Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra brings the 70's horn-driven sound ofNigerian musician and political rebel Fela Kuti home to Brooklyn, USA.Their CD "Liberation Afro Beat Vol. 1" features driving horns, heavyon the bottom with baritone sax out front over a big multilayeredrhythm section. This is wake-up-and-shake-it music.
Antibalas is also a self-described political "movement". I'm not surehow that's supposed to work — if I subscribe to their politics willthey let me sit in on their next gig? Be that as it may, like Ozomatliat the opposite corner of the country, they haven't let theegalitarianism of their politics stand in the way of making someexcellent music. Essentially an all-instrumental album, LABV1's fewspoken-word elements don't really express Antibalas' message all thatwell — the intro to "World War IV" is an abbreviated laundry list ofoppression by "war criminal Bill Clinton" and others, which means wemust be up to World War VI or so by now. But the message isn't in thewords, it's in the music.
When was the last time you heard a political trombone solo? You'llhear it from these guys.
Article comments