MetaFilter posts tagged with musician and AfricanMusic

Music Is the Weapon: Fela documentary from 1982

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:57:57 -0800

Fela: Music is the Weapon is a documentary film from 1982 featuring a wealth of live concert footage (from his club in Lagos, "The Shrine") as well as interviews with the legendary Nigerian singer, bandleader and social critic. Here's part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Here's a snooty and poorly written New York Times review of the film, which aired on PBS in 1985. Not especially worth reading, necessarily, but included here for historical purposes. The film is available for purchase as part of this 2-CD, 1 DVD set, or from Netflix.

Oliver Mtukudzi, pride of Zimbabwe

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 00:26:43 -0800

Let's pay a visit to Zimbabwe's Oliver Mtu kud zi, or Tu ku, as he's affectionately known to his fans. His voice has a touch of that sweet soul gravel reminiscent of Georgia's Otis Redding, or Jamaica's Toots Hibberts, but his mellow fingerpicking guitar style and relaxed, loping grooves are African all the way. His earlier stuff is certainly worth going back to as well! And, hey, it's unlikely you'll hear too many other pop stars who sing lines like "Call the mother of my childfren. I am hurt. I was injured while training the ox." Though it's a bit out of sync, and the sound isn't the greatest, here's a YouTube clip by an audience member at a live show in Washington DC, and another, similar, from a live show in Virginia. London MeFiers take note: he'll be in your town soon, providing those visas get sorted... Those interested in checking out some of the younger artists coming out of Zimbabwe can get some info here at Zimvibes.com

Balafon! Balafon! Balafon!

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 21:06:09 -0800

The YouTubes have the African balafon you need. Alya Dioubate. Coulibaly Samadou. Kanazoé. Epizo Bangoura. Koeta Hakiri. Bala. Man and child. Danse Moderne Balafon!

sisters are doin' it for themselves.

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 06 May 2007 06:22:26 -0800

Africa. Some women drumming. Some women dancing. [courtesy of the YouTubes]

traditional music of Africa

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 05:05:41 -0800

Spend a blissful 59 minutes and 7 seconds traversing the continent of Africa through her traditional music. This excellent stream (featuring just the right amount of background info) from the folks at Afropop Worldwide [previously] features plenty of the kind of effortlessly rolling, lilting rhythmic vibes that make African traditional music some of the most sublime in the world. "So don't expect over-the-top ethnography, just relax and enjoy acoustic Africa."