Seun Kuti – The Funk It Interview

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Bloomington, Indiana @ The Bluebird

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 blazed through southern Indiana on their current tour of the United States, stopping at the 250 capacity Bluebird Nightclub last Friday. Their act was in top form, performing their entire new album, A Long Way To The Beginning, as well as the Fela Kuti composition V.I.P. (Vagabonds In Power).

I sat down with Seun after the show to discuss the current state of afrobeat music, walking in his father’s footsteps with the Egypt 80 band, and working with Robert Glasper on the new album. Check out the video interview, plus a few songs and a 16 minute monologue/rant right here on Funk It…

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 – The Funk It Interview 9/12/14 Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Bloomington, Indiana @ The Bluebird

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 1 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
IMF (International Mother Fuckers)

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 2 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Seun speaks

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 3 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Black Woman

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 4 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Black Woman (continued)

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 5 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Higher Consciousness (second half), Kalakuta Boy

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 6 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Kalakuta Boy (continued)

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Bloomington, Indiana @ The Bluebird

Seun Kuti - The Funk It Interview

=====================================================================

I also had the pleasure of catching original afrobeat drummer and pioneer Tony Allen perform with the Chicago Afrobeat Project a few weeks ago in Chicago at a small club. I only caught the first 25 minutes before I had to high tail it to the Navy Pier to get on the Spirit of Chicago yacht with Talib Kweli and a conglomerate of funk superstars for the Fiyawrapper Battleship (but that’s a story for another day and blog post).

Tony Allen with Chicago Afrobeat Project

It appears that Tony Allen has recorded a full album with the Chicago Afrobeat Project for release next year and I was able to catch several of these new songs through my video lens…

Chicago Afrobeat Project with Tony Allen (Part 1 of 3)
8/30/2014 Chicago, IL @ Double Door

Chicago Afrobeat Project with Tony Allen (Part 2 of 3)
8/30/2014 Chicago, IL @ Double Door

Chicago Afrobeat Project with Tony Allen (Part 3 of 3)
8/30/2014 Chicago, IL @ Double Door

Tony Allen with Chicago Afrobeat Project

Lettuce, Dumpstaphunk & Bear Creek Allstars come together at Bear Creek Music Fest 2013

Bear Creek 2013

Bear Creek All Stars (Part 1 of 3) 11/16/13 Bear Creek Music Festival
Dumpstaphunk plus Eric Krasno, Nigel Hall, Ryan Zoidis, Igmar Thomas, James Casey & Skerik:
Bop Gun (Endangered Species) [Parliament cover] , Dr. Funkenstein [Parliament cover]

Bear Creek All Stars (Part 2 of 3) 11/16/13 Bear Creek Music Festival
Lettuce with Nikki Glaspie, Nigel Hall & Alecia Chakour:
Baby, I Do Love You [Greg Phillinganes cover], For My Friend [Bill Withers cover]

Bear Creek All Stars (Part 3 of 3) 11/16/13 Bear Creek Music Festival
Lettuce with Nikki Glaspie, Nigel Hall & Alecia Chakour:
Need To Understand > Jam (with Ivan Neville, then Andrew Block joins and Dave Watts swaps with Nikki, then Wil Blades swaps with Neal Evans, then Eric Vogel swaps with Jesus, then Robert Walter swaps with Ivan Neville, then Joey Porter swaps with Wil Blades, then Matt Grondin joins on guitar.)

=====================================================================

Lettuce - Bear Creek 2013

Lettuce 11/17/13 (Part 1 of 3) Bear Creek Music Festival
Mr. Yancey > Workinonit > Body Movin (J Dilla Tribute)

Lettuce 11/17/13 (Part 2 of 3) Bear Creek Music Festival
Salute (with George Porter Jr, Cheme Gastelum & Weedie Braimah)
Lettsanity (with Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman & Cheme Gastelum)

Lettuce 11/17/13 (Part 3 of 3) Bear Creek Music Festival
Do It Like You Do (with Nigel Hall, Jennifer Hartswick & Natalie Cressman), Making My Way Back Home (inc. P-Funk Do That Stuff remix) (with Nigel Hall, Jennifer Hartswick & Natalie Cressman), Encore: Madison Square

