Klimt Records / France / RE 2019 / Lp, Clear Vinyl
Fela Ransome Kuti & His Koola Lobitos was a significant band in the development of what would later become the Afrobeat genre, pioneered by Fela Kuti. The group, active primarily in the 1960s, blended the popular highlife music of West Africa with jazz influences, creating a sound that was innovative and laid the foundation for Fela's later work.
Kuti formed Koola Lobitos after returning to Nigeria in 1963, following his studies at Trinity College of Music in London. The band included musicians like drummer Tony Allen, whose rhythmic style became a cornerstone of the Afrobeat sound. Their music was characterized by a fusion of highlife's infectious rhythms with jazz's improvisational elements. Tracks from this period, such as "Highlife Time" and "Ofulufe," showcased Kuti's early explorations in combining African rhythms with the jazz influences he encountered in London.
The band recorded several singles and an album, much of which remained largely unknown outside of Nigeria until later reissues brought this early work to light. The music of Koola Lobitos captures the early stages of Kuti's artistic journey before his later shift to the politically charged and groove-heavy Afrobeat that he became famous for in the 1970s with bands like Africa '70.
This early period, documented in collections like "Highlife-Jazz and Afro-Soul (1963-1969)," provides a fascinating glimpse into Kuti's formative years as a musician and the nascent stages of a genre that would go on to influence global music for decades.