Two beautiful albums from one of the most difficult periods of Fela's life. "Coffin For Head Of State (Part 1 & 2)" is a mournful dirge-like track (although not without a good deal of funk), written around the death of Fela's mother from an attack on his Kalakatua Republic. "Unknown Soldier (Part 1 & 2)" tells of that attack, and has a similar mournful quality, mirroring the sadness and trauma of the event. Both tracks are fantastic, and represent a maturity and emotionality that make this time one of the best musical moments of Fela's career! CD

A great batch of rare tracks from the legendary Fela Kuti – unreleased for many years after their recording – which was done in London in 1971, when EMI sent Fela to the UK for a special session at their Abbey Road studios! The set benefits from the great production values of that historic place – and the band grooves tightly in tracks that are a little bit shorter than usual, but which still burn with all the intensity of the later African recordings – almost a more focused approach that draws a bit more link between American funk before some of the freewheeling jams of the side-long Afro Funk tracks! Titles include "J'ehin J'ehin", "Egbe Mi O", "Who're You", "Buy Africa", and "Fight To Finish". LP, Vinyl record album

An early classic from Fela Kuti & Africa 70 – the kind of early 70s record that helped both the leader and the group establish themselves as a global powerhouse of funk and soul! The set begins with the side-long "Open & Close" – a righteous tune that's driven onward by lots of tight drums from Tony Allen – young, focused, and completely amazing here – while Fela delivers all these madly leaping electric piano lines amidst the super-sharp horn section – all moving instrumentally for many minutes before the vocals come into play! Side two features two shorter tracks, but still nice and long in comparison to most funky groups – the wonderful "Swegbe & Pako" and "Gbagada Gbagada Gbogodo Gbogodo" – tunes that really send the record over the top! LP, Vinyl record album

An impassioned attack on police and army violence in 70s Nigeria – and easily one of Fela Kuti's best-remembered albums of the time! The lead track – "Sorrow Tears & Blood" – is really tremendous – a wicked groove that begins with a very long electric piano solo, which sets things up with almost a melancholy vibe – which is then echoed by the alto sax – all instrumental elements that create their own sort of pain and anguish, which is then given focus by the angry lyrics of the tune! "Colonial Mentality" has an equally sinister vibe, and some especially strong saxophone work – really powerful, and with a very sharp edge – so that it really stands out from the rest of the group! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Fela's greatest albums – and one of the few that got any sort of international circulation in the 70s! "Zombie" shows Fela at the height of his powers – grooving away in incredibly fast, incredibly tight Afro Funk lines, weaving guitar, sax, and keyboards together with a speed that still leaves us breathless. No wonder the track had a history of causing riots when it was played! "Mr Follow Follow" is a bit mellower, but even stronger on the message tip, and graced with a sublime snakey sax solo. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most compelling Fela albums of the 70s – and one that's got a very different feel than some of his others. The album features one long track – "Coffin For Head Of State" – and although the track still has the usual Fela staples of horn riffs, chopping vamps, and electric piano – it's also got a sad dirge-like sound that is incredibly soulful, and filled with sorrowful emotion that you don't normally catch on Fela's albums. Side two is especially great – as it's mostly instrumental, and features some great interplay between a spacey electric piano and the horn section. LP, Vinyl record album

An early classic from Fela Kuti & Africa 70 – the kind of early 70s record that helped both the leader and the group establish themselves as a global powerhouse of funk and soul! The set begins with the side-long "Open & Close" – a righteous tune that's driven onward by lots of tight drums from Tony Allen – young, focused, and completely amazing here – while Fela delivers all these madly leaping electric piano lines amidst the super-sharp horn section – all moving instrumentally for many minutes before the vocals come into play! Side two features two shorter tracks, but still nice and long in comparison to most funky groups – the wonderful "Swegbe & Pako" and "Gbagada Gbagada Gbogodo Gbogodo" – tunes that really send the record over the top! LP, Vinyl record album

A searing live set from Fela Kuti & Afrika 70 – a long album-length jam, recorded in Berlin – with the group really going to town in instrumental frenzy topped with very righteous lyrics! VIP doesn't have the usual meaning here – as it stands for "vagabonds in power", and is a searing attack on the Nigerian government at the time – one that has plenty of power from a lyrical perspective, but which really soars to the heavens as Fela and the group stretch the whole thing out over riffing guitar, driving percussion, and some incredible horn solos too! LP, Vinyl record album

