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Beat Crazy (Preview)
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Folio Weekly, Beat Crazy (Preview) >>
Beat Crazy
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, which plays San Marco's Jack Rabbits on Wednesday, April 30, was founded in NYC in 1998, banking on afrobeat's popularity in the 21st century. What they are, sez music mag The Wire, is "an armored expression of polyglot New York, a beaslty space where giant silver bullets tunnel millions of bodies daily through a viral network of cultures and skyscrapers ... hard, fast music for with little time to wonder." These are not some fauz-Fela Kuti cultists, no slavish imitators. Fela Kuti (1938-1997) is a name worth remembering. The years since his death ave seen a proliferation of his vision for music-- dubbed "afrobeat" as a vehicle fo social change. Kuti engineered the musical form in Lagos, Nigeria (in part) in response to the military dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko. For his efforts, Kuti was repeatedly beaten and jailed. His experiences fueled his music. Now, his music is eing kept alive by groups like Anitbalas. The group (including Ernesto Abreu, Duke Amayo, Philip Ballman, Martin Perna, Ticklah, and Fernando Velez) numbers between 14 and 20, depending on the performance situation. The ensemble released its albums "Live 1999" and "Liberation Afrobeat Vol. 1" independently (Afrosound). Antibalas' politics may be considered liberal by some as the group has worked gigs on behalf of the Green Party, Rainforest Relief and N.Y. Zapatistas, which fits the mold of afrobeat perfectly. Count on an extra-large Antibalas army to cram onto Jack Rabbit's humble stage.
04/22/03
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