Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey

You thought I'd disappeared right? Well not quite, and I've just been given a load of new old music fresh from Lagos - on more of a JuJu, Highlife tip. First up is this, the ominously named Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, who, in fact, sounds rather gentle. It's tough getting any background information on this. The photocopied cover says that this is track, number 5, is called Eye To Ma Ba Kowe Ke, and the album in "Eversongsgreen...20". However a bit of Internet searching lists the album as the more obvious "Evergreen Songs 20" with slightly different track listings.

For those of you who listen to this and think it's all a bit 'world', a bit sandals, please persevere. It gets particularly good after about 11 minutes, when a riff starts circling and the atmosphere starts to feel like something you could find on Lovefingers. One for fans of With Comb & Razor and Benn Loxo Du Taccu.

Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey - Eye To Ma Ba Kowe Ke(?) - Evergreen Songs 20 - 2003(?)

Peter King - Freedom Dance

Back to Naija for a track from Peter King's 1974 Shango album. Remastered in 2002 and released on Afrostrut, and pretty easy to find, the whole thing is worth purchasing if you like Tony Allen or Fela or JB. I just love those discordant horn stabs.

Peter King - Freedom Dance - Shango - 1974

Manu Dibango - Besoka on Salsa

With Manu leaving his sax at home and playing vibraphone, this track was improvised at the end of a studio session in 1976 and, I believe, only released on this album in 2002. Simply smouldering.

Manu Dibango - Besoka on Salsa - B Sides - 2002

Fela Kuti

I'm sure you all know and love Fela, but if you don't you have to check him out. Here are some of my favourites from the legend.

Fela Kuti - Lady - Shakara - 1971
Fela Kuti - Who Are You - London Scene - 1972
Fela Kuti - Water No Get Enemy - Expensive Shit - 1975
Fela Kuti - Yellow Fever - Yellow Fever - 1976

Diblo Dibala

Soukous - the sound of a party in the Congo. Three tracks from Diblo Dibala, with the first from his band Loketo. Infectious feel-good happy music.

Loketo - Kimia Eve - Soukous Trouble - 1990
Diblo Dibala - Etoula - Super Soukous - 1989
Diblo Dibala - Kelele - Super Soukous - 1989

Lafayette Afro Rock Band

A few tracks for you from the Lafayette Afro Rock band - a bunch of Americans from Long Island that recorded mostly in Paris and under a few different names.

Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Darkest Light - Malik - 1975

Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Hihache - Voodounon / Movin' & Groovin' - 1974

Ice - Racubah - Afro Agban - 1978

Dollar Brand - Bra Joe From Kilimanjaro

A long, long tune from the South African Dollar Brand (who later changed his name to Abdullah Ibrahim). Perfect for dozing in the sun after slightly too much good food. After a piano only opening, a bit like some climax in a Buster Keaton movie, the tune relaxes into a circular piano riff that just keeps going. There's some lovely trumpet and an easy, not contrived Eastern feeling to the whole thing. I'm sorry to say I'm not sure where I've picked up this version from. It's quite different from the version from the album with the cover above, or from the live recording also available, and I haven't ripped it from my Dad's two track record either.

Dollar Brand - Bra Joe From Kilimanjaro

William Onyeabor

A wonderful tune. It's got funk 'n' shuffle. Deep bass. Rough percussion. A synth solo. Political lyrics. What more do you want? I don't know anything about this bloke except he's Nigerian, and this track has appeared on a couple compilations.

William Onyeabor - Better Change Your Mind

Daasebre Gyamenah - How Far?

Thanks to my colleague Nii, I have some Ghanaian high life to share with you today. This album, from 2004, is really charming. Soothing and light like an ice-cold chablis. The really understated, slightly over quantised, production contributes to the effect, but it's the singing & harmonies that steal the show. I don't know much about him, but a web search brings up stories of his arrest on drug charges after stepping off a flight in London in July '06. Rather than coming across as a bad boy though, disarmingly, his lawyer says Daasebre does not want people to visit him “because he is scared. He has not gone through this kind of situation before and he does not exactly know what is happening." It appears he is still remanded in custody, with a verdict expected in May.

