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| The Curious Beauty of Unity [ discuss this review ] |
| band: Baoku Moses |
| Album: Akodoro Oro (The Realistic Reality) |
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Boaku Moses
"Okodoro Oro" (The Realistic Reality)
The Curious Beauty of Unity
"Everything is the same everywhere, the pain, the gain, suffering, smiling, situations, conditions, sadness, happiness, feeling, and dying. All absolutely the same, all over the world. One people, one world. Kowa dey na sa, every one of us with our own."
~ Baoku Moses
"The curious beauty of African music is that it uplifts even as it tells a sad tale. You may be poor, you may have only a ramshackle house, you may have lost your job, but that song gives you hope."~ Nelson Mandela
OKODORO ORO ("The Realistic Reality")
Okodoro Oro is a celebration of humanity with biting and specific insight in the musical form of Afro-Beat. Baoku's songs are homilies to the human spirit full of wisdom and joy in light of unity as the true condition of mankind. Baoku Moses is a native Yoruba from Nigeria where he was a professional actor until the death of Fela Kuti in 1997. Baoku turned his attention to music as a drummer, singer, composer and band leader soon after the loss of that fellow Yoruba man dubbed the "Black President," Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Baoku brought the combination of rhythm from Nigeria and Senegal, American jazz, and the social consciousness of Afro-Beat to Cincinnati, Ohio where he has built a large ensemble of musicians. My first experience of this music was with a concert at Taza with "The Image Afro-Beat Band," and that was a night to remember. That large band has not yet recorded a disc of their own, but the songs on Okodoro Oro has that same consistent and infectious spirit I felt at each of several concerts. This album was recorded in 2004 with a band of extraordinary drummers and backing singers, and the considerable addition of jazz saxophonist Randy Villars, and Gary Winters doubling on trumpet and trombone. Two members of the premiere progressive rock band The Bears or Psychodots fill out the group with Rob Fetters playing bass, guitar, and keyboards as well as producing, and Chris Anduser playing the drumkit.
This music has that rare combination that inspires dancing at concerts with lyrics that carry a pscyho-social, political message like Public Enemy, Phil Ochs, Rage Against The Machine or The Wu Tang Clan. Afro-Beat began with message songs in long form (often 30 minutes in length), making the songs on this album concise by comparison. These compositions are arranged beautifully to support the story of the songs. Baoku and Fetters weave the horns, guitar, bass and backing singers from channel to channel in my headsets like an insightful response to a sermon in the lyrics. The bass lines provide a movable floor to dance on. The drums and percussion on this album are as complex and dazzling as any I've heard. There's a kind of ecstatic trance state in that percussion that reminds me of Steve Reich's "Music For Eighteen Musicians" more than anything I've heard in pop. Those drums justify the phrase "fascinating rhythm." The beauty and complexity of the arrangements on this disc keep the songs alive, and I find new things time and time again. This album is a personal statement and as compelling as anything I have heard in Afro-Beat from Fela Kuti or his son Fema. There is an immediacy to this music that makes it current and powerful from the stereo or in live performance.
The title of this album is curious, isn't it: Okodoro Oro, The Realistic Reality? Reality trumps a point of view hands down. Afro-Beat has the force of an ocean of consciousness to deliver peace and freedom, truth and justice flowing from the wellspring of it's watch word unity! I watch the news on TV, and there is something presented there to isolate and scare me day in, day out. This album tells the story of a different truth: We are all together one unified people. "Yeah," you may say, "but that message comes from a different culture." Sure, that's true, but what culture does this music come from? Nigeria? There are currently 210 languages estimated and catalogued among the 5 million people in Nigeria and each represents a separate culture of a distinct people! One might expect a Yuroba native from Nigeria to celebrate the distinct Yoruba experience, but that would be myopic and ultimately unrealistic. The Realistic Reality is Unity. This point is made in every song, and any meaningful experience of this music is invariably inclusive. Through the joy and dancing, there is a longing for justice, peace, and true freedom. When Baoku asks for unity he is asking for the realization of a undeniable truth. Unity, and the compassion of empathy that follows from that identification, is the realization of reality. Drumming and dancing, singing and laughter are all part of the celebration of a practical, honest, and just acceptance of reality. We are all in this together. We are one people. What hurts my brother, hurts me. Whatever geopolitical stances we may take in this world must be informed by that identification and understanding.