A really seminal album from Fela Kuti – searing live set that pairs him with drummer Ginger Baker – formerly of Cream, and a huge supporter of Fela's music on the UK scene! Baker had already picked up a lot of Fela's influence in his music – and rather than the record being one in which an African artist waters down his groove for a rock world, the set's instead one in which Baker makes a surprisingly strong stand with Fela's Africa 70 group – the classic lineup that featured the great Tony Allen on drums! The sound of the set is great – well on a par with Fela's best work of the time, and perhaps even a bit better – given the extra drive that Baker brings to the session. Tracks are all long, yet a bit more focused than usual – and titles include "Ye Ye De Smell", "Black Man's Cry", and "Let's Start". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic batch of grooves – and a much-needed document of the rich array of funky sounds that were coming out of Nigeria in the 1970s! The country's best known as the homeland of Fela Kuti – an artist who forever changed the face of global funk – but what's not as well known is that there were a number of other artists operating in Fela's shadow, crafting their own interpretation of American soul and African funk during the same generation. This overstuffed package offers a great look (and listen) into that scene – and compiles tracks by a few artists you might already recognize, plus others that are presented here for the first time in such a set. As with other compilations on the Strut label, the notes are very well done, with loads of information and details on the recordings – but even more importantly, the music is fantastic, with a rich array of grooves that blows away most other recent compilations of Afro Funk from the 70s! Titles include "Enjoy Yourself" by Sahara All Stars Band, "Shango" by Peter King, "Dancing Time" by The Funkees, "Ikon Allah" by Bala Miller & The Great Music Pirameeds Of Afrika, "Tire Loma Da Nigbehin" by Monomono, "Kita Kita" by Gasper Lawal, "Agboju Logun" by Shina Williams & His African Percussionists, "Akayan Ekassa" by Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Melody Maesstroes, "Ja Fun Mi (inst)" by Sunny Ade, "Alla Wakbarr" by Ofo The Black Company, "Ifa" by Tunji Oyelana & The Benders, "Jenu Ko Ku" by Fela & Africa 70, "La La La" by Segun Bucknor, and "Orere Elejigbo" by Lijadu Sisters. 3CD version – with a great booklet – and a bonus CD that contains a documentary on the music. 23 tracks in all! CD

A real back to basics set from Tony Allen – much more strongly in his Afro Funk groove of the late 70s than other recent work, and recorded in Lagos with an earthy approach that's totally great! All the experiments and odd flourishes of recent sets have been stripped away – and Allen returns strongly to his role as a drummer and leader in the post-Fela mode – taking an array of talented musicians through grooves that have a sharp Africa 70 sound! Many tracks have some vocal component, but the real focus here is on the longer jamming sound that Tony first explored with Fela – heard beautifully on Allen's crackling percussion work throughout the set! Titles include "One Tree", "Kilode", "Ogogoro", "Moyege", "Ise Nla", "Morose", and "Aye Le". CD

A real back to basics set from Tony Allen – much more strongly in his Afro Funk groove of the late 70s than other recent work, and recorded in Lagos with an earthy approach that's totally great! All the experiments and odd flourishes of recent sets have been stripped away – and Allen returns strongly to his role as a drummer and leader in the post-Fela mode – taking an array of talented musicians through grooves that have a sharp Africa 70 sound! Many tracks have some vocal component, but the real focus here is on the longer jamming sound that Tony first explored with Fela – heard beautifully on Allen's crackling percussion work throughout the set! Titles include "One Tree", "Kilode", "Ogogoro", "Moyege", "Ise Nla", "Morose", and "Aye Le". LP, Vinyl record album

Let's Have A Party, indeed – as it's hard not to celebrate when a record sounds this great! The album's a boiling batch of Afro Funk numbers from the legendary Geraldo Pino – a key influence on the sound of Fela, and an artist with a sound that's got a bit more James Brown in his groove than some of his African contemporaries! Tracks are all super-tight and madly-grooving – hitting a fast-vamping, hard-riffing style that clearly draws energy from the JB sound of the late King years – but which also has its own unique flavor, thanks to some other-worldly electric piano on most of the numbers! Lyrics are in English, and as catchy as they are political – and titles include "Heavy, Heavy, Heavy", "Let Them Talk", "Africans Must Unite", "Shake Hands", "Power To The People", and "Let's Have A Party". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest grooves from the legendary Desco Records years – a brilliant album of modern Afro Funk done by The Daktaris – in a groove that's just as hard-hitting as any of Fela's work from the 70s! The album was one of the first to bring back an older African style to current funk – and even years later, it's still one of the best examples of the sound – a razor-sharp session that helped set the stage for better-known Antibalas work to come! Percussion and guitar is super-heavy throughout – produced with that bare-bones Desco style, and handled in a way that makes you think the record might be some treasure from mid 70s Nigeria – a trick the label tried to pull when it was released! Cuts include a cover of Fela's "Upside Down", James Brown's "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose", and the originals "Super Afro-Beat", "Daktari Walk", "Voodoo Soul Stew", and "Quiet Man Is A Dead Man". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing new sound from Kokolo – one that takes their Afro Funk groove, and turns it on a host of James Brown classics – all with a result that's completely unique! The album's hardly a copycat of James' original style – and instead, it reworks his funky favorites with a complicated approach to rhythms – one that shows a rich criss-crossing between JB and Fela modes, almost an echoing amplification of the 70s influences that were passing back and forth between the US and African funk scenes! The vocals are something else entirely – as rhythmic as the grooves, with a quality that isn't as all-out soulful as James – but in a good way, as this helps them simmer down nicely with the instrumentation, and throw in a whole new level of counterpoint to the music. We're honestly stunned – quite surprised and impressed at this turn that Kokolo has taken, reaching forward for a sound that nobody else has touched. Titles include versions of "Mind Power", "The Popcorn", "Soul Power", "The Grunt", "Think", "Bring It Up", and "It's A New Day". CD

