Son of celebrated Nigerian Afrobeat originator Fela Kuti, Seun Kuti has not been content to only carry on the musical tradition of his iconic father, but has expanded the mix of Yoruban folk music, jazz and horn-driven funk to include contemporary influences, emerging as a self-assured artist possessed of deep passion and fearless conviction. He made his stage debut at nine, and became the lead vocalist in his father’s Egypt 80 band at the age of 14 following the elder Kuti’s passing in 1997. Since then, Seun and Egypt 80 have criss-crossed the world, recording the hard-hitting Many Things in 2008 and the Brian Eno-produced From Africa With Fury: Rise in 2011. 2014 sees the release of Kuti’s third full-length album, A Long Way to the Beginning, produced by pianist and composer Robert Glasper. Fela Kuti never played material from his studio recordings live, so this performance by Egypt 80 is priceless to fans of African music, as Seun typically includes a cross-section of his father’s greatest work along side his own incisive compositions. The majority of musicians in the current lineup of Egypt 80 played with Fela during his life, and was subject to the same arrests and imprisonment as their leader for their outspoken musical statements against the oppression of Nigeria’s military rule.
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Son of celebrated Nigerian Afrobeat originator Fela Kuti, Seun Kuti has not been content to only carry on the musical tradition of his iconic father, but has expanded the mix of Yoruban folk music, jazz and horn-driven funk to include contemporary influences, emerging as a self-assured artist possessed of deep passion and fearless conviction. He made his stage debut at nine, and became the lead vocalist in his father’s Egypt 80 band at the age of 14 following the elder Kuti’s passing in 1997. Since then, Seun and Egypt 80 have criss-crossed the world, recording the hard-hitting Many Things in 2008 and the Brian Eno-produced From Africa With Fury: Rise in 2011. 2014 sees the release of Kuti’s third full-length album, A Long Way to the Beginning, produced by pianist and composer Robert Glasper. Fela Kuti never played material from his studio recordings live, so this performance by Egypt 80 is priceless to fans of African music, as Seun typically includes a cross-section of his father’s greatest work along side his own incisive compositions. The majority of musicians in the current lineup of Egypt 80 played with Fela during his life, and was subject to the same arrests and imprisonment as their leader for their outspoken musical statements against the oppression of Nigeria’s military rule.
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SFJAZZ Center - SF Jazz
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201 Franklin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
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