Friday night I went to the free Zo-Zo Afrobeat show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). First of all, the venue, BAM’s opera house cafe, is so dope. The whole vibe of the place is awesome. The only thing wrong with the venue for this type of show is that most people were sitting down. That isn’t what is supposed to happen at an afro-beat show. From my understand, african music and movement (dancing) go hand in hand.
Zo-Zo Afrobeat is headed up by Nigerian-born Kaleta. Kaleta made his name by being Fela Kuti’s touring guitarist. That alone should draw a crowd in NYC, especially with the success of the Fela! musical on broadway and the overall rising success of the afro-beat genre. Kaleta is so comfortable being the frontman that it brings the energy of the whole show up a notch or two. I honestly don’t know how people were able to sit through that whole show. I couldn’t help but move.
Kaleta’s 13-piece band that backs him is equally as talented. He had a drummer (who also played with Fela Kuti), 3 percussionists, guitarist, bassist, 2 back-up singers, keyboardist, and a 3-piece horn section. The sound was big, the grooves were funky, and the energy was high.
Much of the set consisted of Fela Kuti covers, but that is to be expected at this point because Fela’s music defines the genre, in addition to the fact that two members of the band played with Kuti. “Water Get No Enemy” was the song that stood out to me the most, especially after the second breakdown when the horns come in full-fledged with the rest of the band. The energy was so high at that point, I remember the music really hitting me at that specific moment.
If you ever get a chance to check them out, make sure you do so; they are the most authentic NYC-based afro-beat band I’ve come across. You can also check them out at: www.myspace.com/zozoafrobeat.