Jungle Beat at Samaka Studios (4)

I am not sure if I deliberately did this. Why did I do this? Gosh, why did I with Teddy Osei-Mac Tontoh-Sol Amarfio's Osibisa? I had placed my childhood heroes at number four with the track 'Che Che Kule' written by drummer Sol "Rhythm Man" Amarfio and first released in 1972 during the band's PYE years in London.

Somehow, I would think it's not right for what I have done. But think about it though, Fela, Masekela and Di Bango who topped Osibisa earned the slot on the list. Also, I had missed my favorite Osibisa track 'Woyaya' which I recited verbatim while growing up and my little nephew, only two years old, sang along with me. And only God knows, according to Osibisa:

Woyaya means we are going
Only God knows where we are going
We are going
Heaven knows where we are going
We know we will...
We will get there
Heaven knows how we will get there
We know we will
It will be hard we know
And the road will be muddy and rough
But we will get there...
We will get there
Heaven knows how we will get there
we know we will

That line alone made everybody's day listening to this legendary group do their thing.

No question, the coinage "Afro Rock" being a combination of highlife and Western rock became a household name established by Osei and his Ghanaian brothers together with their Caribbean folks they met in London - Spartcus R., on bass and Wendell Richardson, on Lead guitar, acoustic guitar and vocals - playing gigs to entertain audiences not familiar with the kind of vibes in the 70s disco era, introducing a new kind of "jungle beat," making Osibisa the inventors of Afro Rock which was universally accepted into world class music.

The 'Che Che Kule' from this particular album, was a national anthem emulated by many other local emsembles. But at number four in my compilation, I really "dunno!" Track 7 of this compilation features another great song by Osibisa. 'Happy Children,' the band's fourth album was a knockout, and I remember as a kid, we recited that "Ayele" stuff meaning double winner in a card playing contest.

Jungle Beat at Samaka Studios (3)

I have heard two different versions of the song 'Oh! koh!' One by Cardinal Rex Lawson and the other by African Rhythm Messengers, a Bay area local ensemble led by vocalist Babatunde Garaya. Comparing both songs, though credited to Lawson as the lawful composer, Di Bango, the original Makossa man's 'Oh Koh' culled from Di bango's Very Best beats them all.

But this fabulous track, making it number three on my list of "Jungle Beats at Samaka Studios" got me right there with the rhythm. A dance track that'll make you groove until you are busted for stealing a show you never intended to. Brilliant vibe! Go for it and check some of his makossa vibes at his website and enjoy one of Africa's finest musician.

Jungle Beat at Samaka Studios (2)

Hugh Masekela's "The Boy's Doing It" was number two on my list as I had selected 'Excuse Me Please' at track two which begins with Masekela's rendition of 'excuse me, baby!...mama what are you doing in the ghetto' followed by some congas, then drums and Masekela's trademark trumpet. The album was first released in 1975 while Masekela was still in exile. He had done sessions with Osibisa and Fela as part of this project dedicating the album to Fela. I will not be writing in detail about Masekela here, but would like to point out briefly some basic facts about this legendary trumpeter. Maskela palyed with Jazz legends Herb Alpert, Fela, and many others including Paul Simon in the 'Graceland Tour. Good vibe!

News Desk Friday, July 06, 2007

SSS Disrupts Igbo National Council's Conference - INC Alleges Plot for Igbo Extinction

ENUGU—OPERATIVES of the State Security Service (SSS), yesterday, stormed the Sunshine Guest House, Enugu where leaders of the Igbo National Council (INC) were addressing a news conference on national issues bothering on the Igbo interest, disrupted the conference and whisked away leaders of the group. MORE>>

Militants Kidnap 3-yr-old British Kid

PORT HARCOURT — A THREE-YEAR-OLD British kid, Margaret Hill, was yesterday abducted by armed youths in Port Harcourt. She was on her way to school. Sources said five boys in a Toyota Saloon car blocked the vehicle taking Margaret to school and then ordered those in the car to release her to them. Her attackers smashed the windscreen of the vehicle. MORE>>

Stop Pulling Yourself Down, Mark Tasks Igbo

ABUJA—Senate President David Mark yesterday charged Igbos in politics to stop the practise of pulling one another down just as he warned that Governors would never again be allowed to rubbish their Senators. MORE>>

Yar'Adua Recalls Ambassadors

Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Alhaji Aminu Wali, and politically-appointed ambassadors have been recalled. A United States-based Nigerian news agency, Empowered Newswire, reported on Thursday that President Umaru Yar’Adua had asked them to tidy up their assignments by the end of June ahead of the appointment of new envoys. MORE>>

