I revived Benn loxo with some Nigerian 70s rock courtesy of Soundway yesterday, so we’ll continue along a similar path with another in my long series of Original Music posts.

Today’s tracks come off one of my favourite Original Music releases that I’ve heard to date, Azagas & Archibogs - The Sixties Sound Of Lagos. The compilation features a collection of Nigerian Igbo, Yoruba and other highlife groups from Lagos. The songs have been (slightly) remastered from 45rpm records released during the early to mid-1960s.

It’s interesting to hear some good Yoruba highlife from this period, before Juju and Afrobeat took over. Most of the Nigerian highlife I know is from the Igbo east of the country, a region that for me, maybe aside from Ghana, produced Africa’s best music during the 1960s. However, it’s clear after listening to this compilation that Lagos’ Yoruban groups definitely had a good thing going as well.

Charles Iwegbue & His Archibogs - Okibo
Eric Akaeze & His Azagas - Adunni

Fatai Rolling Dollar, the ex-highlife music legend from Lagos, Nigeria, is staging a comeback at the tender age of 78. His recently released album, Won Kere Si Number, is enjoying great success in Nigeria. Dollar, whose real last name is Olagunjo, suddenly finds himself playing loads of gigs and getting some media attention from major Nigerian publications.

Fatai Rolling Dollar, like so many other highlife musicians of the 60s and 70s, was largely forgotten during the 1970s when Nigeria entered its sketchy phase of multiple military dictatorships, corruption and violence. For years he worked as a security guard and did some gigs as a church guitarist. It wasn’t until 2003-2004 that anyone remembered his music or he recorded anything new. Jazzhole put out three new albums in two years and suddenly he was a household name again.

Unfortunately his albums’ success didn’t make him any money. He still lives in a dusty one-bedroom in Mushin, Lagos. To quote Lagos’ Sun News, he “doesn’t even have a car” and until recently had to play his guitar on the street for smokes. Not surprisingly, Fatai feels that Jazzhole, the label/store that released his album, is ripping him off. If you’ve ever been to Lagos you’d understand that this is entirely possible, even though Jazzhole has a great reputation and is one of the better West African music stores.

Following the success of his latest release he’s now split from Jazzhole and is putting together an album for wider global release with a guy named Barry White (no, not the dead, smooth talking master.) Look for it soon and in the meantime here’s some music from Won Kere Si Number. Sorry for no purchase links but I think you can only buy this in Nigeria.

ps- thanks again to Didier for this CD. I’m very jealous that he got to see all this great music in Lagos last week.

Fatai Rolling Dollar - To Ba Fe Mo Dollar (acoustic version)

First of all, big shout-out to my friend from Dakar, Didier, his sons, Max and Tito, and the lovely Caro. Didier just got back from a business trip to Lagos and was nice enough to bring me a signed copy of Lágbájá’s latest album, Africano. (Didier caught Lágbájá live on the Lagos mainland last week.) Fantastic. The CD reads, “MATT! LAGBAJA!”, which is appropriate given how I feel about his music.

Anyway, the gift sprung me back in Benn loxo action. I’m really sorry there hasn’t been much music here lately - things have been wildly busy and I need to find new ways to build a daily post into my schedule. I’ll try my best.

Lágbájá is one of the quintessential Nigerian musicians still living and playing music in Lagos. He’s probably most famous not for his music but rather for the mask he always wears. Lagos urban legend tells that nobody except his mom knows what he looks like.

The word Lágbájá is Yoruba for nobody or everybody at once. Lagbaja wears his mask so that he can remain faceless, most likely due to his frequent sharp criticism of Nigeria’s corrupt Big Men. You have to respect a guy who shies from public recognition and fame, especially in an often bling society such as the one you often find in Lagos. He has a great web site if you want more info - check it out here.

His music is fun, too. Loads of Yoruba percussion, positive lyrics and a some of the Nigerian afrofunk that continues to touch so much of the music coming out of Lagos.

Lágbájá - Skentele Skontolo

Nigerian “fuji” music, named after the Japanese mountain symbolizing love, has taken many forms over the years. I posted some rather hard-core fuji a while back and several of you pointed out that this wasn’t the kind that you were used to. Today we’ll check-out a better known musician, Adewale Ayuba. He plays a brand of fuji called bonsue named after his band, the Bonsue Fuji Organization.

Fuji is the Nigerian Muslim north’s answer to juju music from the south. It mixes traditional Yoruba, Were and Arabic singing styles with high-speed drumming on hand palm drums (Omele), metal percussion instruments (Agogo), tambourines (Saworo) and gourd shakers (Sekere). It’s wildly popular in Nigeria and dominates many nightclubs across the country.

Today’s selection is the opening track off Ayuba’s album, Formula. I couldn’t read the name off the photocopied jacket, so if you know it please post a comment.

I picked this CD up in Lagos during the big fuel strike of 2003. Because there were no buses or cars on the roads to get people from A to B the traffic was better, the area boys were fewer and the crowds in general disappeared. The downtown markets and neighbourhoods, normally a no-go for Oyibo (Yoruba slang for white people), were open to explore. I found a few gems at some generator-powered music stores/stands in the near-empty streets.

Adewale Ayuba

In yesterday’s post I promised that I’d post some more songs from Original Music’s Money No Be Sand compilation. Never one to bail on musical promises, here you go.

Two tracks again. The first I might listen to in my car moments before an ambitious rush-hour highway manoeuver. The Les Rross Orchestra (is that a real double-r?) jamming in Lagos in 1970. (Those close to me might know that if I was reincarnated I might ask to be a fantastically dressed afrobeat dancer in Nigeria between 1969 and 1971.)

The second, oh the second.. quite possibly my favourite song out of Africa at the moment, and one of the better Beatles covers I’ve heard in a long while. Charlotte Dada of 1971 Ghana, what else have you recorded? I imagine the answer might be, “not much.” Either way, metallic polyrhythmic drums backing up a soulful Beatles remake is just what the doctor ordered.

Les Rross Orchestra - The Bad Lit Road
Charlotte Dada - Don’t Let Me Down

It’s the last day of Nigeria 60-80 week. Hope you had fun. Next week is Mali, alright?

Fela Kuti doesn’t need an introduction. If you don’t know who he is get your ass over here and find out.

Here’s part two of my favourite Fela track that he recorded after his 82-year-old mother died from being thrown out the window of his Kalakuta compound by police. Apparently that’s what you get for fucking with Nigerian president Obasanjo.

And since this is the end of Nigeria 60-80 week I’m upping the ante. I can’t resist putting up some more solid tracks by a bunch of Igbo boys on that Flashback 70-80 disc I featured in my first posting. There are just too many good songs that many of you might not otherwise hear.

Fela Kuti - Coffin For A Head Of State Pt. 2
The Funkees - Dancing Time (also available on Nigeria 70)
Founders 15 - Be My Own