THE MUSIC, ART & LEGACY OF FELA ANIKULAPO-KUTI

9 Sept - 24 Oct: Exhibition (The Curve gallery)
2-17 Oct: Music Festival (Barbican Hall, LSO St Lukes, Cargo)

The only thing I know I have in common with Brian Eno is that we both have more albums by Fela Kuti than by any other artist. So the prospect of a whole month of concerts, art, talks and films celebrating the big man himself is too good to be true.

Both the late Fela's sons will be performing as well as former bandmates of Fela like Tony Allen, collaborators like Roy Ayers, contemporaries like Manu Dibango and younger bands that have taken Fela as a huge inspiration.

There are also a number of free concerts in and around the Barbican during October plus the art show. Of the talks, I am looking forward to the one by the political activist that turned Fela on to a radical black political agenda and thus set in motion a chain of events that would be both terrible (with Fela's mother killed by the authorities) and wonderful (the finest canon of revoloutionary song ever recorded).

MUSIC
Fela's eldest son Femi Kuti - a major star in his own right - ripped up the joint on Sunday after a patchy performance by Tony Allen and collaborators the night before. The mighty Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, now in his 70th year, will perform (Sat 16 Oct) with a very special invited list of guest artists. The music festival will close fittingly (Sun 17 Oct) with an all-star concert in support of Stop Aids!, inspired by the awesome 'Red Hot and Riot' album of Fela Kuti covers, which raised awareness about Aids in Africa. Artists invited include Femi Kuti, Baaba Maal, Dead Prez, Cheikh LÙ, Blackalicious, Meshell N'degeocello, Manu Dibango and Tony Allen.
More Info on gigs

ART
The series of events will begin with a free Curve gallery exhibition, curated by Trevor Schoonmaker - Black President: The Art and Legacy of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (9 September - 24 October).

This exhibition brings together an international array of 34 artists, including Fred Wilson, Yinka Shonibare, Sanford Biggers, AimÈ Ntakiyica, Kara Walker, and Sokari Douglas Camp as they explore, through all types of media, the wide spectrum of issues that were part of Fela's exceptional and vibrantly controversial life.

Links

Femi Kuti (and Daara J) at the Barbican reviewed

Tony Allen (and Ty) at the Barbican reviewed

Also check the superb Chief Xcel mixed Fela compilation that is being released to coincide with this season, Fela Kuti - The Underground Spiritual Game

Femi Kuti Live at the Shrine (DVD)

Femi Kuti Africa Shrine (CD)