The Genius of Fela’s Horn Lines

Now that I have about a dozen of Fela Kuti’s tunes under my belt courtesy of weekly lessons with his former baritone sax player Showboy, currently music director of Egypt 80, I have begun to understand Fela’s music much better. Although I have long been a big fan and have listened to Fela’s records for decades, placing him in my 1970's musical triumvirate alongside Miles Davis and James Brown, I am just now really appreciating the sheer genius of the lines he wrote for his horn section. Genius is an overused term and I do not choose it frivolously. 

Fela’s music is not written down anywhere - but Showboy knows all the tunes, the arrangements, the solos, the horn parts, the harmonies, the rhythms, the voicings, the vocals, and the cues by heart, since he spent so many years playing and touring with Egypt 80. He is teaching me by ear, scatting the parts while I do my best to pick them out on my horn and note them down. It is obvious to me that Fela was a tenor sax player since virtually every horn part I have learned so far falls comfortably under my fingers on tenor. Felas’s music is primarily in minor keys and the keys are, again, almost all comfortable ones for the tenor sax, not bizarre keys that test if you got As in music theory class. Although Fela started out on trumpet, played alto sax before taking up tenor, and finished his career mostly on keyboards (I understand the reason is that the cumulative effects of multiple beatings by the authorities made it difficult for him to play much sax in the later years of his life), his music is that of a tenor saxophonist. Composed on the instrument, not on paper away from the horn. 

Over the last few weeks something broke loose and I discovered the inner logic to Fela’s music, an epiphany of sorts. Lately I’ve been able to pick up tunes in minutes as opposed to hours. Last session I was on top of Power Show after only about 10 minutes. 

It dawned on me that most of the famous tunes by the undeniable greats Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane are in tenor-friendly keys as well (duh!). The great players don’t torture themselves over theory and unnecessary gymnastics. Very few of their compositions fall outside of key signatures that are basic for the way the tenor operates mechanically. I have written before about Occam’s Razor, the logic that says that given multiple possible solutions, the simplest one is always the best. Fela’s horn lines fit this rule. With all the talk of the so-called Afrobeat Revival, I've yet to find one composer who has equalled Fela’s writing for horn sections.

How Fela's Kalakuta Republic Got Its Name - Part 2

As told by Egypt 80 baritone saxophonist Rilwan "Showboy" Fagbemi - continued from yesterday's post.

Showboy: Finally they arrested everybody, but Fela was mercilessly beaten, broken head, he had about 17 stitches on his head - gun butt - they broke his hand, they broke his leg, dislocate his arm. I and Fela were the last people they put in the lorry, we were together in the lorry, he was covered in his own blood, in his [under]pants, no trousers. That was how they took us to Lagos, Alagbon Close, by Passport Office. 

So, on our way, when they took us, they took us to Barracks Police Station, they didn't accept us, they now took us straight to Lion Building, at Lion Building there was not enough space to keep all of us so they now took us to Alagbon . When we got to Alagbon they asked, before we got to Alagbon Fela's mother has made some important calls and some moves, that you cannot lock my son in his pool of blood, you have to take him to hospital, or if he dies it is on you. So they quickly made arrangements, they took Fela to Falomo Police Hospital. 

We were locked up at Alagbon, so they kept us at Alagbon. We were there, we were at the counter, then there was this police officer, a senior police officer who was driving out, he said "Who are those people?" Then the policeman says "They are Fela's people, those Indian hemp smokers blah blah blah." He said "Why are you keeping them there? They are too much. put them in Kalakuta cell." That was how we discovered there was a cell called Kalakuta cell at Alagbon Close. 

So after 2 weeks, 2-1/2 weeks at Alagbon we were released on bail, Fela's lawyer managed to secure our bail. Fela was already bailed and taken home by his mother on Monday. So when we got home and told him our experiences they now said they should change the name of the organization, to the house, from Fela's house to the Kalakuta Republic. So that was how the house was named Kalakuta, and Kalakuta Republic became another government problem because when they burned the house they claimed that Fela had declared his own republic in Nigeria, Kalakuta Republic. 

Ron: Has anyone ever written that story? 

Showboy: A lot of people don't know it, just some few that maybe I might have told or that has heard it, but it is not everybody that knows it because it is a story of about 38 years, '74. 1974, and we are in 2012. 

(Power Show comes on the PA system and Showboy sings along). All this, I recorded them with Fela. Power Show. {click to listen} 

I and Fela were the last people they put in the lorry...  

(Power Show playing in background) You know Fela is very selective when it comes to playing solo in music. He wrote the music and he wants an expression of the mind, not trying to play what someone else has played. When you do that you are not creative. The band it is not everybody who plays solos because some people have been on that stage for years they never came out to play solo, yes. Because they wouldn't even dare it because Fela, what Fela expect from everybody who goes there to improvise: 1, to be good; 2, to understand the music, not just play any shit. You have to create something for that music that you will not play in another track, so every track has its feel. When you are playing that, you are good, Ron; if you don't do that you know there is no way you will play with Fela and you will not be creative because you are hearing something new every time. And it was, you know it was to a state, is that the competition, who is good who is bad, yeah, because you have some people that go to the house to tell Fela, "Fela, why don't you allow me to play solo on this track." Then he will tell them "OK, I will try you." When he now comes to the Shrine after starting the music he will tell us to "Wait, let him improvise." The moment he start he look at him "What is he playing? Push him away from here." From then he will come to the stage and push you out of there. But, you know, if you come there, if you are doing good with the music, you will see him move his body, dancing, then he will not concentrate any more on you because he knows you are there. But when you are not there, AWWWW.

(Showboy sings along with Power Show) {end of interview}