Essentials: Hugh Masekela & Tony Allen’s ‘Rejoice’ is a celebration of African music’s innovative spirit
A delightful collaboration between two of the most talented African artists to walk the face of the earth
In just three months of this disorienting year, African music has lost three of its most influential legends. In February, South African singer/bandleader Joseph Shabalala and Nigerian trumpeter and highlife singer Victor Olaiya both passed away within 24-hours of each other, and just last week, we lost Cameroonian saxophonist and genre-bending musician Manu Dibango to the novel Coronavirus. While their careers and the progress they made during their time serves a bit of a consolation that these artists lived long and impactful lives, it’s still a huge loss.
This is why ‘Rejoice’, the newly released joint album by Hugh Masekela and Tony Allen, is a much needed gift amidst the losses. Recorded during a series of sessions in 2010, ‘Rejoice’ is the delightful result from the purposeful collaboration between two of the most talented and innovative African artists ever. Across the album’s eight tracks, Masekela and Allen find common ground in their virtuosic powers, putting together a loose and joyful body of work that slips and slides between Afrobeat and Jazz.
On several occasions, Tony Allen has stated that his stick work is largely influenced by Art Blakey and Max Roach, both pioneering greats of Jazz subgenre, Bebop. He’s always pointed out t he’s always pointed out that he’s an Afrobeat drummer, and his take on Jazz is refracted through that prism.
‘Rejoice’ is a prime showcase of this ethos, and the 2010 recording serves as precedent for his similarly Jazz-inflected 2017 projects, ‘A Tribute to Art Blakey (EP)’ and ‘The Source’. For this project though, he delivers barely adorned, yet, always spectacular drum patterns that tick and pop in unique Tony Allen fashion.
With Allen’s drumming and additional bass riffs serving as the spine, Hugh Masekela’s horns and occasional singing, form the heart of the songs. Equally intense and deft, Masekela’s abilities lends itself a wide expressive range, jumping between vivacious, sullen and everything in between without breaking a sweat. On ‘Rejoice’, he leans closer to the livelier side of the spectrum, imbuing his horn solos with uplifting radiant scats and syncopated runs, even when he’s not being upbeat. His voice also carries a similar effect when he sings, communicating vigour and joy through his wisened tone and full-throated chants.
On “Never (Lagos Never Gonna be the same without Fela)”, they pay their reverence to previous collaborator and fellow African legend, Fela Kuti, with a composition that veers the furthest into Afrobeat territory. Tony Allen’s funky groove, revving bass guitar riff and additional local percussion, drive the song’s big band Jazz-inflected setting. “Lagos never gonna be the same, never without Fela”, Masekela reverently offers in honour of Fela, using his conversational horn solos as a response to the call of his sung lyrics.
If you’re into that type of stuff, ‘Rejoice’ is packed with moments you can geek about, from Tony Allen’s vivid drumming and Masekela’s improvised and intimate motifs, to the elegantly uncluttered arrangements. But the triumph here is, technical precision works in service of a highly enjoyable, sometimes outrightly visceral, album. Of course, for a duo that reshaped African music in their own ways, an album of this calibre is generally expected, but it is no less of a masterwork, one that was clearly anchored by a mutual respect in craftsmanship (“Jabulani (Rejoice, Here Comes Tony)”) between both artists.
In January 2018, Hugh Masekela passed away at age 78, and ‘Rejoice’ is an excellent first posthumous album that adds a bit more gloss to the royal status he earned through hundreds of albums and evergreen hit songs. Tony Allen, currently 79, is still pushing his musical boundaries in his solo work and through joint endeavours, like the 2018 EP with Techno DJ Jeff Mills, ‘Tomorrow Comes the Harvest’, and his integral involvement in Rock supergroup, the Good, the Bad & the Queen. That we got a joint album from these two is something we shouldn’t be taking for granted.
‘Rejoice’ presents two artists celebrating each other in the period of impulsive innovation that birthed a class of pioneering artists. It’s a reminder that we need to cherish those from that era who are still with us, and continue to sing the praises of those who have passed on.
Listen to ‘Rejoice’ here.
Featured Image Credits: Web/hughmasekela.co.za
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Maya Amolo Is Committed To Giving You The Sweetest Time
There’s undoubtedly more to come from the talented singer as she looks to solidify herself as one of the...
“Sweetest Time,” Maya Amolo’s latest single, is a soothing, lovesick confessional that mixes intimate, heartfelt lyricism with wistful production courtesy of Ugandan musician and producer SOULCHYD aka MAUIMØON. Alongside fellow Kenyan singer Ywaya Tajiri, the self-acclaimed sweetest girl delivers a lustrous duet that sees her soft vocals, which perfectly complement Tajiri’s more robust voice, skip and flit across moody synths, intensifying the spotlight on her wholehearted delivery. “I can feel you rushing through my system / Every single day it’s my religion,” she sings passionately halfway into the record. The whole thing sounds like the aural equivalent of a warm blanket; a truly affectionate record that immerses and envelopes its listeners in its warmth. This is the brand of vulnerable, understated R&B music that has been helping Amolo gain significant attention since she debuted in the pandemic year.
Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Amolo always had an affinity for music. The singer and producer, who took on piano and guitar lessons as a child, has previously credited acts like Brandy, Erykah Badu, Prince, and Kenyan musical icon Eric Wainaina as her early influences – and it’s easy to see how Amolo’s style draws from this strong lineage of musicians whose music is equally expansive, soothing and vulnerable. After years experimenting with different styles, recording covers to beats she ripped from YouTube and posting them on her Soundcloud page, Amolo released her debut project ‘Leave Me At The Pregame’ in 2020.
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‘Asali,’ which translates to “honey” in her native Kiswahili, showcased Amolo’s progression as both an artist and a human being, as she swapped out the sad-girl tunes that filled her debut EP for more vibrant and intricate records – thanks in part to Sir Bastien and Kenyan producer and rapper Lukorito – that explore themes of growth and the complexities and rich luster of love. The album’s lead singles, “Foundry” and the self-produced “Can’t Get Enough,” found relative success on streaming platforms, placing Amolo as one of the continent’s most exciting new R&B voices. About a year after the release of ‘Asali,’ Amolo updated the album with 8 new songs on a deluxe version that featured Kenyan stars like Bensoul, Xenia Manasseh and Zowie Kengocha.
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Over the last few years, street-pop, a guttural version of afropop, has surged to mainstream popularity, birthing stars like Asake, Seyi Vibez, and Shallipopi. On the homefront, a generation of younger stars also put unique spins on the sound. Singer, T.I Blaze, has been a notable star in the sub-genre since his 2021 single, “Sometimes,” and a subsequent remix with icon, Olamide, launched him into a different stratosphere.
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Listen to ‘Shakur (Deluxe)’ here.
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Last Friday, Rigo Kamp, a NATIVE uNder alum and one of the architects of an equal parts nostalgic and refreshing sound released his self-titled debut EP, delivering a propulsive fusion of Alte, R&B, Funk, and Soul-infused rhythms.
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Just last November, Apple Music named Rigo Kamp as its Up Next artist, an acknowledgment that underscored his potential and confirmed what the tastemakers and underground scene already knew. Weeks later, he delivered an exhilarating live set for Spotify Fresh Finds in Lagos, proving he’s just as compelling live as he is in the studio.
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