Senate President Warns Ministerial Nominees

The President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has warned ministerial nominees against offering bribes to senators during their screening. The screening will start on Tuesday at 10am. Mark, who read out the names of 34 nominees at the plenary session of the Senate on Thursday in Abuja, also advised his colleagues against accepting gratification from the would-be ministers. MORE>>

Anenih, Others for Probe - Over N1 trillion Spent on Roads

THE battle between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief Tony Anenih has shifted to the Senate with the upper chamber launching a probe of Anenih’s tenure as works minister. MORE>>

Rivers Woos Militants With N1m Each

Cultists, militants and other arms bearers in Rivers State are to receive the N1 million each if they renounce criminal activities. The chairman of Peace and Rehabilitation Committee in Rivers State, Hassan Tam Douglas, made this public, while speaking with the leader of the ‘Bush Boys’ of Okrika, Sunny Opuambe, in Government House, Port Harcourt. MORE>>

Jungle Beat at Samaka Studios

Quite often, I compile songs for the heck of it, and of course, for my listening pleasure at home or while cruising on the streets of Los Angeles. Most of the time, though, my compilations takes place at Samaka Studios where I create all the beats before the sound engineers and production crews arrives for the normal evening jam sessions. Compilations doesn't take much, that is, if you are not mixing sounds to produce entirely a different kind of vibe depending on the program and sofware one is using.

However, it came to my mind to do some crazy stuff. I mean, being a music enthusiast and one who has a lasting passion for good vibes dating back to the good ol' 70s when series of music categories were coined to catch up with the rhythms of African beats. It was then that Afro Beat, Afro Rock, Ikwokirikwo and the rest came into being. In this case, I coined my compilations 'Jungle Beat' and had selected five legendary African performers - Fela, Hugh Masekela, Manu Di Bango, Osibisa and Brenda Fassie - who aren't the best of them all, but who, in my own assessment have left a mark in the world music scene.

Fela's 'Expensive Shit' album was number one on my list and I had selected "Water No Get Enemy" as the first track of this compilation. The album was first released in 1975 and I first heard the vibe popping up from a neigbor's house during which time Fela had begun to showcase his talents in playing series of instruments entertaining his audiences at the Shrine.

There are ten tracks in this compilation of legendary African musicians and bands of which five recording artists were involved. Fela at number 0ne, six and 10 makes the compilation a masterpiece. Masekela at number two, seven and nine would make one wanna holla hearing these beats pop up from the jungle. Manu di Bango, the Cameroonian music maestro and legendary saxophonist took number three spot with the track, 'Oh! Koh!' Osibisa, my childhood heroes features at number four and number eight with the tracks 'Che Che Kule,' 'Happy Children,' respectively. The Queen of African Pop, Brenda Farsi with the track 'Vul'ndlela' at track five concludes my picks as the best of my 'Jungle Beat' compilations. All a mind-blowing sensation.

TRACK LIST:

1. Water No Get Enemy - Fela Anikulapo Kuti

2. Excuse Me Please - Hugh Masekela

3. Oh! Koh! - Manu di Bango

4. Che Che Kule - Osibisa

5. Vul'indlela - Brenda Fassie

6. Sorrows, Tears and Blood - Fela

7. The Boy's Doing It - Masekela

8. Happy Children - Osibisa

9. Mama - Masekela

10.Expensive Shit - Fela

Absolutely, there is a message in the music!

MASSOB Leader's Supporters Clash With SSS

By Nnamdi Felix /Abuja

Hell was let loose this morning at the Federal High Court, Abuja as the members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) clashed with gun-wielding operatives of the State Security Service (SSS). The MASSOB members who beat the security operatives’ blockades at the gate of the court premises chanted war songs and praised their leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, who was in court for the continuation of his trial.

As soon as Uwazuruike emerged from the court room, the MASSOB members raised the tempo of their praise singing and as Uwazuruike made to acknowledge the cheers of his supporters, the security operatives who were still angry with the number of the MASSOB elements who found their way into the court premises, would not have any of it. They forcefully tried to bundle the MASSOB leader into the waiting Nassarawa State prison vehicle.

This provoked his supporters and prompted them into action to defend their leader. Not a few of the security operatives and the MASSOB elements as well, left with swollen and bruised faces.

