I Am Still Trying to Hold on to What Moves People About Music
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The African e-Journals Project has digitized full text of articles of eleven social science and humanities journals. This item is from the digital archive maintained by Michigan State University Library. Find more at: http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/africanjournals/ Available through a partnership with Scroll down to read the article. ' AZZ MUSIC INFLUENCES ON THE WORK OF FELA ANIKULAPO-KUTI MICHAEL VEAL f all Nigeria's popular Ibrahim, p.k.a. Dollar Brand of South contribution to jazz evolution. musicians, bandleader Fela Africa, Randy Weston of U.S.A. and Anikulapo-Kuti is probably O Hermeto Pascoal of Brazil. The issue of In order to provide the widest perspective the most associated with jazz music. Afrobeat and jazz is complicated by the on the subject, it is necessary to discuss Although his music contains a number conflicting cultural perspectives which the continuous circulation of musical of jazz elements, however, Fela does frequently occur when any artistic elements of cultural symbols between not play 'jazz' in the traditional stylistic expression crosses cultural borders and West Africa and its descendants in the sense of the term. Nevertheless, there assumes a new functional and symbolic Americas, a process which has operated arc reasons why his music is so strongly identity. Fundamentally an African- associated with jazz in Nigeria, and I at least since the earliest years of this American expression, jazz has in fact intend to examine some of those century, influencing stylistic been subjected to a variety of new reasons in this essay. The major development throughout Africa and the interpretations in cultural spheres as questions I will address are: One, what African diaspora. This will enable us to dissimilar as Japan, West Africa, Russia arc the specific jazz elements in Fela's place Fela's work in the larger context and Western Europe. While Fela's Afrobcat? Two, how did these come to of jazz's historic influence upon West Afrobeat style is strongly associated exist in his music? Three, to what African popular music through the time with jazz in Nigeria, attempts to define extent can Afrobeat be called jazzstyle? that the Afrobeat style was developed in his music as jazz have been met with Hopefully, this discussion will the late 1960s and early 1970s. strong resistance in Europe and the demonstrate the process by which Fela gradually distilled jazz elements into a United States. An example of this is It must be noted that many of the musical distinctly African form, while Afrika '70's headlining performance at practices identified as 'jazz' have strong clarifying the relationship between jazz the 1978 Berlin Jazz Festival causing a West African origins. They acquired and Afrobeat on the stylistic, symbolic controversy in the German music press their distinct character through a and functional levels. in which jazz critics denigrated the blending with Western European musicianship of the Afrika '70 band elements in the Americas, and they in and Fela in particular. There are several turn served to transform West African Fela may be placed in a generation of fundamental aspects - political, cultural, world musicians born during the 1930s music. The current African-American religious - which mitigate against interest in traditional African music and who fused jazz with a variety of local Afrobeat's simple characterization as styles to achieve international culture, and the reverse influence of jazz. In spite of this, I will assert that African-American expressive forms recognition. Among these are Hugh Fela's work - while not 'jazz' in the Masekela of South Africa, Abdullah such as jazz and rap music in strict sense - does represent a contemporary Africa, are merely the 8 latest examples of a historical cycle of liturgical music accompanying the neo- circulating cross-influence. While Yoruba Santeria cult in Cuba), characterizations of Africa as the European compositional techniques(by 'traditional' and America as the jazz composers such as Mario Bauza 'modern' are overtly simplistic and 'Bebop and modal and Machito), and virtuoso African- essentialist in nature, the symbolic poles American jazz improvisers such as of tradition and innovation have differed from earlier jazz Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. contributed equally to the construction styles in that they were Therein lies one importantexplanation of contemporary pan-African identity. for the popularity of Afro-Caribbean Fela's music is an exemplary of this more abstract and were sounds throughout Africa: the blending process. meant for reflective of African and European musical elements resulted in a modern, Since the introduction of phonograph listening than social cosmopolitan sound which was the recording technology into West Africa dancing. Ifius, neither of perfect sonic match for the rapid in the 1920s, there have been successive modernization Africa experienced phases of jazz influence on the popular these styles was during the colonial and post-colonial music of the region. Ragtime and particularly popular in period. Thus, the musical fusion of Dixieland jazz (along with minstrelsy) higlife became the music most was popular in the 1920s, while big- flfrica, and Mela's first associated with cultural pride, national band swing styles were popular in the attempts at playing jazz identity, and political independence. 