AFRICAN MUSICIANS GET THE AUDIENCE DANCING.Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor African music African music, the music of the indigenous peoples of Africa. Sub-Saharan African music has as its distinguishing feature a rhythmic complexity common to no other region. is as diverse as the continent is large. The majority of Americans aren't familiar with most of the differences, but Sunday's ``African Funk'' at the Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheatre at 2301 North Highland Avenue in Hollywood, California, USA, that is used primarily for music performances. The "bowl" in this context is the natural cavity in the earth into which the amphitheater is built, rather than the shape of the gave the audience a tasty sample. Senegalese superstar Baaba Maal led the way with his exciting, colorfully clad 12-member troupe (10 musicians and two dancers). If Maal's fusion of traditional African music (drums and soaring vocals) and pop (infectious guitar runs) didn't grab your attention, then his dance moves - and those of the other two performers - should have. Early on, he did a one-legged spin - the other leg high in the air - that would be the envy of any dervish dervish (dûr`vĭsh), see fakir; Rumi, Jalal ad-Din. dervish In Islam, a member of a Sufi fraternity. These mystics stressed emotional aspects of devotion through ecstatic trances, dancing, and whirling. . (``Incredibly limber'' was the phrase most-heard as the audience headed to the parking lot.) But Maal's music was limber in its own way, moving from drum-heavy, high-production numbers to a lovely song in which he accompanied himself on only an acoustic guitar. One of his numbers slid effortlessly from ``talking drums'' (where the drum echoes Maal's vocals) to a funky James Brown-style riff to a Latin, Buena Vista Social Club The Buena Vista Social Club was a members club in Havana, Cuba that held dances and musical activities, becoming a popular location for musicians to meet and play during the 1940s. feel. That was in keeping with one of his opening acts, popular singer Angelique Kidjo. Kidjo, from the small West African West Africa A region of western Africa between the Sahara Desert and the Gulf of Guinea. It was largely controlled by colonial powers until the 20th century. West African adj. & n. nation of Benin, has for more than a decade explored her roots and their influence in pop music. Though she did some of the pop songs she's known for - ``Open Your Eyes,'' ``Voodoo Child'' - much of Sunday's performance focused on songs from her upcoming album, which has a decidedly Latin tone. As the talkative, personable PERSONABLE. Having the capacities of a person; for example, the defendant was judged personable to maintain this action. Old Nat. Brev. 142. This word is obsolete. Kidjo explained (and it was helpful that she did give the audience a perspective on the music), she is interested in how African music evolved as it moved to the Americas. The singer, who has been featured on a number of soundtracks, is quite a presence onstage (yes, she dances, too), with a powerful, intoxicating in·tox·i·cate v. in·tox·i·cat·ed, in·tox·i·cat·ing, in·tox·i·cates v.tr. 1. To stupefy or excite by the action of a chemical substance such as alcohol. 2. voice. Sunday's show was no exception and, by the end, she had people on their feet dancing. Hopefully, her recent tour dates with Dave Matthews have exposed her to a wider audience. |
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