This album is a finely crafted celebration of a common purpose among all people in an artificially divided world. As my heart goes out to Nigeria, Somalia and Africa as a whole, I am equally moved by the songs on this album by suffering in Cincinnati. I believe Baoku has extended the message and meaning of the music of Fela Kuti to include me, my neighbors, and my family. The Image Afro-Beat is an institution in Cincinnati. Baoku Moses has made this form of music a vital part of the musical heritage of this city. Okodoro Oro is a danceable, vital and powerful example of what pop music can do when it comes from a spiritual place of boundless generosity. "Okodoro Oro" is a window into a new way of thinking, a great introduction to a genre of music largely unavailable to American listeners, and it is a rich musical experience as compelling and accessible the best of current pop.
“I refuse to live my life in fear.”
~ Fela Kuti – 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997
FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI AND THE CREATION OF AFRO-BEAT
The "Black President" suffered humiliation, beatings, imprisonment and torture until his death in 1997. A million people marched through the streets of Lagos to pay him homage one last time. Fela leaves behind him a combat, an ideology, sixty albums, the memory of the "Kalakuta Republic," and the mythical "Shrine," the real historical temple of Afro-beat. In October 2000, Femi Kuti created the New Africa Shrine. Like his father, Femi has dedicated his music to spreading the message with his group, The Positive Force, and to mobilizing Africans and the African Diaspora towards the idea of a united Africa.
Though Fela constructed a permanent Shrine in his lifetime, he always called Africa Shrine subsequent venues where he performed with his group Africa 70 and later Egypt 80. "The Shrine should not be seen as a nightclub, it should be regarded as a place of worship - more sacred than the churches and mosques that abound throughout African cities." ~ Fela Anikulapo Kuti
~ From the the scroll before the title sequence of the film Femi Kuti: Live at the Shrine (a film about Fela Kuti's son and his music) Netflix
Afro beat, a musical combination of western music with African instruments and languages is a musical expression of peace, love, unity, truth and justice. Afro-beat is known to a lot of people as Afro-pop, but this great style of music can also be an Afro-jazz, Afro-blues, Afro-reggae, Afro-rock and Afro-everykind of music simply called Afro-beat. Baoku Moses, a Yoruba native from Nigeria, West Africa, living in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., is a professional cultural performer of African arts, Afro-beat musician and the founder of (The Image Afro-beat Band) . Baoku started his Afro beat career in 1997, shortly after the passing of Afro beat legend Fela Kuti, the father of Afro beat. Baoku uses Afro beat to preach, teach, entertain and educate about the issues facing all of humanity. Baoku, a professional African drummer, integrates African drums such as the Nigerian bata and talking drums, djembe and Senegalese bottom drums and much more into his music, which distinguishes his style of Afro beat from others. One of Baoku's goals is to create a great Afro beat band, that will take Afro beat music to a greater height in the music industry. With "The Image Afro-Beat Band" and their powerful music , Baoku hope to bridge the gap between cultures, the gap between "the haves and have-nots", create appreciation for cultural diversity, appreciation for life and nature and to contribute to building a peaceful world.
~ From the Baoku Moses website
THE IMAGE AFRO-BEAT BAND IN CINCINNATI
The presence of The Image Afro-Beat Band in Cincinnati can be felt in many surprising ways in this city. There is a spirit to it, a unity, and a consciousness that goes beyond the beat and construct of the music. Baoku Moses has built the band to include musicians of all descriptions into the fold of a philosophy built on Fela Kuti's Nigerian creation in afro-beat. This group varies it's members from celebration to celebration as schedules permit as a consequence of its considerable size, but that malleable structure has made the group a training ground for some inestimable percentage of musicians in this town. Afro-Beat is an under-recognized genre worthy of a broad category, but it has been a part of American music in various ways as a hidden influence. My own experience of this band has changed my understanding of musical performance. No Baoku concert is less than a celebration, including the audience in song, dance and thanking them in the end for the participation in the event. I bristle at the thought of those concerts which present their music as something to be admired after an evening with this band. Baoku is the tall and lithe, charismatic evangelist of unity through music in this town, which I take to be the gospel of this form of popular song. Okodoro Oro ("The Realistic Reality") is a long and loving look at the joy of life endemic to music of Nigerian origin, but the joyous wave of Baoku's conception of Afro-Beat as "a musical expression of peace, love, unity, truth and justice" creates in its wake a inclusive community right here in Hamilton County. When he sings of the struggle against poverty in Nigeria, it is impossible to ignore the analog struggle of my neighbors in Northside. After a few of these concerts, I find myself considering my concept of here has come to include the world. I've seen the videos of crowds dancing in Nigeria to the music of Fela Kuti, and that same spirit lives right here in Cincinnati. I've been there without traveling to Nigeria, and I'm part of that community. I danced a little at the last Unity concert. I danced! I was raised and Pentecostal, fundamentalist and I live in the Midwest, but I danced and sang along (when asked to do so) same as my Nigerian brothers and sisters do in towns far away. I get out the house to spend an evening with The Beat because this Unity has included me. We are never alone when that music is playing, and that is what makes a community out of a crowd.
