Tony Oladipo Allen was born July 20, 1940 in Lagos, and over the next 79 years he would change the sound of drumming forever. While primarily known for the 15 years he spent as drummer and band leader with Fela Kuti, Tony Allen had a whole second career post-Fela. He not only released his own albums encompassing jazz, afrobeat, and electronica — he also collaborated with musicians ranging from Brazil’s Meta Meta to Jamaica’s Ernest Ranglin to American Jeff Mills to South Africa’s Hugh Masekela… and many more.
We start off with songs of work and labor for May Day this week. Then a brief remembrance of Nigerian afrobeat drumming pioneer Tony Allen, who died April 30, through some of his musical collaborations. (STG will air a full tribute to Tony Allen next week.)
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Fela Kuti (born Oct. 15, 1938) planted the root of what became Afrobeat music. Today, many are carrying on his work including his sons Femi and Seun, former bandmates including Tony Allen, and countless worldwide afrobeat bands from the Warsaw Afrobeat Orchestra to Brazil’s Bixiga 70. We go from the roots to the branches on this week’s show.
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Afrobeat drumming pioneer Tony Allen celebrated a birthday July 20, and STG follows that up with a survey of the contemporary Afrobeat scene, from Nigeria to Europe to the USA to some corners of the world where you might not expect to find Afrobeat groups.
Listen to past episodes of Spin The Globe free at Mixcloud.
Visionary Nigerian drummer Tony Allen has had an amazing career, from his days with Fela Kuti to his current collaborations with all kinds of artists, from British rappers to Brazilian singer Flavia Coelho. This show features a range of his work both past and present to celebrate his 20 July birthday. Plus some other music — mostly new releases and concert previews — at the end of the show.
Listen to past episodes of Spin The Globe free at Mixcloud.
I hardly need an excuse to break out the Afrobeat, and this week two concerts in Cascadia reinforce my Afrobeat inclinations. Lagos Roots Afrobeat Ensemble play at Rhythm & Rye in Olympia Oct. 25, and Chicago Afrobeat Project play at Seattle’s Nectar Lounge Oct. 30. We’ll hear from them, and from other great Afrobeat players. If you missed the recent KAOS fall membership drive, you can still become a KAOS member or renew your membership, call 360-867-6894 or visit kaosradio.org/join/
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The birthdays of three African greats inspire today’s theme: July 18: South African icon Nelson Mandela; July 20: Nigerian Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen; July 23: Ethiopian/Rasta leader Haile Selassie. Music from all three nations on this week’s episode. Plus an interview with Zimbabwean band Mokoomba about their new CD and their upcoming shows in Seattle and Tacoma (at Zimfest).
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This week, a countdown of the top 10 global / world-music albums of the month, including klezmer, Afrobeat, dueling harps, Ethiopian reggae via Israel, Bollywood via Australia, and more. Plus other new releases in hour 2.
STG also bids a fond farewell to Cover The Earth, a show that ran on KAOS for 18 years, and came to a graceful conclusion this weekend. Hosts Juli and Duncan were instrumental in selling me on the wonders of community radio, and starting Spin The Globe, which now becomes KAOS’s longest-running global music show at 15 years. I’m looking forward to hearing Juli now and then on Xenophilia — and probably also on Spin The Globe from time to time.
This week’s show starts with a celebration of the lives and music of Afrobeat originator Fela Kuti and Qawwali king Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, whose birthdays are this week. Without them, the face of “world music” would be far different. Though one is known for his vocal prowess in singing devotional Sufi music and the other for feisty anti-establishment poly-rhythmic funk-jazz, both are huge figures. Listen in to see how they sound side by side. Plus new releases from other parts of the planet in the second hour of the show.
The touring Broadway show Fela! about the Nigerian originator of Afrobeat hits Seattle next week. We celebrate with songs from the many Afrobeat bands that have since emerged worldwide, from NYC’s Antibalas to Portugal’s Cacique’97 to Fela’s own offspring who are keeping the form vibrant. Plus an interview with Jordan McLean, one of the musical directors of FELA! and a founding member of Antibalas. (Congrats to the STG listeners who won tickets to opening night during this show!)
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Fela Kuti (born Oct. 15, 1938) planted the root of what became Afrobeat music. Today, many are carrying on his work including his sons Femi and Seun, former bandmates including Tony Allen, and countless worldwide afrobeat bands from the Warsaw Afrobeat Orchestra to Brazil’s Bixiga 70. We go from the roots to the branches on this week’s show.
Afrobeat drumming pioneer Tony Allen celebrated a birthday July 20, and STG follows that up with a survey of the contemporary Afrobeat scene, from Nigeria to Europe to the USA to some corners of the world where you might not expect to find Afrobeat groups.
