The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/28770
Vinyl Vault Various Artists ‘African Scream Contest’ Analog Africa, 2008 Funk is widely thought of as distinctly American music. While Stax Records, James Brown and Parliament stand out as the most visible landmarks of the genre, they’re just the tip of the iceberg. So much American funk from the ’60s and ’70s has been released, re-released or is waiting to be rediscovered that it is easy to forget that there is more. Much more. Inspired by these American stars, a vibrant funk scene grew in Africa in the early 1970s, combin- ing traditional complex rhythms and a dis- tinctly new approach to the genre to create something entirely new. Thanks to Samy Ben Redjeb’s Analog Africa label, these records have been saved from obscurity, and their artists now can get the recognition they deserve. “Analog Africa’s African Scream Contest” is the label’s third release, and marks a change in direction of material. While the first two releases focused solely on a single group, this release is a compilation of artists from Benin and Togo from the 1970s. Red- jeb, a gifted archivist, began making trips to Benin and Togo in 2005 from Frankfurt, Germany, scouring warehouses and seeking out old musicians to create a composite image of the music scene as it had been three decades earlier. With this cache of music came an invaluable accumulation of photographs and oral histories from the artists themselves, which are condensed and included in a beautiful gatefold sleeve and liner notes. Aesthetics are an important part of each Analog Africa release, and there is a continuity in design in each record. There is little not to like here. Beginning with Lokonon Andre & Les Volcans’ “Mi Kple Dogbekepo,” the record blasts off and doesn’t quit. It is an album to become immersed in, to both study and move to as often as possible. The horns and guitar work are undeniably American-influenced, but the percussion sounds at times otherworldly. Much of the the music feels familiar, but the driving rhythms and diverse languages make it seem simultaneously new and exciting. The common thread between these artists is James Brown, whose influence permeates every track. This is by no means a creative or stylistic flaw. Instead, these similarities show the importance of Brown in Africa. During the legendary Ali/Forman “Zaire ’74” boxing match, a number of iconic funk, soul and R&B artists were flown out to Africa to play a music festival in the days leading up to the fight. James Brown was the headliner, and he was treated like a returning hero. In the documentary of the festival, “Jeff Ley-Hinte’s Soul Power,” there is memorable footage of afro-funk bands setting up and playing in front of Brown’s hotel, hoping for some kind of recogni- tion from the Godfather of Soul. While all Analog Africa releases masterfully archive funk music from different African countries, “African Scream Contest” is set apart by its complete accessibility and serves as a great introduction to African funk. _ James Derek Sapienza James Derek Sapi- enza is a 25-year-old musician and artist. His record collection contains more than 1,000 LPs and singles, which he has been col- lecting since he was 8 years old. With this cache of music came an invaluable accumulation of photographs and oral histo- ries from the artists themselves, which are condensed and included in a beautiful gatefold sleeve and liner notes. April 7, 2011 O-Town Scene 19 Featured Musician Norah Jones PARTIAL PLAYLIST 1. Sinking Soon 2. Turn Me On 3. I Think It’s Going to Rain Today 4. Come Away with Me 5. Sunrise Each week, SUNY Oneonta-based NPR af- filiate WUOW features a worthy musician — this week, it’s Norah Jones — in its Friday Night Featured Artist radio pro- gram from 8 to 9 p.m. at 104.7 FM in Oneonta and online at wuow.org. At just 32, Norah Jones has had an extraordinary musical career. Her 2002 debut album “Come Away With Me” sold more than 20 million copies. She has four albums, all incorporating jazz, blues, pop, folk, country, roots rock and alternative rock.