Fantastic stuff – and one of the records that made drummer Tony Allen a legend, and one of the key musicians to step out of the larger setting of the Afrika 70 group of Fela Kuti! Allen's the leader here, and the vibe is nicely a bit different than some of Fela's records – although the man himself also handles the production, and plays with the larger group too – giving the set a nice tie to Tony Allen's roots, but also really showing that strong sense of character that's made him such an interesting, continually evolving force over the decades! As with some of the classic Fela albums, each side of the album features a long track with a very righteous Afro Funk vibe – "No Accommodation For Lagos" and "African Message". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic stuff – and one of the records that made drummer Tony Allen a legend, and one of the key musicians to step out of the larger setting of the Afrika 70 group of Fela Kuti! Allen's the leader here, and the vibe is nicely a bit different than some of Fela's records – although the man himself also handles the production, and plays with the larger group too – giving the set a nice tie to Tony Allen's roots, but also really showing that strong sense of character that's made him such an interesting, continually evolving force over the decades! As with some of the classic Fela albums, each side of the album features a long track with a very righteous Afro Funk vibe – "No Accommodation For Lagos" and "African Message". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best soul collaborations ever! Fela and Roy Ayers team up for this whopping album that brings together the best sides of these monster soul talents of the 70s! In keeping with Fela's work, the tracks are long and Afro-tinged, with a complicated groove that grows over the length of the track. And in keeping with Roy's work, the album has a sweet soulful feel, with lots of nice jazzy touches, cool vibes, and great vocals by Roy. Two long tracks, both classics: "2000 Black" and "Africa, Center of the World". Long overdue! LP, Vinyl record album

Contemporary Afro Funk from Kola Ogunkoya – a trumpeter who worked with Fela back in the day, and who's managed to carry on the Ethiopian groove over here in the US! The cover of the CD's a bit cheesy, but the music is pretty darn great – and Kola's group are a DC-based ensemble who can hit hard when they want to, but can also lay back for a mellower, more lyrical style as well. The groove here is a bit more farther reaching than just a simple copycat of 70s Afro Funk modes – and although a few tunes show a definite Fela link, there's others which go for a more varied groove – bits of contemporary African modes flowing in alongside the rhythms. Titles include "My Darling", "Sweetie Baby", "Boju Boju Oloro N Bo", "Salute To Parents", "Afro Jazz", and "Afro Pop". CD

An amazing record from pianist Horace Tapscott – maybe one of his most ambitious projects ever, and a set that stands head and shoulders next to his classic work for the Nimbus label! As with some of those records, this set features his large Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra – performing live at LACMA in 1998, and also augmented by a vocal choir at times – working with a sense of pride and power that's very much in the best 70s spiritual jazz mode! We honestly didn't know that Tapscott had continued the group this far into the 90s – we've only heard them on record up through the early 80s – and the lineup really represents the maturing vision of the music, with some especially great work from Tapscott on piano, Phil Ranelin on trombone, and Michael Session on soprano, alto, and tenor – plus lead vocals from the mighty Dwight Trible. Titles include "Aiee The Phantom", "Fela Fela", "Listen Africa", "Caravan", and "Why Don't You Listen". CD

