Sunday 28 February 2010
Brian Eno Bestows His Musical Passions Upon Brighton Festival
What does a man who seemingly has it all - and even then reinvents it and receives it again – give himself for his 62nd birthday? Well, in the case of this year's Brighton Festival curator, Brian Eno, it's an evening of Afrobeat.
Afrobeat, which is a combination of Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, and funk rhythms, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularised in Africa in the 1970s, came into being via the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti; who used it to revolutionise musical structure as well as the political context in his native Nigeria.
It was Kuti who coined the term upon his return from a U.S. tour with his group Nigeria 70 – and at this yearss This Is Afrobeat evening, on Friday 14th May, it is Fela Kuti's son, Seun, who will be keeping his father"s vision very much in the Festival goers' eyes.
Joining Kuti will be Tony Allen – once described by Eno as "perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived."
Allen was the drummer and musical director of Fela Kuti's band Africa 70 from 1968 to 1979, and has since been deemed one of the primary co-founders of the genre of Afrobeat music. Fela once stated that, "without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat."
Kuti and Allen will front the 20 piece Egypt 80, who play with all the frenetic energy and bold defiance of Fela in his prime.
Also proving that the curator is not merely a figurehead is another Eno event that reflects his great passion of Acappella.
This is Acappella, on Friday 7th May, came about as Eno has spent years mentoring his own Acappella group in London. He claims that his collective will never record nor play live, so the Festival evening will see his passion brought to life by others.
Indeed Eno said at the Brighton Festival launch that: "I believe that singing is the key to long life, a good figure, a stable temperament, increased intelligence, new friends..."
Over the coming weeks we will be highlighting other Brighton Festival events. In the meantime head over to www.brightonfestival.org to for event dates, time and ticketing details.
by: Mike Cobley
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Seun Kuti Keeps His Dad's Afrobeat Flag Flying
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