Difference between revisions of "Afrobeat" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
(Made some changes to opening line and political paragraph)
(This is a complete edit)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{claimed}}
 
{{claimed}}
−
'''Afrobeat''' blends elements of [[Yoruba music]], [[jazz]], and [[funk]] [[rhythm]]s and presents them with an instrumentation that emphasizes [[Africa]]n [[Percussion instrument|percussion]] and [[vocal]] styles.
+
'''Afrobeat''' developed in Africa in the 1960s-1970s and blends elements of [[Yoruba music]], [[jazz]] and [[funk]] [[rhythm]]s with an instrumentation that emphasizes [[Africa]]n [[Percussion instrument|percussion]] and [[vocal]] styles.
  
−
Afrobeat's most famous artist was the [[Nigeria]]n multi-[[Musical instruments|instrumentalist]] and [[bandleader]] [[Fela Kuti]], who coined the term Afrobeat, shaped the musical structure and shaped the political context of the genre. He launched Afrobeat in the early 60s.
+
Afrobeat was pioneered by [[Fela Kuti]], a [[Nigeria]]n [[bandleader]] and [[Musical instruments|instrumentalist]] whose musical ideas and political ideals formed the core of Afrobeat's aesthetic as it appeared in the 1960s. Kuti's experience with [[Highlife]] music in the [[Koola Lobitos]] Band moved Kuti to include the African pop-jazz hybrid as one of the primary influences upon the new style.
  
−
Afrobeat also has influences from [[Highlife]] music, a style of African pop-jazz. Kuti had earlier played this type of music with the [[Koola Lobitos]] Band.
+
Some common elements of Afrobeat:
 +
* [[Big band]]s: Performing forces requiring many performers on a variety of different instruments;
 +
* Energy: Fast tempi combined with [[polyrhythmic]] percussion;
 +
* Repetition: The continual deployment of some musical cell in a repetitive pattern;
 +
* [[Improvisation]]: Spontaneous creation of music within a set of parameters that may place melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic restrictions;
 +
* Mixed genre: Seamless integration of several musical styles.
  
−
Characteristics of Afrobeat are:
+
Afrobeat evolved during the 1960s in southern [[Nigeria]] and drew some of its inspiration from the [[free jazz]] movement. [[Fela Kuti|Fela Anikulapo Kuti]] took African harmonic and rhythmic concepts and surrounded them with the musical trappings of Highlife, free jazz, and other contemporary musical genres to create the sound.
−
* [[Big band]]s: A large group of musicians playing various instruments (Fela Kuti's band in the 80s ''Egypt 80'' featured 80 musicians);
 
−
* Energy: Energetic, exciting and with high tempo, [[polyrhythmic]] percussion;
 
−
* Repetition: The same musical movements are repeated many times;
 
−
* [[Improvisation]]: Performing without set music;
 
−
* Combination of genres: A mixture of various musical influences.
 
  
−
Afrobeat developed during the 1960s in southern [[Nigeria]] influenced in part by the American [[free jazz]] movement. [[Fela Kuti|Fela Anikulapo Kuti]] experimented with many different forms of music - first with High-Life jazz, and then other forms of contemporary music of the time. Prevalent in his music are native African harmonies and rhythms, taking different elements and combining, modernizing and improvizing upon them.
+
As is often the case with Afrocentric genres of music, [[politics]] play a role in the subject matter of many Afrobeat songs, which in turn serve as part musical expression and part social commentary. [[Fela Kuti]], in his songs, adopted a stance opposed to the contemporary African political climate of the 1960s, broaching topics as diverse and military corruption and national sovereignty and these topics resonated across much of the continent. This resonance spurred a blossoming number of Afrobeat performers throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and although much of this music was recorded, evidence of those performances is now scarce.
  
