Don't worry, there's really no connection between the two. I love "American Idol" because it forces me off the couch and into the room farthest away, which is a combination computer room and laundry. Next stop, back door. And here I get to write about people like...Fela Kuti! Fela is the father of Afro-beat, a combination of Nigerian big-band, James Brown funk and African tribal chant, or at least that's how it's often described. I hear less James Brown (maybe in the guitar scratching) and more Vivaldi. No, not that way -- Vivaldi's been said to have composed the same concerto hundreds of times, and that's where the comparison comes in. Fela's music follows the same pattern: rhythm starts out, band drops in, groove established, horn section piles on, Feli chants/shouts/lectures us for 5 or 6 minutes, chorus chimes in, repeat until finale. This can last anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes, and I treasure every second. "The Best Best of Fela Kuti" is a good sampler; since the New York musical about his life debuted last year, there's been a reissue campaign afoot to get his original albums back in the racks, so we have an abundance of Fela to choose from.
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