Afrobeat certainly didn’t die with Fela Kuti, if it did no one told the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. The Brooklyn based group has brought this form of music back to the forefront of the contemporary scene by summoning New York's rich musical heritage of jazz, funk, and latin groove laid out over Afrobeat polyrhythms. (Polyrhythms are simply polyphony viewed in its rhythmic dimension, meaning multiple cyclically recurring rhythms, commonplace among African music.)
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, is clearly the father of Afrobeat, the musical offspring of American jazz and West African “Highlife,” a musical genre originating in Ghana and Sierra Leone in the 1920’s which spread to other West African countries. It stereotypically commands a large horn contingency with multiple guitars that lead the band and push a surging beat. Antibalas however is not merely imitating the works of Kuti, they’re breaking down afrobeat rhythms and harmonies and landscaping new foundations for improvisation along the same African sound structures.
Rollin’ 6 deep in the percussion section with a 4 piece horn ensemble and 3 guitarists enables them to generate such non-stop full bodied grooving pieces as “El Macheto” and “N.E.S.T.A. (Never Ever Submit To Authority). El Machete is a perfect example of the afrobeat polyrhythms where a network of guitar patterns and swelling drum beats provide the background for a powerful trumpet solo by Jordan McLean (formally of the MMW horn section on Uninvisible 2002). Band leader Martin Antibalas’s growling yet surprisingly lyrical baritone work on N.E.S.T.A engenders a chilling almost indifferent sound, which still hints to a distant air of oppression.
My favorite track on Liberation Afro Beat, Vol. 1is definitely the live version of Musicawi Silt. A strolling drum cadence introduces the overture of this piece, soon to be joined by a sprawling rubato flute solo, which then surges forward from powerful hits of an energetic horn section. Dude what? It’s a good song toe tappin’ for sure, you can’t manufacture inspirado like this. This disc is 4 stars for sure, go check it out. ****
Here are some pictures I took of Antibalas at Bonnaroo 2002. Good times.
