002, when a group of young musicians, of mixed cultural origins, was united by its common allegiance to the grittier side of rare groove music. As seasons passed, others gravitated towards the burgeoning ensemble, and soon the band reached its current six-piece strong formation.

Along the years, the members of the Souljazz Orchestra developed their signature sound by seamlessly connecting the dots between their various influences, from Fela Kuti to James Brown, from Mulatu Astatke to Pharoah Sanders, while always adding their personal touch to the mix. Their efforts have resulted in the rugged groove that now characterizes the Souljazz Orchestra: an innovative, modern sound, but with roots that run deep.

The Ottawa-based collective has since had the honour of sharing the stage with the likes of Femi Kuti, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and Etta James. The multicultural ensemble has played hundreds of concerts across North America and Europe, from Brooklyn to Budapest, from Montreal to Paris, from Toronto to London. Now, with more international dates in the works, the Souljazz Orchestra is set to bring its cataclysmic sound to the rest of the world.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The group released its last album, Freedom No Go Die, in September of 2006. This high-energy release, featuring the vocal stylings of legendary Rwandan/Burundian musician Mighty Popo, has created quite a stir on the international DJ scene: “firing horns, funky keyboards and polyrhythmic beats to rock dance floors” enthused Straight No Chaser, “a sound as tight as the power fists that adorn the cover” raved Exclaim. Tracks from the album have also been featured on a number of compilations, alongside such heavyweights as Amy Winehouse, Radiohead, Common, Quantic and K-os. To top it all off, the listeners of Gilles Peterson’s BBC radio show voted the album’s opening track, Mista President, as one of the top ten tracks of the year.

Not surprisingly, the album was quickly picked up by the Toronto-based Do Right! label. Despite its hectic touring schedule, the band is also releasing a new album, “Manifesto”, in the fall of 2008. Needless to say, the Souljazz Orchestra will be a group to keep an eye on during the next while…

Johannesburg’s BLK JKS with their unique fusion of afro reggae & rock.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Poets live from in Limerick June 2007..footage by Cheebah.