Book Review
Bringing African Music To The Forefront
African Pop Roots . . . The Inside Rhythms Of Africa By John Collins.
(Limp Back: Illustrated) 120 Pages. Price: £5.50.Publisher: W. Foulsham & Co Ltd.
Reviewed By Staccato
In a recent Channel 4 six-part series Repercussions, African music in its various aspects was fully exploited and in the process provided a better under- standing for the non-initiated. It is interesting to note here that John Collins, the author of African Pop Roots, featured in it.
John Collins, wrote this book with a wealth of experience in Africa and its music. As the book was at pains to point out to dispel any doubts about a non-Africa with such deep knowledge about the varied and irresistible rhythms and sounds on the continent. He was brought up in Ghana as a child and attended the University of Ghana. For the past fourteen years he has been playing and recording with many of the top West African bands and owns a recording studio in Accra.
African Pop Roots, was therefore written with a lot of personal and intimate knowledge of the current top African musicians, especially of West Africa backed by research which traces and brings a deeper understanding of the extraordinary and intimate story of the hidden roots of Africa's music. It traces real life messages throbbing through Africa's body music - body music transported across the Atlantic to the 'new' world where it was musicians transformed into myriads of time- bending and mind-bending styles reflecting life styles generated from common heritage, all of them pointing back to African roots.
The highly readable book is conveniently divided into five sections. Today's sounds and personalities in which some of Africa's great music exponents and their music are discussed. Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the jailed Afro-beat creator, Osibisa, the criss-cross Rhythms Afro rock champions, juju musicians, Victor Uwaifo, Hugh Masekala, Miriam Makeba and a host of others talk about their music, their frustrations and motivations.
Section two, titled "Feedback" deals with the musical feedback embracing music from the new world coming back to Africa in the form of Ragtime, Foxtrots and Quicksteps which bands copied. We are taken through the historical evolution and the influences of such renowned jazz as Satchmo Louis Armstrong, Randy Weston, Afro- American Jazz Pianist.
The "Soul to soul" concert held on March 10, 1971 in Accra which brought together outstanding American performers and local artistes in a concert was the highpoint and demonstrated the fusion and cross- over of African music in western music. The other three sections deal exhaustively with other areas of the subject.
African Pop Roots, does not only present the outstanding personalities, the development in cross-overs, and a whole way of life. It is also a cameo of historical episodes on the life of a continent.
