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Message: <blockquote data-quote="tengu01" data-source="post: 603629" data-attributes="member: 137">I've been listening to Fela on and off for a number of years now. On his saxophone playing, I have a few observations: Yes, there are people who have "better" intonation. Yes, he could tongue his attacks betterNo he wasn't the best saxophone player ever to have graced the tenor.However:1. He is the "father" of afrobeat and has been an inspiration to many, many musicians.2. He voiced the feelings of a nation at a corrupt and often brutal military dictatorship. Putting his music into context, he sang and played what he passionately believed in, despite considerable "discouragement" from the Nigerian government at the time" - Repeatedly assaulted, jailed, his mother killed etc. because they didn't "approve" of the political overtones.3. You try playing along with his solo in "Zombie" - not as easy as you might think4. His playing has energy and power. Coming from a completely different school of thought to the American/European Jazzmen (even though he was enrolled at Trinity College of Music for 4 years)Check out this Guardian article on the man. http://music.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1927705,00.html which includes his encounters with Paul McCartney, Bootsy Collins, 5. The Man Himself:Fela Kuti and Africa 70: Zombie (this got him into a LOT of trouble)Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon of the Future (including the tracks "Suffering and Smiling"Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon of the Future 2 (Standout track - Gentleman)6. Continuing Afrobeat After Fela - His Son: Femi carried on the family torch and has graced London stages a number of times recently. If you get a chance go see him. The show is electric. I went to see him at the Barbican and by the 3rd song, the audience was up and dancing in the aisles (yes, in the Barbican)Femi Kuti: Shoki Shoki Tributes:Red Hot and Riot: The Music and Spirit of Fela Kuti - Modern remakes and interpretations of his music by musicians includingMe'Shell Ndegeocello, D'Angelo, Macy Gray, Roy Hargrove, Kelis, Baba Maal, Archie Shepp, Les Nubians and Tony Allen.This album is a good way to get into Fela because it isn't sung in Pidgeon English (a mix of Yoruba and English) that can make his singing a little hard to understand if you've never lived in Nigeria or with Nigerians. It is very very funky.Masters At Work: MAW Expensive (A Tribute To Fela) which is a reworking of Fela's track "Expensive S*it". This has some serious tenor sax on it which perfectly encapsulates the power with (I would argue" better technique. GREAT TRACK if you can find it.Recommended Modern Afrobeat:Daktaris - Soul ExplosionAntibalas - Liberation Afro-Beat vol. 1; Who is this America?The Budos Band - The Budos Band; The Budos Band IITony Allen - Jealousy/Progress</blockquote>