Here's my highly fallacious reasoning: Late Wednesday/early Thursday is roughly halfway between African Tuesday and Funky Friday. I missed the former entirely because I had to travel for work and didn't get back home until after midnight, and by Friday morning all the Ivylanders will be on the road, headed for a family wedding. So if I can post something right in between the two times that satisfies the criteria for both days, that's acceptable, right?
Probably not. Nonetheless, I hope you will be satisfied by the track, if not the rationalization for it. I am starting to love Nigerian music a lot, for its variety and soulfulness and humor. This is just one crackerjack track off a compilation called "Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump" that I just picked up and have been playing more or less non-stop lately. (It makes for an interesting contrast with my other recent purchase, a Kitty Wells best-of....) I would agree with you that Ashanti Afrika Jah sounds sort of like a joke name, but there's nothing even remotely risible about the sound they make.
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I buy the logic, but even if I didn't, I'd rather get a good post late than not at all. Pretty quiet these days. Seems a lot of folks are doing something in the real world. What up wid that?
Oh yeah, like the track.
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wait this isn't the real world? where am i then? ; )
i don't care what excuse you use, thanks for posting "Onyame"!
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Wow, that perks along better than my coffee! Thanks, Bill. Enjoy the wedding.
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We have an African Tuesday here? Huh, I missed something. I'm one of the guys, who is pretty occupied with the real world I guess. But that will change again at some point.
I've got another album of Nigeria70 I think. But I didn't listen to it thoroughly so far - too much Brazilian music was craving for my attention. I have to change that ..
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It's pared down enough to leave enough breathing space between the instruments for us to notice each of them and their spell-weaving threads. Halfway between the high trebly guitar and the bass is a lower guitar, further distinguishing itself by having no treble. Thanks for making me no longer deaf to highlife.
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Further to Spike's comment, is this the beginning of what King Sunny Ade perfected? He had three guitarists beside s himself, all with capos at different points on the neck and each playing one part of the overall rhythm.
Like an idiot, I was grooving along before it finally dawned that I have this. Senility is indeed creeping closer. There's a fantastic sampler you can find on bit torrent called Africa 100. It's an 8CD labour of love by a fan and covers just about everything. Worth looking for if you want more music like this.
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CX, I think the vacation effect is beginning. That is certainly the case with us (which is why I won't be around for the next African Tuesday, sadly).
Mollifire, what is this real world of which you speak?
DMK, thanks. I don't know what to expect, as these are relatives I haven't seen in literally decades. I think I saw the bride as a baby, but I'm not even sure of that. But everybody is very excited, and that's the main thing.
Hermes, you may find that the Nigerian stuff complements the Brazilian nicely....
Spike, I am happy to be this sort of enabler, even if it was unintentional. One of the things that makes African music special to me is that they use as many people as they damn well please, but never superfluously. If there are eight guys in a percussion section, each one of them is doing something essential. Same with the guitars, as you observe.
Jonh, I think this sound is a big part of where King Sunny ultimately got, though there are other subgenres on this record that also seem to have contributed to his concoction. And "perfected" is not too strong a word to describe what he had going in the Eighties. He remains the single best concert act I've ever seen....
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West Virginia, nuff said.