1930s. The main conduits for the introduction of these styles into West in 9{jgeria were doomed The use of the word 'jazz' in the names Africa were highlife musicians such as to failure. of many African dance bands of this E. T. Mensah and Bobby Benson - period (Bembeya Jazz, Rocafil Jazz) musically literate bandleaders who were functions on three levels - musically proficient on Western wind instruments (indicating the presence of jazz stylistic and who had traditionally performed a elements in the music), functionally variety of Western musical genres such (indicating large dance-bands utilising as foxtrots, two- Western steps, waltzes to instruments and entertain colonial performing for administrators upper-class and African audiences), and elites. symbolically (indicating The jazz 'modernity' and influence also international, took more cosmopolitan indirectly, identity). through its presence in other It is the Ghanaian styles which in highlife bandleader turn influenced E. T. Mensah who, West African with the help of his music. The drummer, Guy influenceof Afro- Warren (Kofi Caribbean styles Ghanaba), is from Jamaica, E. T. Mensah: Highlife impressario. widely credited Cuba and with integrating Trinidad was a decisive turning point arrangements. In its most developed modern jazz and for highlife during the 1940s. A creation form - such as the experiments with Afro-Caribbean elements into highlife of African descendants in the Americas, Afro-Cuban Latin Jazz, important music. Mensah and the Tempos caused these styles combined transplanted West linkages were forged between neo- a storm during the Nigerian tour of the African rhythms with jazz-derived horn African musical practices (such as the late 1950s. Soon, Nigerian Fix 1 Sonny Rollins, 2: Miles Davis, J: Thelonious Monk, 4: John Coltrane, 5: Louis Armstrong . review 10 bandleader Bobby Benson transformed Koola Lobitos' music did not meet the Coltrane), he was making an implicit his act from a variety show to Mensah's success Fela had hoped; Africa was political statement as well as an obvious style of highlife, and begun developing falling under influence of African- musical one. distinctly Nigerian highlife sound with American rhythm-and-blues music and his Jam Session Orchestra. Benson's popularity of highlife was rapidly The influences of these various phases band spawned a host of younger declining. of jazz would be evident in Fela's artistic bandleaders including Zeal Onyia, Rex breakthrough, his Afrobeat music of the Lawson and Victor Olaiya who gave In 1969, Fela and his Koola Lobitos 1970s. This music combined a James the young Fela his first performing band took a year-long trip to the United Brown-styled use of the rhythm section, experience in the 1950s as a singer with States where, in addition to experiencing a modal harmonic approach, jazz-sty led his Cool Cats highlife band. Fela was a political and cultural awakening, he instrumental solos and ensemble already heir to decades of sty 1 istic cross- was exposed to the latest stylistic phase passages, and indigenous percussion. breeding between jazz and indigenous of jazz. This was the free-jazz typified These elements were all united by styles. by the work of Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, traditional West African approach to Cecil Taylor and the later work of John composition and structuring utilising Fela's years of study in a British music Coltrane. In addition to representing a traditional devices such as call-and- school during the late 1950s and early radical break with jazz traditions, these response singing, percussive 1960s exposed him to newer styles of styles also carried strong political articulation, ensemble stratification jazz - the bebop style popularized by associations. Concurrently with the (layering of parts), hocketing (simple Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in cultural awakening African-Americans parts combining to form complex the 1940s and the modal style were experiencing during this period, structures), and extensive use of popularized by Miles Davis and John many African-American free-jazz ostinatos (repeating pattern). The Afrika Coltrane in the early 1960s. It was musicians hoped to devise a non- '70 band featured a number of strong initially his goal to introduce these Western musical logic which would jazz-styled soloists including Fela traditional styles to Nigerian audiences resist comprehension and exploitation (saxophones and keyboards), Lekan upon his return with his Fela Ransome- by white musicians. Linked to thie Animasaun (baritone saxophone), Kuti Quartet. However, this presented endeavour was an exploration of sonic Tunde Williams (trumpet), Igo Chico a creative quandary. Bebop and modal parallels to non-Western musical (tenor saxophone), and the masterful differed from earlier jazz styles in that traditions from Africa and India.