Fela Kuti

Born: October 15, 1938

Fela Kuti was one of Africa's most controversial musicians and throughout his life he continued to fight for the rights of the common man (and woman) despite vilification, harassment, and even imprisonment by the government of Nigeria.

Born to Yoruban parents, Kuti was strongly influenced by both parents, his mother being Funmilayo, a leading figure in the nationalist struggle. Practically all of his records are dominated by political events and discussions from the approach of Pan- Africanism.

In 1954, Kuti joined the Cool Cats as a singer in that highlife band (highlife being the rage of the Lagos music scene at the time). During this period Kuti developed his own unusual sound which he described as highlife-jazz. In 1968 Kuti announced the arrival of Afro-beat, within the year was promoting his sound all over the USA on a 10- month tour where he became influenced by American jazz. He did some recordings in that came to be known as the “'69 Los Angeles Sessions,” that were remarkable, an indication of a maturing sound and of the raucous, propulsive music that was to mark Fela's career. When he returned to his homeland he opened a nightclub, the Shrine, and changed the name of his band to Africa 70 (and later to Egypt 80).

Ola Onabul��: A Tapestry of Soul, Jazz and Global Roots

by Angelo Leonardi
July 25, 2025

Singer-songwriter and producer Ola Onabulé shares insights into his life and work, spotlighting his eclectic collaboration with guitarist Nicolas Meier, which led to the release of Proof of Life (Self Produced, 2025). Both based in London, the British-Nigerian vocalist and Swiss guitarist discovered, during the isolation of the pandemic, a shared empathy in their ...

Ola Onabul��: una musica senza confini

by Angelo Leonardi
July 21, 2025

Il cantautore e produttore Ola Onabulé ci parla della sua vita e del suo lavoro a partire dall'eclettica collaborazione col chitarrista Nicolas Meier, che ha portato alla recente uscita dell'album Proof of Life. Entrambi residenti a Londra, il vocalist britannico d'origine nigeriana e il chitarrista svizzero hanno scoperto, nei mesi dell'isolamento pandemico, di condividere empaticamente i ...

Take Five with vocalist Diana Hamilton

by AAJ Staff
July 17, 2025

Meet vocalist Diana Hamilton I'm an instinctive artist--meaning, I didn't choose to be a singer. Singing chose me. It began during a moment of deep torment when my three-year-old son, Nairobi, was subjected to racism at a daycare in France. I had never experienced such cruelty growing up as a Black child in the Bahamas. I ...

Shuffle Demons: Are You Really Real

by Anastasia Bogomolets
June 2, 2025

Celebrating four decades of genre-blending jazz, the Shuffle Demons return with Are You Really Real, a studio album that fuses funk, post-bop, theatrical satire and spiritual jazz. Influences ranging from Eric Dolphy and Alice Coltrane to the Red Hot Chili Peppers shape the band's eclectic high-energy aesthetic. The opening track, “X Marks the Spot," ...

Fela Kuti & The Africa 70, Takuya Kuroda, Redtenbacher��s Funkestra, Allexa Nava, John Beltran & More

by Tony Poole
March 7, 2025

One hour of nothing but the freshest new releases and pre-releases. Join Tony Poole for the freshest worldwide jazz grooves from across the globe. Playlist Fela Kuti and The Africa '70 “Let's Start" from Live with Ginger Baker, 1971 (Knitting Factory Records) Christelle Durandy “We Were Born To Drum" from Salsa de la Bahia ...

Kenny Garrett Speaks Through The Soul of His Jazz

by Dean Nardi
February 10, 2025

Mental bungee-jumping may not be their sport of choice, but a cerebral ledge exists that sooner or later every jazz musician must leap off. One day, ready or not, tuning up or shaking down their instrument, they will glance in a mirror, hug a pregnant mother-to-be, second-line a funeral, walk in the deepest, dark woods, chance ...

Ginger Johnson and his African Messengers: African Party (Deluxe Edition)

by Tony Poole
January 28, 2025

George Folunsho Johnson (1916-1975) was born in Nigeria and earned the nickname Ginger due to his reddish hair and freckles. At 18, Ginger Johnson joined the Nigerian Navy, which took him around the world and exposed him to a variety of musical styles and percussion techniques. After World War II, he settled in London, where he ...

Take Five With Trombonist-Composer Naomi Moon Siegel

by AAJ Staff
November 8, 2024

An award-winning trombonist, improviser, composer and educator, Naomi Moon Siegel is committed to creating a positive, transformative music culture beyond conventional genre norms. She has been an innovative performer and recording artist since graduating from Oberlin Conservatory in 2006. Siegel kicked off her professional career on the West Coast in Oakland, California, and came of age ...

Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O: True Story

by Chris May
May 31, 2024

One of the minor but intriguing mysteries of modern culture is why the trombone is commonplace in African American music yet only rarely heard in Africa itself. Since its earliest days, jazz in the US has featured the trombone, as did ska in Jamaica. In analog-age samba and bossa nova in Brazil, the instrument was practically ...