Celebrating African Music

This month has been a great month for African music, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden hosted Afro beat giant Tony Allen and his Naija Centric Orchestra on friday 31st of august, saturday 1st and sunday 2nd of september, 2012. Great beats and dance galore as the venue kicked up dust, the audience couldn't help but vibe and shake to the great tunes. The aisle and the space between the audience and the stage area had beautiful people, mostly females dancing and having a good time.

Guest performer, Damon Albairn was superb, performing "every Season", a track he collaborated and wrote with the one and only Tony Allen and also a new song which has recently been recorded by these two musicians who are among the nicest people in an industry racked with egomania and selfishness. Easily rated as the best drummer on the planet today, the doctor of drums as he is fondly called by his fans was in his element and the beats just kept on coming. Yinka shonibare of Deloitte Ignite 12 promoted a fine show and I take my hat off to them.

Monday the 3rd of september saw many African music stars board the Afrika express, taking their magic to several British cities and towns accompanied by Damon Albairn and Tony Allen would eventually join them after the conclusion of the play called "The Kalakutans", a project produced by artiste and percussionist Lekan Babalola on the 7th september, Tony Allen's band provided the music for the play at the Rich Mix in Bethnal Green.

Kalakutans is a play about the residents of Kalakuta Republic, the home of the Afro beat creator, the late Fela Kuti whose life has just been memorialised in the award winning play Fela.

Joyful Noise, promoters of African music, are hosting the annual London african Music Festival which is now in it's tenth year. This festival is currently in progress across several venues like Jazz Cafe, Vortex and other venues across London.

The lovers, practitioners and lovers of African music are being treated to the best musicians from the continent and these influences will definitely find their way into the current productions of up and coming progressive artistes right across the British Isles.

Look out for my updates and news of the happenings at the London African Music Festival after it concludes and what to expect in future from the African music stars that were featured.

Until then, stay cool and stay blessed!


'Bodederek

Visit MusicArtinDesign.co.uk

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