There are many musicians and composers who were able to transcend the times that they performed in, to restructure musical styles and create new forms which broke boundaries and created new genres. Louis Armstrong did it in the jazz idiom, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Elvis Presley did it in the Rock n’ Roll era, while James Brown and Ray Charles broke down doors in the soul genre. When it comes to African music and specifically the Afrobeat style, there is one name – Fela.
Fela Anikulapo Kuti was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and composer and pioneer of the musical style of what came to be known as Afrobeat. Fela, who was also a human rights activist and political maverick in his home country, combined traditions from Yoruba music, jazz, funk and call-and-response-chanted vocals, along with strong percussive elements to form and revolutionize this musical genre.
Fela, who died in 1997, eventually became an international phenomenon – one whose musical styles spread to these shores to influence a diverse crop of artists such as the New York-based Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Paul Simon and even alternative rock band Vampire Weekend.
Fela recorded an album in Los Angeles in 1969 before leaving the country due to a lack of work permits for his group, but is now back in Los Angeles, in the form of a Broadway musical, simply entitled, “Fela!” The production’s book is written by Tony Award-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones and Jim Lewis, based on music and lyrics by the late Nigerian singer. It’s based on events in the life of Kuti, whose music was so unpopular with the Nigerian ruling government that in 1977, they stormed his commune, destroying most of his possessions, severely beating him and throwing his elderly mother out of a window to her death.
“Fela!” is currently playing at the Ahmanson Theater in downtown Los Angeles through Jan. 22. The musical ran off-Broadway for one month in 2008 and premiered on Broadway in November of 2009. The Broadway production received 11 Tony Award nominations in 2010 and won awards for best choreography, costume design of a musical and sound design of a musical. Fans of world music and a compelling life story will likely want to check out this production. More info on the musical can be found at
Admirers of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s work will be happy to learn that the Tony Award-winning musical “Cats” will be back in Southern California, beginning on Jan. 17 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center at Segerstrom Hall. The musical is the second longest-running show in Broadway history and is based on “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by T.S. Eliot. The show first opened in the West End of London in 1981 and then on Broadway the following year.
The show is told through music with virtually no spoken dialogue between the songs. This popular production runs for just eight performances through Jan. 22 and more information can be found at scfta.org/.
Segerstrom Hall was also the sight of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” production that played over the holidays and ended its run on New Year’s Day. Having seen the production firsthand, the show is a feel-good musical based on the 1954 Paramount Pictures classic starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye as post-World War II song and dance men who help out their former Army general, who is having a hard time holding onto his fledgling ski lodge in Vermont.
While there were many strong performances in the musical, (which features songs from Berlin’s stellar catalog), one who stood out was actress/singer Stefanie Morse, who portrayed Betty Haynes. Morse, who spent time in Southern California while earning her degree in Theater from UCLA, tore the house down with a stirring version of Berlin’s, “Love, You Didn’t Do Right By Me” in the second act. Morse has been on previous tours with “White Christmas” and has also performed in productions of “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Tommy” and “42nd Street.”
UCLA Live on the Westwood Campus continues its eclectic music booking policy with singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams performing at Royce Hall on Jan. 27. This multiple Grammy winner’s latest album, “Blessed,” was released in March of last year and was produced by her manager/husband Tom Overby and super-producer Don Was.
The next night, UCLA Live presents two shows from the quirky and clever alternative rock band, They Might Be Giants. For their 3 p.m. show, the New York–based group will present a special performance geared towards their material for kids, for which they’ve won a Grammy. For their evening performance, the band will celebrate a 30-year anniversary of performing together and will play material from their latest release “Join Us.” Additional information on these shows can be found at uclalive.org/.