THE BAND
Lead vocals: Baoku Moses Myspace Facebook
Back up singers: Mariam, Agnes, Epipade (for Freedom, Kowa de Ne Sa, Alikiti, and Oro Sununkun), Mahunyon, Florence, Tessy (for Free Nigeria and Sowa daa bi)
Drum set: Chris Arduser Pscyhodots The Bears
Keyboard: Rob Fetters Website Pscyhodots The Bears
Saxophone: Randy Villars
Trumpet: Gary Winters Myspace 1 Myspace 2 Facebook
Guitar: Rob Fetters Website Pscyhodots The Bears
Trombone: Gary Winters Myspace 1 Myspace 2 Facebook
Bass Guitar: Rob Fetters Website Pscyhodots The Bears
Talking drum/Bata/Omele Bata/Congas: James Asokere Facebook Myspace
Other drums/percussions: Baoku Moses, Andy and Nowi Swift, Kendra Lary
Etim Achibong (Produced Free Nigeria in Nigeria 1998)
Nelson Brown (Re-Produced Free Nigeria/Sowa daa bi in Nigeria 2001)
Foster (Engineered Free Nigeria & Sowa daa bi, Nigeria 2001)
THE SONGS
1. FREEDOMExcerpt from Freedom
Pijin (Verse 1)
Wheni Goodu kiriati thisi world a… We all dey free
Wheni Goodu kiriati thisi world a…
Reemember garden of eden
Wheni Goodu kirati thiisi worldu o
We all dey free… amo wheeni we beegining
dey wisi o wheeni we beegining dey sinin o
ani wheeni we beegining dey do any how
freedomu run away…
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English (Verse 1)
When God created this world… We all were free
When God created this world…
Remember garden of eden
When God created this world
We all were free, but when we
Begin to be over wise, when we
Begin to sin, I mean when we begin to do
Anyhow, freedom run away… |
2. SAWA DAA BI
Excerpt from Sawa Daa Bi
Pigin/Yoruba (Verse 1)
Nigeria o no prayer make we just dey pray
make everythining come back to normal (2x)
because say ee dern don scatter everything dem,
turn am up side down Dem don do am as dern like,
dern dabaru everythining o Do am as dem liki o turn
am up side down, ye o dem come put us for suffering
dem put us for disaster dem caary all the money
wey everybody suppose to dey spend for town
wetin everybody suppose dey enjoyi oooo…
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English
Nigerians, the only solution is Prayers. Let's be prayerful
for everything to come back to normal (2x) Because…
they've scattered everything. They turn it upside down,
they've done it as they like. They scatter everything.