−
As is the case with many Afrocentric musical genres, [[politics]] play a key role in Afrobeat, with the initial efforts conceived of as part musical expression and part social criticism. [[Fela Kuti]]'s music adopted a stance opposed to the contemporary African political climate of the 1960s, broaching subjects as diverse as military corruption and national sovereignty which resonated not only in Nigeria but in other African nations, too. This cultural resonance led to a bloom of Afrobeat performers across the continent throughout the 1960s and 1970s, but although those groups were recorded, evidence of their work is scarce.
+
Afrobeat's influence extends beyond the genre itself, with jazz musicians paying particular interest to the sound. Notable musicians who have drawn inspiration from Afrobeat include [[Roy Ayers]], [[Randy Weston]], [[Branford Marsalis]] and [[Brian Eno]] and the music has experienced a resurgence as DJs continue to discover Afrobeat source recordings and incorporate them into their work in modified or original forms.
  
−
Jazz musicians have always been attracted to Afrobeat. From [[Roy Ayers]] in the seventies to [[Randy Weston]] in the nineties there have been collaborations which have resulted in albums such as ''Africa: Centre of the World'' by Roy Ayers, released on the Polydor label in 1981. In 1994 Branford Marsalis, the American jazz saxophonist, included samples of Fela's "Beast of No Nation" on his ''Buckshot leFonque'' album.
+
After his death in 1997, Fela Kuti's musical style has continued to find willing performers and audiences, aided in part by Afrobeat's prominence on the [[World Café]]. Current practitioners are as geographically dispersed as are the musical influences which led to Afrobeat's birth. Femi Kuti and the Positive Force, and Ayetoro (a musical project of Funsho Ogundipe) are entrenched in Afrobeat's Nigerian heritage. Prominent groups are also rooted in Los Angeles, Brooklyn ([[Antibalas]]), and Chicago ([[Chicago Afrobeat Ensemble]]).  
  
−
Afrobeat has profoundly influenced important contemporary producers like [[Brian Eno]], who credits Fela Kuti as an influence.
 
  
−
New generation DJs of the 2000s who have fallen in love with both Kuti's material and other rare releases have made compilations and remixes of these recordings, thus re-introducing the genre to new generations of listeners and fans of Afropop and Groove.
+
==References==
  
−
Post-Fela, the Afrobeat scene is spreading and the music has taken solid root on the World Café. There is a diverse group of bands influenced by the music operating out of different countries. A list of acts to watch would definitely include Femi Kuti (Fela's first son and a saxophonist) and the Positive Force; Ayetoro (a group led by Nigerian pianist/composer Funsho Ogundipe); Afrobeat Down, a Los Angeles based group working with Sandra Izsadore, [[Antibalas]] ([[Brooklyn]], New York based multiracial Afrobeat Orchestra formed by baritone saxophonist Martin Perna); [[Chicago Afrobeat Project]], which brings a fresh contemporary twist to the genre; [[Illinois]] based Afrobeat group the [[Alma Afrobeat Ensemble]]; Speak in Tones, originating from Tribeca's Walker Stage scene (international artists all over the world celebrating Afrobeat & indigenous rights.); and finally, [[Tony Allen (musician)|Tony Allen]], the man who held the drum chair during Fela's productive "Africa 70" phase, and whose drumming was, according to [[James Brown|James Brown's]] autobiography, the influence behind his 'Discovery' of funk.
+
* BBC World Service. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/music/musicdirectory/afrobeat.shtml BBC Afrobeat Documentary] Retrieved, June 18, 2007.
  
 +
* The AfroFunk Music Forum. [http://www.afrofunkforum.com, The AfroFunk Music Forum] Daily news, music reviews and commentary on Afrobeat and related music from Africa, The Caribbean and The Americas. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  
−
==References==
+
* The Afro-Caribbean Website. [http://http://www.mooziko.com/,62- The Afro-Caribbean Website] Afro-Caribbean videos website, watch movies, music videos and more. This website is powered by Sanaga LLC which is a video syndication service. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
−
 
 
−
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/music/musicdirectory/afrobeat.shtml BBC Afrobeat Documentary]
 
−
*[http://www.afrofunkforum.com The AfroFunk Music Forum] Daily news, music reviews and commentary on Afrobeat and related music from Africa, The Caribbean and The Americas.
 
