Fela Kuti News

Tel Aviv trumpeter Sefi Zisling has shared the video for “Ongoing Morning”, taken from Expanse, his highly acclaimed sophomore album, which was also released via Tru Thoughts last month - watch + share via YouTube. Here directors Dorel & Agata, who filmed and directed the whole recording process, capture and share the special vibe that was the essence in the making of the record – an intimacy and togetherness that made the music flow and flourish.

Black Public Media's acclaimed documentary series AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange is back in 2020 for its 12th season! Dedicated to telling real-life stories of culture, art and life from across the African Diaspora, AfroPoAfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange returns in January for its 12th season, exploring stories of modern life in the African Diaspora with a slate of documentaries journeying through Brazil, Nigeria, Turkey, South Africa, the U.S., Liberia and beyond. Premiering on WORLD Channel at 8 p.m. ET/ 10 p.m. PT on Monday, January 20, 2020, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the season opens with Joel Zito Araújo's My Friend Fela, an exploration of music, liberation and the enduring ties of the Pan-African family. New episodes of AfroPoP — which remains the nation's only public television documentary series dedicated to life, art and culture from across the African Diaspora — will debut every Monday through February 17. Executive produced by Black Public Media (BPM), the series is co-presented by distributor American Public Television (APT), which will release it to public television stations nationwide on February 6, 2020. P premieres on Monday, January 20 — Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — on WORLD Channel at 8 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT.

Tel Aviv trumpeter Sefi Zisling releases his sophomore album, Expanse today via Tru Thoughts. Building on his debut LP Beyond The Things I Know, released on Raw Tapes – Tel Aviv's leading collective, and championed by the likes of Gilles Peterson (BBC 6Music), Stamp The Wax, Toshio Matsuura (Worldwide FM), NTS, FIP, Radio Nova, Twistedsoul – Expanse is fronted by lead-single “Happy Solar Return ft. Kutiman”, a nine-minute afro-beat voyage and “Flip Mode” a free-funk Sun Ra homage. The project so far has garnered support from Bandcamp Weekly, Cerys Matthews (BBC 6Music), Jazziz, Worldwide FM, Music is My Sanctuary, KCRW, KEXP, Ruth Fisher, Tim Garcia (Jazz FM), Twistedsoul, alongside playlist support from 'Spotify's State of Jazz'.

With a globetrotting 20-year career renowned for being a voice for the people across four decades of political and societal upheaval from the late '90s to today, Antibalas celebrates its 20th Anniversary with a stark return to their Williamsburg roots on its latest Daptone Records studio album, Fu Chronicles (Release Date: February 7, 2020). Pre-gentrified Williamsburg serves as the backdrop for Fu Chronicles -- voyaging back to the early days of when Antibalas and revered soul label Daptone Records spawned out of lead singer Duke Amayo's kung fu dojo. A senior master of the Jow Ga Kung Fu School of martial arts, Duke Amayo along with Antibalas founder/baritone saxophonist Martín Perna guide listeners through an epic journey of where kung fu ingeniously intersects with Afrobeat on Fu Chronicles.

The City of Quincy has been recognized as the first official U.S. City to partner and to participate in the international arts and cultural movement Fair Saturday, on Saturday November 30, 2019. Originating in Bilbao, Spain in 2014. Fair Saturday aims to create a positive social impact each year on the last Saturday of November, the day following Black Friday.

The City of Quincy has been recognized as the first official U.S. City to partner and to participate in the international arts and cultural movement Fair Saturday, on Saturday November 30, 2019. Originating in Bilbao, Spain in 2014. Fair Saturday aims to create a positive social impact each year on the last Saturday of November, the day following Black Friday.

Jersey City may be known for its many murals, but rarely do we find out about the artists who create them. That's about to change when Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) showcases the young talent behind the city's newest public art display a?" Heroes of the World.

World/Inferno Friendship Society are back with the first single from their upcoming All Borders are Porous to Cats LP that is set to be released on January 17th 2020 via Alternative Tentacles. You can hear the first single below.

“Flip Mode” is the second-single from Sefi Zisling's sophomore album Expanse – out Nov 22 via Tru Thoughts. Inspired by Sun Ra's use of abstract melodies on the jazz-fusion classic Lanquidity – “Flip Mode” embraces the free-funk, creating a distinctive groove that allows the track to stand out from the rest of the record. 

Berkshire Theatre Group is thrilled to present Shokazoba on November 2 at 8pm at the Music Garage, and Jared Goldstein on November 14 at 7:30pm at the Comedy Garage. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at-the-door to The Equalites; and $5 to Gus Constantellis.

From South African villages to the suburbs of Lagos, world-class contemporary dancers and singers are bringing African inspired performances to Brighton this October and November.

World Circuit Records is reissuing four of its cornerstone albums. Remastered and available on vinyl for the first time, Ali Farka Touré's Savane and Omara Portuondo's Buena Vista Social Club Presents are on LP and digital formats today, followed by Radio Tarifa's Rumba Argelina and Guillermo Portabales' El Carretero, which are due on CD, LP and digital formats on October 4.

Berkshire Theatre Group is thrilled to present Kung Fu with special guest Shokazoba at The Colonial Theatre on Thursday, September 26 at 8pm. Tickets are $25, with general admission in the Orchestra for dancing and reserved seating in the Mezzanine.

Vevo announces Burna Boy as the next artist in their new Ctrl series with performances of 'Anybody' & 'Collateral Damage' premiering today. 

Songhoy Blues today announce their latest EP, Meet Me in the City (October 18 on Yellow Vinyl)—their first new music since the critically acclaimed album Résistance, which Rolling Stone called one of the best albums of 2017. They also share two versions of the EP's track “Time to Go Home,” one mixed by Blake Mills (Grammy-nominated producer of Alabama Shakes' Sound & Color, John Legend's Darkness and Light, and Perfume Genius' No Shape) and the other by David Ferguson (known for his sound engineering work with 'Cowboy' Jack Clement and on Johnny Cash's American Recordings).  The track, with lyrics written by Will Oldham (the music is by Songhoy Blues andMatt Sweeney and produced by Sweeney), appears on the EP alongside the title track written by Junior Kimbrough (with additional lyrics by Songhoy Blues and produced by Matt Sweeney), and a cover of Fela Kuti's “Shakara,” featuring Femi Kuti. Songhoy Blues will embark on a North American tour beginning in September and extending through the fall.

The final concert of the second season of a?oeMusic Out of the 'Boxa??, on Friday, August 30 at 7:30 PM, brings Afrofunk music to Concord! The series once again featured acts from many genres, including jazz, classical, pop, soul, world music and country. Ticket prices are, Adults: $17, Students, Seniors, Members: $14, Senior Members: $12. Tickets can be purchased at www.hatboxnh.com or reserved by calling the box office at 603-715-2315.

Kick up your heels and put on your dancing shoes on September 21 for National Dance Day! Presented in partnership between the Kennedy Center, American Dance Movement (formally the Dizzy Feet Foundation), and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), this annual event invites everyone of all ages and abilities, from the littlest dancers to professionals, to participate in a free day-long celebration of the joy of dance and movement.

Berkshire Theatre Group and Artistic Director/CEO Kate Maguire are excited to announce the 2019 fall season at The Colonial Theatre and The Garage. Tickets are now available for purchase by contacting the Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street, Pittsfield by calling 413-997-4444 or online at www.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org.

To celebrate their New York roots and historical connections, Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet (JGCO), celebrating its 25th anniversary, and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater (DRDT) share the stage at BAM Fisher September 13 and 14 for “Legacy.'