"Baba '70...This jam leaves me in tears. Baba is gone. Trust me If you knew him personally, you will understand the Jam. He had just emerged from false Imprisonment by the Nigerian government under Buhari and Idiagbon. We all waited in baited breath..."How will his sound change? He was now calmer, Cooler and more determined. We heard the pain from the intro guitars...The true sadness of the song...a combination of Ishan (Edo) language melody, The bass groove, and I believe the Benin Republic Counter points...Baba was a genius. Last I was with him in the dressing room at The Felt Forum in New York City, he was full of smiles. Then sadly I went to him again at his home in Ikeja, Lagos to seek his permission to use his song "Zombie" for the opening scene of my movie "American Dream." Baba granted it, but I was sad because he didn't emerge from his bedroom, he sent his beautiful secretary to talk to me, I knew something was wrong...A few months later he was gone. I will always remember him from the mid 1960's as a close friend of my Uncle Stanley when he visited the house in his beautiful Opel Cadett. He had just returned to Nigeria from the UK. Always immaculately dressed in starched slim shirt and thin pants. Clean cut and handsome. I remember Baba, he introduced Nigeria to Afrocentrism. Not to worry folks, some of us are living his dream Check out my latest film "Doctor Bello" and you will see his influence. Sun re o Baba, we love you forever." Tony Abulu
For more on Fela Kuti click on this podcast: https://mtbecker.podbean.com/e/be-the-change-you-want-to-see-in-the-world/
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