An amazing set on Soundway that not only captures Highlife On The Move from the early 50s to mid 60s, it's essentially the roots of the music and dancefloor culture of some of greatest Ghanaian and Nigerian grooves to come! The historical relevance of the material is monumental to say the least – not only showing the diverse impact of calypso, mambo and jazz music that was being combined in the nascent-to-prime years of highlife, from Lagos to London – but it also includes what's thought to be the first ever recordings by Fela Kuti, with his Highlife Rakers combo. It's compiled by Markus Coester, who also penned the thick, insightful booklet, and true to Soundway tradition, it's impeccably packaged, and the sound quality is pristine as can be. 38 tracks in all, with "Highlife No 5" by Ginger Folorunso Johnson & His Afro-Cuban Band, "Son Of Africa" by Kwamalah Quaye Sextetto Africana, "Niger Mambo" by Bobby Benson & His Combo, "Afro Mood" by Chris Ajilo & His Cubanos, "Obaa Amponsa Pandogo" by Black Star Band, "Donaldo's Samba" by Afro Rhythm Kings, "Marabi Dance" by Afro Rhythm Kings, "Maggie" by Jhn Santos Martins & Zeal Onya & His Band, "Ghana, Forward Forever" by Lord Ganda & Rupert Nurse's Calypso Band, "Highlife Comes To Europe" by Rans Boi's African Highlife Band, "Uwa D' Arejere" by West African Rhythm Brothers, "Eyo Mano Mi" by T Odueso's Akesan Highlifers, "Wa Sise" by Willie Payne & The Starlite Tempos, "Anyin Gan Na" by Victor Ola-Iya & His Cool Cats and more – plus "Fela's Special" and "Aigana" by Fela Ransome-Kuti & His Highlife Rakers. CD

A fantastic collection of lesser-known gems from the 70s scene in Nigeria – music that's a great counterpart to better-remembered Afro Funk and soul from international giants like Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade! This set digs deep, and is a nicelly expanded version of a set that Soul Jazz issued years back as a limited edition 7" single box for Record Store Day – presented here with more music, and a detailed set of notes – really getting at the special scene that was taking place in Nigeria at the time, as the nation was rising to the top of the African scene with a fantastic criss-crossing of musical modes! There's definitely plenty of the funk promised in the title, and the "rock" is usually of the funky kind with great guitar work – and a few later cuts even pick up the pace with a bit of disco, but more in the fast-funk mode, and hardly the slick stuff of the American scene. Titles include "Africans Must Unite" and "Shake Hands" by Geraldo Pino, "We'll Get Home" by The Wings, "E Ye Ika Se" by Alhagi Prof Kollington Ayinala, "Kassa Kpa Sama Kpa" by Colomach, "Beware" by MFB, "You Are The One" by Tony Grey & The Ozimba Messengers, "Single Boy" by The Wings, "Sugar Baby" by Don Bruce & The Angels", "Power To The People" by Geraldo Pino, "Igba Alusi" by Original Wings, "Dance Of The Elephants" by Sonny Okosunds Ozziddi, and "Oba Erediauwa I" by Sonny Okosuns. LP, Vinyl record album

The Nigerian groove of the 70s – way past the familiar modes of Fela Kuti, and served up here in a range of artists who followed on a huge second wave of soul that soared from Lagos and beyond in the second half of the decade! The music here opens up in a sweet range of different styles – including bits of club and boogie that have come into the scene to open up Nigerian funk in more global modes for the dancefloor – blending African roots with American currents, in a sound that's completely unique – and which is way better than some of the Afro-disco modes that were coming from Europe a the time! As usual with the folks at Soul Jazz, the set's an ear-opening work of genius – from the superb track selection, to the very thorough notes and research – which really do a great job of presenting this side of Nigerian funk that's always been a bit eclipsed by some of the bigger names on the scene. Liner notes are by dancefloor historian Bill Brewster – and titles include "Do The Funkro" by Joni Haastrup, "You Can't Change A Man" by Christy Essien, "Afrikana Disco" by Akin Richards & The Executives, "Ocheche" by Don Bruce & The Anges, "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" by Tee Mac, "Get Up & Dance" by Benis Cletin, "Enoviyin" by Colomach, "Nwaeze" by Jimmy Sherry & The Musik Agents, "Wake Up Your Mind" by Joni Haastrup, "Disco Dancing" by Angela Starr, "Mr Been To" by Arakatula, "Living Every Day" by Tee Mac with Marjorie Barnes, "Wake Up Africa" by Arakatula, and "Soul Fever" by Benis Cletin. LP, Vinyl record album

Reputedly, this is an African funk band recorded recently by the folks at Desco Records – but as with a lot of their projects, we're not entirely sure whether or not to believe them, since they're always a bit too mysterious about the origins of their material, and this may just be some new grooves, cut by a funk band of non-African origin. Whatever the case, though, the record kicks butt, and is a very tight batch of funky instrumentals that have a classic sound that hints at Fela, Manu Dibango, and other Afro Funk artists of the 70's. There's lots of choppy guitar grooves, heavy percussion, and raw blaring sax solos. Very nice stuff, and every bit as great as the other stuff on Desco! Cuts include a cover of Fela's "Upside Down", James Brown's "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose", and the originals "Super Afro-Beat", "Daktari Walk", "Voodoo Soul Stew", and "Quiet Man Is A Dead Man". CD