At this point, efforts of the leader of the SSS team to shield cameramen from taking shots collapsed as the supporters urged the pressmen to capture the event and relay it to Nigerians.

A security official with the Prisons Armed Unit threatened to shoot Uwazuruike if his people will not let go of one of their members who was being held by the supporters.

Festus Keyamo, who entered appearance for Uwazuruike during the court proceedings, had informed the court about the death of Mrs. Monica Uwazuruike, the MASSOB leader’s mother, who is yet to be buried as her only surviving son, Ralph, is still in detention.

He sought for a short adjournment to enable him file a new application for bail for the MASSOB leader in the light of the latest development.

Justice Murtala-Nyako, the presiding judge, adjourned hearing till 17 July 2007 after condoling the MASSOB leader over the death of his mother.

Meanwhile, operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) this morning invaded the venue of a press conference organised by Igbo National Council.

The press briefing was taking place in Enugu when the security agents stormed the venue and disrupted it.

Sources at the venue of the briefing said the SSS operatives insisted on taking officials of the council away to their office in Enugu. The operatives were still laying siege to the venue of the briefing at the time of filing this report.

The briefing was organised to address the plight of the Igbo people, particularly their marginalisation and the continued detention of Ralph Uwazuruike, the leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).

News Desk Thursday, July 05, 2007

Maduekwe, Usman, 33 Others on Ministerial List

President Umaru Yar’Adua has submitted the names of 35 prominent Nigerians to the Senate for screening as ministers in line with constitutional provisions. He sent the names on Wednesday through his Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa. MORE>>

Militants Kill Policeman, Kidnap 5 oil Workers

MILITANTS, again, kidnapped five expatriate oil workers and killed one mobile policeman when they attacked Rig2 in Soku, Rivers State, belonging to the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) on Wednesday. MORE>>

Fuel Price: DPR Seals off Seven Stations for non Compliance

Awka—The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) yesterday sealed off seven filling stations in Nnewi and Awka, Anambra State, for their failure to sell petroleum products at government approved prices. MORE>>

ANPP Govs Disown Buhari, Back Unity Govt Deal

ABUJA — GOVERNORS of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) yesterday disowned their presidential candidate in the last election, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), saying his rejection of the Government of National Unity proposed by President Umaru Yar’Adua was his personal opinion that did not affect the position of the party. MORE>>

Brenda Fassie: The Queen of African Pop and her Music

The late Brenda Fassie, "Queen of African Pop," and dubbed by Time Magazine as "Madonna of the Townships" was a phenomenon, that is why if you listen to her powerful chords which echoes with emotional bursts, and watched her live performances and music videos, you would conclude a vacuum had been left.

I wasn't too familiar with her music until probably the beginning of the decade when I seriously began collecting African music which has now taken me to a whole new heights. I collect everything African; from soukous to rumba, and from highlife to ikwokirikwo, the kind of big band ensemble Ikenga Superstars of Africa invented, with that popular vibe, Ikenga Ga Allum, (Ikenga will marry me).

Fassie's music causes commotion whenever it's played at party jams and night clubs. Before purchasing her Greatest Hits at Amoeba Records in Hollywood, I never thought of her songs having such powerful lyrics especially the track 'Vul'Indlela' she sang to Nelson Mandela in one of her striking concerts in South Africa.

Fassie was born in 1964 in Langa, Cape Town, South Africa and died on May 10, 2004 at 39. She had a long battle with drugs stirring a whole lot of controversy in the media, and not slowing down in what she knew best, her music and those powerful chords, the critical press did not deter her in moving on to the top. Her Discography is right here and amazing even when it's posthumous.

The "Greatest Hits" CD comes with liner notes describing Fassie as "versatile, gutsy, laden with texture and instantly identifiable" possessing "one of the best voices in South Africa - heck, in Africa and beyond!" Profits from the CD benefits the 46664, a subsidiary of the Nelson Mandela Foundation "to improve the lives of those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa." 46664 was Mandela's prison number.

