Folk, World Fela Kuti - Glastonbury 1984

[altissimo]

part 1 - http://youtu.be/ikbaNsT5QHg - interview and beginning of "Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense"

part 2 - http://youtu.be/RK4zBRkog8o - tenor, alto and soprano solos

part 3 - http://youtu.be/9AaPvV15YNM

it's hard to imagine a band like this headlining the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury...
mind you the rest of the line-up was pretty good - Black Uhuru, Fairport Convention, John Martyn, Ian Dury, Weather Report etc - and it didn't even rain - all for £13..

as far as I recall, Fela came onstage like an african James Brown - "and now, all the way from Nigeria, the Black President himself - Fela Anikulapo Kuti" - huge fanfare from the band, Fela walks on wearing a gold cape that's ceremoniously removed by his assistant and then he snaps his fingers - silence - another click of his fingers and the band kicked into a heavy afro funk groove, pretty much non stop for an hour..
there must've been about 10 of them in the horn section, 2 guitarists, bassist, drummer and several percussionists along with backing vocalists and various dancers/wives

one of the finest bands I've ever seen - even allowing for Fela's rather sloppy/stoned keyboard playing...

hope you enjoy this as much as I did way back in 1984..

 

[Jules]

Top stuff! The mighty Fela- bonkers, stoned genius that he was (his son's bands, though great, really lack the swagger and 'attitude' of their dad. Awesome line that year! Hm- backstage party of fela kuti, john martyn and ian dury..... scary!

 

[Andrew Sanders]

Yep his backing singers had the best line ever to sing " Not the same category oh" for about twenty minutes.
Bonkers but infectious.