Do it as they like, turn it upside down. They now put us
in suffering. They earn us Disaster. They carry all the
money that everybody's suppose to
be spending, what everybody's
suppose to be enjoying…
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3. ORO SUNUKUNExcerpt from Oro Sunukun
(Verse 3) Pigin/Yoruba
T'onikaluku ka yato ni
I say nobody wey no get himowna…
Only the things wey we get no be the same
Wetin you get e dey different from mine…
The things dern wey I get is quite different from
yours twins wey dern born the same day… na
different things dern get, na him dey make me dey
laugh when I dey hear some people dey taalki say
ori e o pe you think say I be your mate dern no no
say that person wey dern dey yab wey dern think
say dern big pass today fit become their oga
tomorrow na him make am no good. Make we dey
mock ourselves because…
(New Chorus) Pigin
Problem dey dey different o lucky dey be different o
Pigin (last chorus flow)
As poor man get him oownu o rich man get him ownu too
As short man get him oownu o tall man own dey for him body
Man and womani o na different things dern geet
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English
No one that doesn't have their portion
Only we have different things
I say no one that doesn't have his/hers
Only the things we have are not the same
What you have is different from mine…
the things I have are quite different from yours
twins that were born the same day. They both have
different things, that is why I always laugh whenever I
hear some people saying you are stupid. You think I'm
your peer. They don't know that, that person they are
mocking, which they feel superior to today can become
their superior tomorrow. That it's not good to be
mocking ourselves because…
Problem is always different, luck is always different
As poor man has his own, rich man have his own too
As tall man has his own, short man have his own in his body
Men and women they all have different things
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4. FREE NIGERIA
Excerpt from Free Nigeria
Ka ye puro tan ra wa je
Make we talk true to each other
The defector of the leaf live with the leaf
Kokoro to njefo wa ye ni Nija o wa lara efo wa
Awon tan nse wa
The people wey dey do us
Wey dey cause confusion wey confusion cause
distrction, distraction dey cause destruction
everyday wey no let usi know our destination
o na our Nation dem dey e, e gba wa o,
Dey hold us, dey squeeze us, dey put us for pirisona,
we need to beg dem or fight dem fight for freedom,
make dem (firi 8x) free Nigeria…
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Let us stop deceiving ourselves
Let us be truthful with each other
The defector of the leaf live with the leaf
The defector of our leaf is within our leaves
Those who are causing our problems
Those who are doing us bad…
That causing confusion, which is causing distraction,
the distraction that is causing destruction everyday,
which does not let us know our destination,
they are here in our Nation someone help us
They are holding us back, squeezing us, imprison us we
Need to beg them or fight them fight for freedom for
Them to (free 8x) free Nigeria
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5. ALAKITI
Excerpt from Alakiti
Verse
Gbogbo eyin te nbe Africa je o…
Olorun a dajo afeyin pin eran
Gdogbo eyin te nda Africa ru o…
Olorun a dajo afeyin pin eran
Pigin
If man no go fit catch una Goodu go catch una oo one day
If man no go fit handle una God go rough handle una oo one day
If man no go fit punish una Goodu go punish una o mo mo
Gdogbo eyin te nbalu wa je…
Chorus
Oju ole re o ole awon tan nbalu wa je oju ole re o
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All of you that are destroying Africa
God shall judge all cheats accordingly
All of you that are scattering Africa…
God shall judge all cheats accordingly
If man can't catch you God will catch you all one day
If man can't catch you God will rough handle you all one day
If man can't punish you God is going to punish you all I know
Those who are spoiling our land
This is eyes of thieves. Those who are destroying our
land are all thieves. Everybody come and see
This goes on and on with mentioning of Africa, our
towns, and describe how they are eating our money
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CONTACT:
African Image Arts
1255 State Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45204
email: africanimageartsorg@yahoo.com
VIDEOS
The video below promotes the first Cincinnati Unity Jam with Baoku and the Image Afro-Beat Band and many others. A second Unity Jam was held at The Blue Wisp on March 13, 2010, and another is planned for the near future.
Baoku and the Image Afrobeat Band - "Unity" - way to peace
Boaku and the Image Afrobeat Band - Amin ase (performance at Southgate House)
BAOKU & THE IMAGE AFRO-BEAT BAND
Baoku Moses Website
Biography of Baoku Moses at "World Music Central"
Baoku Moses biography at his website
Baoku Moses (Facebook)
Baoku & The Image Afro-beat Band (Facebook)
Baoku & The Image Afro-beat Band (Facebook #2)
Baoku Moses (Myspace)
Baoku & "The Image Afro-beat Band" (Myspace)
Unity Corps
Reverb Nation
WHERE TO BUY "OKDORO ORO (THE REALISTIC REALITY)":
CD Baby
iTunes
Artist Direct
CD Wow (Australia)
Rhapsody
Amazon
LINKS
Official Fela Kuti website
Fela Kuti interview at "Africa Confidential"
Article in Citybeat: "Bringing Africa Home: Drumming up appreciation of a heritage"
Flickr pictures of Northside Tavern performance
Profile in CityBeat
"Nigeria" at Wikipedia
Ad for the Broadway Play "Fela!" about Fela Kuti
About.com: World Music entry "Fela Kuti - Afrobeat Pioneer"
"History of Yoruba Bata Drumming: The origins and history of Bata throughout the diaspora" at "Knol: A unit of knowledge"
Wikipedia entry for "Yoruba people"
[Links to source material, videos, and websites are included in this review as a service to the reader who wants to know more. There is no financial arrangement with anyone, anywhere in exchange for these links.]
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