On January 22nd, the cast of FELA! and Los Angeles band Afrobeat Down got together to celebrate a successful run at The Ahmanson Theatre. Sandra Izsadore hosted the party — she describes the party as ”… a night to remember. Real Kalakuta style.” She also describes other highlights: “We had a Big Yellow Bus that picked us up from the hotel. It transported us about ten miles to the party. The Bus and its driver has made appearances on Oprah Winfrey show, People Magazine, The Steve Harvey Morning Show, as well as many other publications. The Bus driver, Tonya, is doing great work through her GYO organization for youth in our community. Jamaican Food was served… It was a good closing for Los Angeles. ” … Continue reading →
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ahmanson theatre,
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video |
It’s Bob Marley’s Birthday — and therefore, the perfect time to share this article by noted music writer, Vivien Goldman. HBD, Bob! ———————————————————– BOB MARLEY & FELA KUTI Musical giants in a time of revolution An exclusive extract from the upcoming book AFROBEAT ART (Part 1); The Revolutionary Vision of Fela Kuti and “His Artist” Ghariokwu Lemi by Ghariokwu & Goldman Rebel music owned 1977 when musical giants walked among us. As Fela’s ferocious Afrobeat on his all-conquering track, Zombie, rose to challenge the tender lilt of Ghanaian highlife, then Nigeria’s most loved sound, it was part of a popular musical revolutionary front. In London and New York, Punk’s Sex Pistols, Clash and Ramones were yowling into being. In Afrikan Amerika, the funk … Continue reading →
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bob marley,
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vivien goldman |
The FELA! cast and producers, in association with Knitting Factory Records is currently running a promotion with the amazing children’s charity run by Ziggy Marley, U.R.G.E. (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment). U.R.G.E. If you enter the coupon, “africaunite” with your purchase from the Fela Kuti webstore, 20% of the cost of your items will be donated to U.R.G.E. from now until February 9th. Shop for a good cause –it’s a win for everyone. Speaking of Ziggy Marley, check out this video of his appearance with the cast of FELA! at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles last month (many thanks to the lovely ADERO GREEN for this footage). Do share!
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fela kuti,
la,
los angeles,
musical,
reggae,
sahr ngaujah,
U.R.G.E.,
ziggy marley |
Hey everyone. As you may have heard, we’re landing in Detroit for a run starting February 14th. The fine folks at FELA! DETROIT are putting out all sorts of events, so many that we’re going to outline them all out here for your perusal. Photos are from the Wright Museum exhibit (#2 on this list), courtesy of Jerald McBride. 1. High School Assembly Program February 6th – 10th A team of comprised MC, Dancers/ B-Boys, Drummers, Stilt Walkers and DJ. Traveling to 6 area high schools: University Liggett High School – February 6 11:45am Henry Ford High School – February 7 11:30am Detroit Country Day – TBD Pioneer High School – February 9th 9:30am Aisha Shule – February 10th 10am Highland Park – … Continue reading →
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michigan,
musical,
project snap,
wright center |
A couple happenings in the world of FELA! we wanted to alert you to — Ziggy Marley showed us some serious love recently. We’re giddy. Won’t you follow him on Twitter? Psst. Don’t forget to follow us too if you haven’t already. And look who visited us at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles recently: Taye Diggs and actress Idina Menzel! The star of Broadway’s RENT and How Stella Got Her Groove Back stopped by for a photo with cast member Adechike Torbert. You may recognize him from Private Practice. Check out more sightings on the rest of our blog — You may see a certain Stevie…
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rent,
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ziggy marley |
Ladies and gents — we present to you something special courtesy of BBC Radio 4′s James Hale. Here’s “Fela Comes Home” a documentary that aired May 31, 2011. BBC Radio 4: Fela Comes Home by felamusical
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BBC,
BBC Radio 4,
documentary,
fela,
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James Hale,
nigeria,
the shrine |
Fela spoke out against widespread government corruption and police brutality in 1970s Nigeria. In the immediate present, Fela’s message of resistance can be heard ringing through the OccupyNigeria movement: protestors in Lagos have resurrected their national political hero by playing tracks like “Zombie” and “Gentleman” at demonstrations, while decrying President Jonathan Goodyear’s recent removal of the national fuel subsidy — the only tangible benefit Nigerians (who often live on less than $2 a day) receive from the government. The removal of the subsidy took effect from Sunday, 1 January 2012 as announced by the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA Reginald Stanley. In response, demonstrations have cropped up not only in Nigeria, but also abroad in London, New York, and Washington … Continue reading →
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chinua achebe,
fela kuti,
fuel subsidy,
goodyear jonathan,
nigeria,
occupy nigeria,
omoyele sowore,
sahara reporters,
seun kuti,
the stream,
zombie |
What do Nas, Stevie Wonder, Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Ziggy Marley, and Smokey Robinson have in common? They all led standing ovations at FELA! at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. You can do the same next week when the FELA! cast has its very special free in-store performance and signing at Amoeba Records in Hollywood on Wednesday, January 18th at 5pm. Then, take an hour or five to browse the West Coast’s premier record store — only a joint this behemoth could contain our cast! Purchase tickets for the remaining FELA! dates here. The Original Broadway Cast Recording is available here through Knitting Factory Records. While you’re at it, you can RSVP for the event on our Facebook page.
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ahmanson theatre,
amoeba records,
fela,
fela kuti,
hollywood,
los angeles |
FELA OBITUARY Fela was sweet; perhaps not an adjective that would normally be used to describe this tornado of a man, but Fela was sweet to me. The sweetness that I perceived in him emanated from his love for humanity; particularly for those who had drawn life’s short straw. Hundreds of people depended upon Fela for living. Many more than he needed to run his Lagos club, The Shrine, or to play in his band. I saw him as a social engineer, concerned with issues of injustice, corruption, the abuses of power. He was ready to lay his life on the line in defense of such causes, which he did on countless occasions. For his trouble he was beaten with rifle butts, endlessly harassed, imprisoned, … Continue reading →
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fela kuti,
kalakuta,
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obituary,
rikki stein,
the shrine |
Check out this fantastic, crystal-clear footage of The Fela Band — a band comprised of members of the cast and musicians of FELA! the musical (including a certain Mr. Ngaujah). Kudos to OneAntRed Productions for creating this video and sharing it with us. In related news, The Fela Band will be performing at the legendary Troubadour in Los Angeles this Friday the 13th (spooky?) If you want to RSVP, you can do so on Facebook. Invite your friends + be there or be bored!
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fela kuti,
la,
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sahr ngaujah,
san francisco,
the fela band,
the troubadour,
troubadour |
