FEMI KUTI & THE POSTIVE FORCE AT THE AFRO-BEAT FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK CITY

With the rise in popularity of global music stars amongst younger, more adventurous music fans strictly American dominance of the airwaves is slowly fading away. Whether in a genuine search for the next funky sound or just to ‘keep up with the Jones’ more listeners are reaching beyond local borders to discover new and old music.

Any self respecting music lover worth his weight in salt is at least familiar with the music of Femi Kuti, son of the late legendary Afro-Beat King, Fela Kuti. In the 1970 & 80’s Fela -inspired by the sounds of highlife and the funk of folks like James Brown- electrified the contemporary African music scene with a mix of Afro/Pop/Funk/Jazz that would forever solidify Nigeria's place on the world music map.

Femi’s sound has and probably always will hint at his fathers legacy and although that is a great complement, on DAY BY DAY, the first studio album in seven years by the reigning King of Afro-Beat (released in the US by Mercer Street Records) Femi Kuti is more determined than ever to etch his own mark. As Femi reaches back to Nigeria's big band roots with DAY BY DAY he simultaneously pushes his genre forward with new sounds that are pure jazz, pure gospel, pure soul and pure black.

The Toy Plane had the pleasure of catching Femi Kuti backed by his army of fresh young musicians, Positive Force, earlier this month at the Afro-Beat festival in New York City. Femi rocked a solid two hour set full of frantic rhythms packed with a political and sensual energy that for the congregation in assembly was nothing short of a religious experience.

Photos gracefully provided by Kwesi Abbensetts http://www.spaceshipgeorge.blogspot.com/