Femi’s sabbatical from recording surprisingly allowed him to learn a lot more about being a musician. Femi learned to play piano properly and returned to the trumpet, his first instrument, which he gave up in favor of the sax. The benefits are immediately apparent on Day By Day. Femi says, “Listen to ‘They Will Run’ and ‘Better Ask Yourself,’ they are more jazz than anything I’ve done before. That’s the effect of playing the trumpet coming out.”
As the album launches into opening track “Oyimbo,” the benefits of recording with Positive Force, his 17-piece band, become immediately apparent. Femi might shun the 24-minute diatribes favored by his father—indeed “One Two” could be the shortest Afrobeat track ever, but in many other ways Day By Day is a return to the glory days of Nigeria’s big bands, of wailing organs, frantic poly-rhythms and behemoth horn sections playing against each other. Yet now the palette is broader. “Do You Know” and “They Will Run” are undeniably afro-jazz. “You Better Ask Yourself” and “Eh Oh” carry the air of lost messages from Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield. The title track is infused with gospel, suffering and ghostly echoes of work songs.
Since Fela Kuti’s death in 1997, his son Femi, a formidable songwriter, performer and bandleader in his own right, brought his music to audiences that might never have heard of Fela, expanding his audience beyond world music fans. Femi toured the United States with alt-rock band Jane’s Addiction.
Buy the CD:
- In North America: Day By Day
- In Europe: Day By Day
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