News Desk Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Yar'Adua Opposes Obasanjo on National Assembly Committees

Strong indications emerged on Tuesday that President Umaru Yar’Adua and former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, are heading in opposite directions over the Peoples Democratic Party directive that all committees in the Senate and House of Representatives be chaired by PDP lawmakers. MORE>>

Ex-Governors Behind Plan to Remove Ribadu

INDICATIONS emerged on Tuesday that the alleged pressure that was mounted on President Umaru Yar ‘Adua to remove the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, was being spearheaded by some of the former governors. MORE>>

Three Shortlisted for Ribadu's Job

THE plan to remove the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, may have gone beyond speculations as three Northerners were said to have been shortlisted for the position. MORE>>

AU Summit: Accra Declaration

RECALLING our decision Assembly/AU/Dec. 156 (VIII) adopted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2007 on the need for a "Grand Debate on the Union Government" with a view to providing a clear vision of the future of the African Union and of African unity; MORE>>

AU Summit: Not Yet There

The 9th Summit of African Union Heads of State and Government ended yesterday without a ringing statement for a United States of Africa under a Union Government. It was from the beginning going to be a tall order – getting over fifty heads of state and government to sign away their countries sovereignties into one super-state. They did not disappoint; they debated, discussed, argued and lobbied and ended just as their predecessors have done these four decades and more, but with a significant difference. MORE>>

Women Seek Imo Govt Assistance

A group of women, led by wife of the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Prof. Viola Onwuliri, has called on the wife of Imo State Governor, Mrs. Chioma Ohakim, to donate a bus to shuttle the university, to alleviate the suffering of the students. MORE>>

Nigerians Going Through Hell, admits Yar'Adua

President Umar Musa Yar’Adua on Tuesday, in Accra, Ghana, admitted that the majority of Nigerians are literally going through hell, in their bid to eke out a living, following widespread poverty. He attributed the situation to the inability of the system to generate jobs as well as the vexatious power and energy problem. MORE>>

News Desk Tuesday, July 03, 2007

20 Feared Killed by Gunmen in Port Harcourt

PORT HARCOURT — NO fewer than 20 persons lost their lives Sunday night in Port Harcourt when gunmen took over major streets, shooting sporadically. The cause of their action was still unclear at press time. MORE>>

Enahoro, Others ask Court to Void '99 Constitution

ABUJA — FIVE members of Pro-National Conference (PRONACO) have filed a suit at a Federal High Court, Abuja seeking the invalidation of the 1999 constitution.They are contending that the constitution is a fraud, having not emanated from the people of Nigeria as claimed by its preamble. MORE>>

Confusion Over Ministerial List

INTERNAL bickerings within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition political parties have deepened confusion over the ministerial list, Nigerian Tribune investigation has revealed. MORE>>

FG Moves to Remove Ribadu - Ribadu Confers with Obasanjo

There are indications that the President Umaru Yar’Adua government may be planning to replace Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as the head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). MORE>>

Obasanjo, Atiku, Others Spent N635m on Lobbying - Report

The administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, and eight ex-governors spent more than $5,000,471 (about N635m) on lobbying in the United States between 1999 and 2006. MORE>>

U.S. Congress Moves to Make OPEC Illegal

WITH its citizens at the receiving end of the rising cost of crude oil in the global market, the United States Congress has embarked on a course that may send international law experts back to their text books. In a unanimous vote, the Congress on May 23 passed a bill, which criminalises the formation and operation of oil producing countries acting as a body. MORE>>

AU Summit: Good Show - Ground Debate Wraps up Today

The groundbreaking African Union Summit ends in Accra today. Much is expected from it, but would anything at all come out of it? The session, which has been running since Tuesday June 19 2007 with pre-summit events including the AU Civil Society Organizations Meeting, was officially opened on Sunday July 1, 2007 with the convening of the 9th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the union. MORE>>

AU Summit: Kibaki for a United African State

President Kibaki has backed calls for the formation of an African government. Mr Kibaki, however, stressed the need for a structured approach towards unity during the ongoing African Union Summit in Accra, Ghana. MORE>>

AU Summit: Why We Oppose Gaddafi, by Yar'Adua

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday explained his disagreement with Col. Muammar Gaddafi over the Libyan leader's proposal for the establishment of a United States of Africa. He said the continent was confronted with "greater challenges" which need immediate tackling, rather than setting up a union government. MORE>>

Musicians for African Union Government

South African musician, Hugh Masekela, has declared that the attainment of African Union government would be pointless if African leaders do not take steps to stem the genocide and other human right violations in Darfur and elsewhere. He noted that Africans needed to see themselves as one state and therefore consider the boundaries dividing them as imaginary. With that in mind, he said, the ongoing African Union (AU) Summit in Accra should focus on measures to stop recalcitrant African leaders like Omar Basher and the evil Janjaweed from perpetrating genocide in Darfur. MORE>>

