For those interested, my good friend Deji Olukotun made his way to Eugene O’Neill Theater last week to experience Fela! On Broadway. Here is a brief sampling of his account:

… The story begins with the impending closure of The Shrine by the government. It’s as good of a starting point as any other. Fela, played by the Sierra Leonean Sahr Ngaugah, recounts his life through a series of flashbacks, charting the development of his music and remembering the key personalities in his life. We see glimpses of his life in London, his visit to America during the Black Power movement, and his fear of James Brown’s music, which swept through Africa and haunted him, because he both loved it and disliked its lack of African sentiment. We also watch as he meets the first and most influential of his eventual household of twenty-seven wives. He then explains his Afrobeat music by breaking it down instrument by instrument...

[click here for full review]

Sounds like a full success (despite an arguably out of place tap-dancing sequence… ha!) Cool. I’m psyched; it sounds like a great show.

Be back soon with some choice jams of both old and new school varieties.

Fela Kuti & Afrika 70 – Zombie
From: Zombie [Celluloid, 1977]

Fela Kuti & Afrika 70 – Sorrow, Tears, & Blood
From: Sorrow, Tears & Blood [Kalakuta, 1977]

Fela on Broadway Official Site

A few months ago, I received a PR email asking if I wanted to receive some “cool stuff” that might, perhaps, inspire Earfuzz to help spread the word about a new musical coming to town. The show was vaguely described as “an energetic mix of Afrobeat music and African dance, following the life of a famous musician.” Hmm, I thought, sounds Earfuzzy… who could this famous musician possibly be?… of course, it’s Fela Kuti. While I expected it to be Fela, I did harbor a fear it might be a half-baked off off off Broadway production about a fictional composite character based roughly on the life of Fela. Nope. It appears they are going large here and doing their best to channel the spirit of Fela Kuti- the man, the myth, the legend-through the lens of a Broadway musical production. For many reasons, I’m optimistic it will be a killer show… Why?…

Exhibit A - PR mystery box actually contained some “cool stuff”

The contents of the box and more, after the jump.