Talking Drums

The West African News Magazine

African Music Scene In London

By Kwabena Asamoah

Our music correspondent, Kwabena Asamoah, looks at the various aspects of the industry and assesses the ingredients which have made the influx of musicians and various forms of music from Africa so popular on the London entertainment circuit in recent times
1984 promises to be the year which will remain the bridge between the. African past and the future in music across the sea. Moving through a trance of live African music, London and indeed British audiences have been treated to a superb medley of almost infectious music since the beginning of the year.

Julian Bahula's TSAfrica presented an African Music Festival at the 100 Club, on the Oxford Street at the West End, which featured many London-based African bands including Jazz Africa, Highlife International, Gadzoh Supercombo, Ojah, Dudu Pukwana's Zila, Gaspar Lawal's Africa Oro Band and African Connection.

London fans were increasingly nursing a greater interest in African music which had been neglected for a long time for peculiar reasons. The trend which was then taking an up swing was reflected in the Stern's African music programme and coincided with Ghana's independence celebrations. Alpha Waves, Kudum, Highlife International, Ojah and Eezi Eezi were among the local African groups which provided the substance of African music to a startled British audience. The music appreciation and the fun would have been missed but for the appearance of Kwame Ampadu & the African Brothers Band which was the only group to have come from abroad (Ghana) to play.

The festive atmosphere was continued in London and the thirst for African music was rising fast when Segun Adewale and the super stars International came from Nigeria to initiate the Venue, London SW1 with a series of African nights which have been graced by the appearance of many African groups from abroad mainly from France except Kwame Ampadu & the African Brothers Band who came from Ghana and Youssou Ndour et le Super Etoile de Dakar from Senegal.

Franco & TPOK Jazz invaded the Hammersmith Palais in grand style on Easter Monday to arouse the interest in African music further with their brand of pulsating tropical music which has become universal.

The African Nights jointly sponsored by the Venue and the Greater London Council (GLC) Campaign Against Racism at the Venue provided a medium for expression of African bands from abroad who displayed a standard and style never before seen or heard in London.

Kwame Ampadu & the African Brothers Band mounted the stage to give London a blast that set the scene for the Thursday night shows which became a constant affair every week for other African bands to follow.

Word quickly spread thanks to the radio and the press in general by the time the flamboyant Kanda Bongo Man stepped on to the stage to treat the audience to modern Zairean sounds.

Youssou Ndour et le Super Etoile de Dakar taught London one simple lesson: there is more variety in African music than the audience have been given the chance to know and that music really started in Africa. This was the night with the biggest crowd probably because all Francophones in London especially Senegalese (and Gambians, why not?) came down to see their idols in action. The crowd was thrilled by the intriguing dances performed by the two dancers who had agility and prowess.

Sam Mangwana and the African All Stars, apart from playing music that appealed more to the feet than the mind, communicated effectively with the crowd. Besides, the sexy dances of the Zairean girls (some of whom returned with les Quatre Etoiles the following Thursday) provided an added colour to the night though they tended sometimes to distract attention.

Les Quatre Etoiles - the nucleus of whom are four stars indeed (Nyboma, Bopol, Syran and Wuta May) blasted the atmosphere with tight music that hardly gave the crowd a chance to rest. The only apparently dis- cordant element was the occasional lack of co-ordination between the front musicians and the sexy female dancers but les Quatre Etoiles provided the music that the crowd wanted and will never forget.

If one thinks of publicity and promotion, then it was Toure Kunda who received the widest press coverage before the show on the 31st of May. They had a 2-page write-up in West Africa magazine preceded by a review of their 'Amadou Tilo' album the week before. But strangely enough, that did not make any big difference to the size of the crowd which was gradually gathering anyway every Thursday night. The reason? 'City Limits' inadvertently published a wrong date for the crowd never wanted to miss anything since Kwame Ampadu and the African Brothers Band gave them what they have been asking for. Toure Kunda too proved one important point: African musicians should not be labelled to play a definable African music; they are also musicians playing music. Their music ranged from reggae, blues, mbalax and Afro-rock. Backed by an army of professional and competent instrumentalists of different racial origin, the Toure brothers (Ismail, Sixu 26. and Ousmane) who had the right costume provided satisfaction for the crowd with their intriguing but infinitely varied music.

Whether by design or accident, the last show of the series by Pierre Akendengue (from Gabon) was a fitt- ing finale to a string of nights that sent London fans confused but happy. Backed by a well-rehearsed and experienced group of musicians including a female vocal trio, Akendengue scraped the entire African continent to deliver a unique sauce of music which was sometimes studded with poetry. London definitely wished for more.

Arrangements for more African musicians and others alike take time to cook up but the Venue managed to the series with African groups resident in the UK for a couple of weeks with Orchestra Jazira and Gaspar Lawal's Africa Oro Band.

London would be happy once again with African bands from abroad including Sunsum Band from Ghana who will be playing at the Venue on July 5, Hugh Masekela (South Africa) on July 12; George Darko & Bus Stop (Ghana) on July 19; and Kabbala (a London-based African band) on July 26

Other African nights in London this summer are: Sunsum Band at the Fridge, Brixton, London SW2 on June 30; Fela Anikulapo Kuti will be playing at the Hammersmith Palais on July 3 and at the Royal Festival Hall, London SE1 on July 6; King Sunny Ade (Nigeria) will be playing alongside reggae groups for Sunsplash at the Crystal Palace Football Stadium, Selhurst Park Road, London SE25 on July 7; George Darko & Bus Stop will be at the Tropical Palace, London NW10 on July 13 and July 14 and close it off with a dance at the Empire Mecca Rooms, Tottenham Court Road, London W1 on July 20; Franco & TPOK Jazz are playing alongside Kanda Bongo Man, Sunsum Band and many others at the Alexandra Palace, London N22 on July 15.




talking drums 1984-07-09 Kojo Tsikata the myth and the man - African music in London