=====================================================================

Dumpstaphunk - Bear Creek 2013

Dumpstaphunk 11/17/13 (Part 1 of 3) Bear Creek Music Festival
I Know You Know (with Cheme Gastelum, ???, Igmar Thomas, James Casey & Skerik)
Raise The House (with Natalie Cressman, ???, Igmar Thomas, James Casey & Skerik)

Dumpstaphunk 11/17/13 (Part 2 of 3) Bear Creek Music Festival
I Wish You Would (with Natalie Cressman, ???, Igmar Thomas, James Casey & Skerik)

Dumpstaphunk 11/17/13 (Part 3 of 3) Bear Creek Music Festival
If I’m In Luck I Just Might Get Picked Up [Betty Davis cover], Put It In The Dumpsta

AUDIO: Stevie Wonder 11/28/88 Atlanta, GA

Today I want to share with you a truly amazing live recording of Stevie Wonder from his 1988 tour. This is Stevie at the height of his powers and influence. What we have here is nearly 3 hours long and is still likely incomplete. Quality is an A+ soundboard feed with a great mix, albeit with some quality dips in the second half of the show probably due to the limitations of the cassette tapes it was likely stored on.

Stevie plays with passion, joy and playfulness. Besides having a massive trove of hits and classic songs up his sleeve, Stevie goes off on heart wrenching solo tangents and even plays a still unreleased gem (Not The Human Race). He plays a tune he wrote for Dionne Warwick (With A Touch), he covers I Want You Back by The Jackson Five in high pitched “Little Stevie Wonder” voice, and even squeezes in 5 songs from the 1987 Characters album he was touring behind. This is a recording that truly deserves to be liberated and heard far and wide, so please share this!

Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder
November 28th, 1988
Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre

SBD > ? > unknown gen. cassette > ? > CDR > FLAC > CDR > EAC > FLAC

FULL AUDIO DOWNLOAD HERE: FLAC TORRENT or MP3

Disc One:
1. (fades in) I’m A Man 4:13
2. Master Blaster (Jammin’) 3:27
3. Bird of Beauty 4:47
4. Reality Check (Improvisation) 8:16
5. Higher Ground 4:02
6. That Girl 4:55
7. You Will Know 12:17
8. All I Do 4:31
9. With A Touch (solo) 5:45
10. Superwoman (Where Where You When I Needed You) (solo) 5:36
11. Creepin’ (solo) 4:54
12. You and I (solo) 2:30

Disc Two:
1. Ribbon in The Sky 4:41
2. Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing 3:23
3. My Cherie Amour 3:18
4. Signed, Sealed, Delivered 1:35
5. I Was Made to Love Her 2:47
6. Living For The City 4:28
7. Do I Do 8:13
8. Do I Do (continued) 4:25
9. Free 4:29
10. Band Introductions 6:31
11. Sir Duke 2:41
12. I Wish 2:10
13. You Are The Sunshine of My Life 1:43
14. Superstition 4:38

Disc Three:
1. // My Eyes Don’t Cry 5:36
2. Not The Human Race (solo) 3:23
3. Saturn 4:26
4. Dark ‘N’ Lovely 7:31
5. Fingertips 3:44
6. I Want You Back [Jackson Five cover] 4:45
7. I Just Called To Say I Love You 5:06
8. Part Time Lover 5:41
9. Skeletons // 8:01

Stevie Wonder – Keyboards, Vocals
Bass – Nathan Watts
Percussion – James Allen
Guitar – Ben Bridges
Keyboards – Isaiah Sanders
Keyboards – Brad Boxer
Drums – Dennis Davis
Backing Vocals – Keith John
Backing Vocals – Kimberley Brewer
Backing Vocals – Bridgette Bryant

Notes: cassette flips/breaks at the beginning of All I Do, the middle of Do I Do, and at the beginning of My Eyes Don’t Cry.

Stevie Wonder - Atlanta 1988

As a bonus, here is a FLAC ZIP download of Stevie’s 5/1/08 New Orleans Jazz Festival audio: HERE.

And ANOTHER bonus, here is an MP3 ZIP download of Stevie’s 2010 Bonnaroo audio, from a radio broadcast: HERE.

1 32 33 34 35 36 92