  
−
*[http://http://www.mooziko.com/-Afro-Beat,62- The Afro caribbean Website] Afro Caribbean videos website, watch movies, music videos and more. This website is powered by Sanaga LLC which is a video syndication service.
+
* Instructor Jack Bishop, Ethnomusicology 25 Notes, UCLA. [http://www.ethnomusic.ucla.edu/courses/fall/2006/25/notes2.html, Global Pop Course Notes] Contains information about Fela Kuti's development and influence. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  
 
{{Genres of African popular music}}
 
{{Genres of African popular music}}
 
[[Category:Music]]
 
[[Category:Music]]
 
[[Category:Art, music, literature, sports and leisure]]
 
[[Category:Art, music, literature, sports and leisure]]

Revision as of 05:22, 20 June 2007

Afrobeat developed in Africa in the 1960s-1970s and blends elements of Yoruba music, jazz and funk rhythms with an instrumentation that emphasizes African percussion and vocal styles.

Afrobeat was pioneered by Fela Kuti, a Nigerian bandleader and instrumentalist whose musical ideas and political ideals formed the core of Afrobeat's aesthetic as it appeared in the 1960s. Kuti's experience with Highlife music in the Koola Lobitos Band moved Kuti to include the African pop-jazz hybrid as one of the primary influences upon the new style.

Some common elements of Afrobeat:

  • Big bands: Performing forces requiring many performers on a variety of different instruments;
  • Energy: Fast tempi combined with polyrhythmic percussion;
  • Repetition: The continual deployment of some musical cell in a repetitive pattern;
  • Improvisation: Spontaneous creation of music within a set of parameters that may place melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic restrictions;
  • Mixed genre: Seamless integration of several musical styles.

Afrobeat evolved during the 1960s in southern Nigeria and drew some of its inspiration from the free jazz movement. Fela Anikulapo Kuti took African harmonic and rhythmic concepts and surrounded them with the musical trappings of Highlife, free jazz, and other contemporary musical genres to create the sound.

As is often the case with Afrocentric genres of music, politics play a role in the subject matter of many Afrobeat songs, which in turn serve as part musical expression and part social commentary. Fela Kuti, in his songs, adopted a stance opposed to the contemporary African political climate of the 1960s, broaching topics as diverse and military corruption and national sovereignty and these topics resonated across much of the continent. This resonance spurred a blossoming number of Afrobeat performers throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and although much of this music was recorded, evidence of those performances is now scarce.

Afrobeat's influence extends beyond the genre itself, with jazz musicians paying particular interest to the sound. Notable musicians who have drawn inspiration from Afrobeat include Roy Ayers, Randy Weston, Branford Marsalis and Brian Eno and the music has experienced a resurgence as DJs continue to discover Afrobeat source recordings and incorporate them into their work in modified or original forms.

After his death in 1997, Fela Kuti's musical style has continued to find willing performers and audiences, aided in part by Afrobeat's prominence on the World Café. Current practitioners are as geographically dispersed as are the musical influences which led to Afrobeat's birth. Femi Kuti and the Positive Force, and Ayetoro (a musical project of Funsho Ogundipe) are entrenched in Afrobeat's Nigerian heritage. Prominent groups are also rooted in Los Angeles, Brooklyn (Antibalas), and Chicago (Chicago Afrobeat Ensemble).


References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • The AfroFunk Music Forum. The AfroFunk Music Forum Daily news, music reviews and commentary on Afrobeat and related music from Africa, The Caribbean and The Americas. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  • The Afro-Caribbean Website. The Afro-Caribbean Website Afro-Caribbean videos website, watch movies, music videos and more. This website is powered by Sanaga LLC which is a video syndication service. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  • Instructor Jack Bishop, Ethnomusicology 25 Notes, UCLA. Global Pop Course Notes Contains information about Fela Kuti's development and influence. Retrieved June 18, 2007.

Template:Genres of African popular music

Retrieved from https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Afrobeat&oldid=332818

Content is available under Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of Use for details.
Copyright Logo
Powered by MediaWiki