Kokolo, also known as the Kokolo Afrobeat Orchestra, is an American Afrobeat band from the Lower East Side of New York City, formed in 2001 by songwriterRay Lugo. Along with The Daktaris and Antibalas, they form part of the early New York Afrobeat scene that ignited the genre’s current global revival

Damon Albarn, voz y teclados ; Paul Simonon, bajo ; Simon Tong, guitarra ; Tony Allen, batería

Las alianzas entre músicos occidentales y titanes del ethio-jazz siguen dando buenas cosechas. Hace tres años años los holandeses The Ex departían con el saxofonista Getatchew Mekuria, uno de los muchos protagonistas del “swinging Addis“. En Moa Ambesa daban vida a un excelente álbum que navegaba entre el art-punk de filiación noise y las embestidas de alma free proferidas por el septuagenario soplador abisinio.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti fue un multiinstrumentista y cantautor nigeriano, activista de los derechos humanos. Creó el género afrobeat. Su hijo es el también cantante de afrobeat Femi Kuti.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti fue un multiinstrumentista y cantautor nigeriano, activista de los derechos humanos. Creó el género afrobeat. Su hijo es el también cantante de afrobeat Femi Kuti.

The Best of Femi Kuti serves as a fine introduction to the Nigerian Afro-beat composer and bandleader, and the oldest son of the genre's founder, Fela Kuti. It's compiled from his two Barclay recordings, Shoki Shoki (1998) and Fight to Win (2001), and contains about half of each album. His Tabu/Motown album Wonder Wonder is inexplicably shut out despite some excellent tracks — and the fact that Universal owns both labels! The latter half of the disc contains collaborations with Mos Def ("Do Your Best"), Common ("Missing Link"), and Jaguar Wright ("Fight to Win").

With production help from Wally Badarou, Fela Anikulapo Kuti offers up an interesting mix of songs (well, two to be exact) in both vocal and instrumental versions. Most compelling is the track "Look and Laugh," which details the attack by Nigerian soldiers on his Kalakuta compound.