AU Summit: Gaddafi with a Bang! His armed "Batallion" Disarmed

Libyan Leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi arrived in Ghana by road for the AU Summit with his usual entourage of armed guards. Very clearly, a diplomatic spat was in the offing. The Ghanaian security authorities refused to allow all these arms into the national capital and had to be disarmed. MORE>>

Ehirim Files News Desk Monday, July 02, 2007

AU Plans United States of Africa

Leaders of the African Union, on Sunday, began a three-day summit in Accra, Ghana, and planned to forge a confederation of states with an acknowledgement that the continent’s current system of governance had to improve. MORE>>

Civil Society Discusses Darfur, Zimbabwe at Summit

African officials and members of civil society organizations across the continent have been debating the twin crises in Darfur, Sudan and Zimbabwe ahead of the African Union Summit in Accra, Ghana. While the official theme of the conference is the so-called "Grand Debate on a United States of Africa," which would accelerate political and economic integration within the body's 52 member states, discussions of the ongoing violence in Darfur and the worsening political and economic situation in Zimbabwe are largely taking place outside of the official forum. MORE>>

You Stabbed me in the Back, Buhari Accuses ANPP Leaders

Presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) has accused the party and its leadership of betraying him in their acceptance to participate in the proposed government of national unity in the country, even after counselling him to go to court. MORE>>

Uwazuruike: Selective Justice!

Pained by the condition of the Igbo 25 years after the civil war in the project Nigeria in 1995, I wrote the book, Igbos: 25 years after Biafra. My aim of writing the book was not only to encourage and motivate my people to stop complaining of marginalization and take affirmative action but to prick the conscience of other Nigerians that time has come for us to put the war behind us and forge ahead as one united family to join the human race. MORE>>

More Trouble for Ehindero

The noose appears to be tightening round the neck of the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, as anti-fraud detectives at the Police Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja unearth fresh clues in the ongoing probe into the recent N21million scam for which three of his close aides were held. MORE>>

ICPC Begins Fresh Probe of ex-Govs - EFCC now to Concentrate on Money Laundering, Terrorism

ABUJA—THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has transferred the case files of former state governors it is investigating to its sister organisation, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). MORE>>

Fuel Sells for N120 per Litre in Imo

OWERRI—OVER one week after the national leadership of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) forced down the pump prices of petroleum products in the country, prices of the commodities, especially the premium motor spirit (PMS), have remained very high in Imo State. MORE>>

Nigeria's Domestic Debt hits N1.8 trillion

NIGERIA'S domestic debt stock is ballooning, according to the Debt Management Office (DMO). From N897.95 billion in 2000, the debt portfolio rose to N1.66 trillion in 2002 and hit N1.87 trillion at the end of March 2007. MORE>>

Ministerial List: IBB, Anenih dare OBJ - Dangote, others back OBJ's Nominees - Senate May get List Tomorrow

THE battle between the pro and anti-Obasanjo forces within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has shifted to the ministerial list as both camps are now struggling to get their nominees onto the final list. MORE>>

Price of Machetes Drops in Nigeria after Elections

ABUJA, July 2 (Reuters) - The price of machetes has halved in parts of Nigeria since the end of general elections in April because demand from thugs sponsored by politicians has subsided, the state-owned News Agency of Nigeria reported. MORE>>

University Teachers in Nigeria Suspends Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, the ASUU, a representative body for teachers of state-owned universities in Nigeria, says the strike was suspended to give the new Nigerian administration a chance to address its grievances. MORE>>

AIG Investments Invests in Nigeria's Intercontinental Bank PLC

NEW YORK, July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- AIG Investments today announced that AIG Global Emerging Markets Fund II, L.P., a fund sponsored by AIG Capital Partners, Inc. (AIGCP), a member company, acquired a minority interest in Intercontinental Bank Plc, a leading bank in Nigeria, as part of a consortium of international investors, including Emerging Capital Partners, Vectis Capital through West African Financial Holdings Limited Partnership, Firstrand International Limited and Rashed Abdulrahman Al Rashed & Sons Company Limited. The transaction will support Intercontinental Bank's expansion strategy in and outside Nigeria. The transaction was part of a larger US $850 million fundraising exercise by Intercontinental Bank to increase its Tier 1 capital with the funds earmarked for various growth initiatives. MORE>>

US Experts Arrive to Audit Nigerian Airlines

Technical experts from the United States' Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) arrived in the country yesterday to audit three domestic airlines, Arik Air, Virgin Nigeria and Bellview which had been designated to fly tthe Nigeria-US air route by the Federal Government. MORE>>