Fela Kuti Videos

Returning to The Joyce for their 2022 home season, Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE offers a compelling program, bringing a spiritual awareness that touches the human heart.

Hailed as a “modern dance savior” by the New York Times, Ronald K. Brown returns to fuse the form, rhythm, and history of African dance with contemporary and urban dance styles. In Mercy, a Kennedy Center co-commission (the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, Carolina Performing Arts, UNC Chapel Hill, and The Joyce Theater’s Stephen and Cathy Weinroth Fund for New York), Brown finds an ideal collaborator in visionary vocalist, composer, and bassist Meshell Ndegeocello.

It's been over a decade since Fela! first took Broadway by storm, and still, in 2020, its cast is united and making a difference. Oneika Phillips, who starred in the 2012 return engagement, put out a call to her cast mates to come together for the #DontRush Challenge. 'It evolved into an even more meaningful project with layers of celebration such as aligning with the ten-year anniversary of the show's 11 Tony nominations, including Sahr as Fela and Lillias White as Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. A decade ago, we were at the height of breaking ceilings and blowing minds on Broadway,' writes Phillips.

Feinstein's/54 Below has released their latest #54BelowatHome flashback video! In today's video, watch Lillias White perform 'When You Wish Upon a Star.' The performance was part of Lillias White: Make Someone Happy on July 30, 2019 at Feinstein's/54 Below.

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'.

“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. 

On last night's TONIGHT SHOW, music guest Erykah Badu performed a medley of her hit 'On & On' and a cover of Fela Kuti's 'Sorrow Tears and Blood' with a little help from The Roots.

Former member of Destiny's Child Michelle Williams joined the national tour of the hit Award-winning Broadway musical Fela! when it opened at Sidney Harman Hall in Washington, DC on January 29. Fela! received three 2010 Tony Awards, including Best Choreography. Williams and the rest of the cast met the press just last week, and you can check out what they had to say below!

Ginger Baker is known for playing in Cream and Blind Faith, but the world's greatest drummer didn't hit his stride until 1972, when he arrived in Nigeria and discovered Fela Kuti's Afrobeat. After leaving Nigeria, Ginger returned to his pattern of drug-induced self-destruction, eventually settling in South Africa, where the 73-year-old lives with his young bride and 39 polo ponies. This documentary includes interviews with Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Carlos Santana and more. With every smash of the drum is a man smashing through life, and smashing the filmmaker's nose on the last day of filming.

Currently playing at the Oriental Theatre, FELA! has entered its final week of performances with Broadway in Chicago. Two of the lead actors from the touring production of the Broadway musical stopped by at ABC 7's studios for a special performance. Watch the video of the performance below!

Fela!, the new musical based on the life and music of groundbreaking African composer, performer and activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, opened on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street) on November 23, 2009. BroadwayWorld and Broadway Beat were on hand and bring you these explosive clips and interviews with the cast and creative!

National Theatre Live continues its season with the award-winning Broadway and London production of FELA! starring Sahr Ngaujah (2010 Tony Award nominee for Best Actor; Obie Award) directed & choreographed by Bill T. Jones (2010 Tony Award for Best Choreography). National Theatre Live is an initiative by the UK's National Theatre to broadcast live performances onto cinema screens around the world.

Columbia Records will release If I Were President: My Haitian Experience, the new six song EP from Wyclef Jean, available digitally on Tuesday, December 7, 2010.

Multi-Grammy Award-winner and international recording superstar Patti LaBelle opened in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Fela! last night, September 14. LaBelle will perform in Fela! through its scheduled closing on January 2, 2011.

This week, on August 24, Fox's So You Think You Can Dance featured a special number of FELA!'s 'Zombie,' choreographed by Tony-winner Bill T. Jones. Click below to see the performance!

Fela!, the critically acclaimed new musical based on the life and music of groundbreaking African composer, performer and activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, is directed and choreographed by Tony® Award-winner Bill T. Jones (Spring Awakening), with a book by Jim Lewis and Bill T. Jones. Sahr Ngaujah and Kevin Mambo play the title character at alternate performances, while the world renowned Antibalas and other members of the NYC Afrobeat community, under the direction of Aaron Johnson, perform Kuti's rousing music live onstage.

As a nod to Black History Month, during the course of the week NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams pays tribute to a series of history makers, including FELA!'s Bill T. Jones. In the video piece below, Anne Curry profiles Jones and speaks to the Tony Award-winning director and choreographer him about his career, achievements and the tremendous success of FELA!

See what it's like to dance in the shoes of one of Fela!'s 'swing' performers in this video diary.

Fela!, the new musical based on the life and music of groundbreaking African composer, performer and activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, will open on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street) tonight. Performances began on Monday, October 19

PBS's Soudtracks series presents Black President. In this clip his son Seun discusses his father's legacy.