Daasebre Gyamenah - Onongbo
Daasebre Gyamenah - Enye Aduro
Daasebre Gyamenah - Odo Bekase Makye

2Face Idibia - Grass 2 Grace

Time to dip into the Naija selection again. This time around is 2Face Idibia, a huge star who's won various MTV awards and sold millions of records in Nigeria. Three tunes from his new album Grass 2 Grace here, each with good vocals and pop sensibility (especially True Love which is heavy rotation fodder). If I was honest I probably wouldn't like it if it was British, American, Swedish or French. But since it's Nigerian I can't help myself.

2Face Idibia - I Dey Feel Like
2Face Idibia - No Shakin' (see the video here)
2Face Idibia - True Love

Fallou Dieng - Feuk Dieuf

Photo taken on Gorée Island, Dakar

I was lucky enough to spend two weeks on holiday in Senegal just before Christmas. In the Yoff district of Dakar, a couple streets behind where the fishing boats come in on the beach, was a small shack. On either side, facing the street, were 6 foot high speakers, and in the back rack upon rack of amps, mixers and CD burners. After a café touba and some chat I came out with a fistfull of CDRs. These tunes are from Fallou Dieng's 2006 album Feuk Dieuf. Keening vocals, a light lilt and the insane rush of the Sabar.

Fallou Dieng - Feuk Dieuf

Fallou Dieng - Checikh Bethio
Fallou Dieng - Toucoleur Bi
Fallou Dieng - Ndongo Lo

Soul E

The one and only Panni K visited last week and brought me a fistfull of the hottest albums from Lagos. There's a lot of good stuff to get through and first up are a few tracks from Soul E's Naija is Blessed album. Soule E Baba Dey Here was one of the Nigerian hits of the summer. Drop the middle, pump the bass and treble, enjoy the Timbaland-style beats and the Naija soul.

Soul E - Kekere Ni Yen
Soul E - Soul E Baba Dey Here (watch the not great video here)
Soul E - In My Life

Panni took this photo and writes about her experiences in West Africa here.

Fela Footage

Fela Kuti - Music is the Weapon - Pt.1



Fela Kuti - Music is the Weapon - Pt.2



Fela Kuti - Music is the Weapon - Pt.3

Ethio-Jazz

There’s been a fair amount of hype about Mulatu Astatke, with plays on Gilles Peterson’s show and strong presence in Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers. It’s soft and gentle lilting music - exotic in tone, but very accessible groove-based jazz. Take Tony Allen and the urgency out of a 70s Fela recording, swap Yoruba for Amharic, add in a dose of melancholy melody and you’ve got it. Best served through a dusty gramophone on a humid veranda with cicadas and G&T.

Mulatu Astatke - Ene Alantchi Alnorem
Mulatu Astatke – Yekermo Sew (a minor-key version of "Song For My Father" by Horace Silver).
Mulatu Astatke – Tezeta
Mulatu Astatke – Yegelle Tezeta

In a similar vein here are some other nice tunes, with vocals, from the excellent Ethiopiques compilations:

Seyoum Gèbrèyès & Wallias Band - Mètch Ené Terf Fèlèghu
Hirut Bèqèlè & Police Orchestra - Ewnètègna Feqer
Alèmayèhu Eshèté & Shèbèlé's Band - Tashamanalètch
Ayaléw Mèsfin & Black Lion Band - Gedawo

While we’re on an Ethiopian theme I’d like to plug a couple great London places:

Lalibela – in Tufnell Park – is one of my favourite restaurants: rich food in a warm atmosphere with low tables and decorated walls. They have all the signature Ethiopian dishes and are by far the best of the 5 or so Ethiopian places I’ve tried in London and New York.

Menelik – on Caledonian road – is another restaurant although I’ve not eaten there. It’s special for the live music (Ethiopian torch songs over 80s synths with body-popping) and late closing on a Saturday night.

Every taxi driver I've ever had in Dallas has been Ethiopian.

Buari

Some great driving hard-dancing funk from Ghana. Don't know much about it at all, but it appears that Buari released one album in 1975, and this first track, Karam Bani, opens it to real effect. The second track here is slower and makes me want to whoop like Mick Jagger before singing "and I miss you".

Buari - Karam Bani
Buari - Then Yebetheyet
The Rolling Stones - Miss You