I have to admit, I thought the great crate-digging wave had already unearthed all of the notable Afro-funk records that had ever been pressed. But it missed Son Of Africa by Remi Kabaka. Now, there's a good reason for this: Son Of Africa wasn't made in Africa at all. It was recorded in England and released in 1976 by Island Records, who were doubling down on Black international artists following the success of Bob Marley.
But the album sank like a stone and has been mostly forgotten until now, when it has been reissued by BBE Records. This week on Global A Go-Go you'll hear a track from Son Of Africa, which as it turns out is one of the very best Afro-funk albums of the 1970s, plus like-minded African peers Gerardo Pino and Rob, who, oddly, I and other African music enthusiasts know more about than we do of Remi Kabaka, who actually played with the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney & Wings, Steve Winwood and many others. The world works in mysterious ways.
Also this week (Sunday May 28, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at
wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at
my podcast site): new Ethio-jazz from the Netherlands by Entoto Band,
guembri three ways, new
cumbia from Pahua and Son Rompe Pera, the speedy
salsa of Cali Colombia, and throat singers do rock 'n' roll.
