Product: Konkombe - The Nigerian Pop Music Scene (1979)
Rating: 4.0
Konkombe: Nigerian Music Time Capsule
Early one morning during the annual Argungu Festival in arid northern Nigeria, thousands of bare-chested fishermen carrying nets and gourds rush down the banks of a narrow river. They splash and crowd its muddy waters, while blue-robed musicians glide by in long canoes, beating hypnotically on talking drums to lure the fish to the surface. It is an ancient ritual of the Hausa people that reaches back to the roots of both music and religion. Meanwhile, in a cramped apartment in downtown Lagos, political dissident and Afrobeat star Fela Kuti sits regally on a couch, clad only in bikini briefs and surrounded by three of his 27 wives. Kuti, whose previous home was burned to the ground by a vengeful Nigerian military, speaks forcefully about how music in his country must be used for revolution. Then the jazz- and James Brown-influenced international star lets fly a few funky riffs on his saxophone and sings some lines from his latest protest song.Both these scenes are from "Konkombe: The Nigerian Pop Music Scene," one of 14 videos in British filmmaker Jeremy Marre's ambitious "Beats of the Heart" music documentary series. In each episode--be it about Jamaica, Brazil, China, South Africa or Nigeria--Marre wanders off the beaten path and into the vivid daily rhythms of these lands, into the most unusual and fascinating situations. We witness both folk ritual and modern concert, street musician and pop star, and visit musicians in recording studios and at home. Filmed between 1977 and 1984, the series is a world-music fan's dream, a beautifully photographed and recorded chronicle of many of the planet's top musicians. It is also a gripping look at the often difficult political and economic conditions in these parts of the world, and shows how popular music plays an important role there, and indeed in every country, in keeping people's spirits alive and communicating information not controlled by "official" channels."Konkombe" is one of best "Beats of the Heart" episodes, and is a striking snapshot of Nigerian music in 1979, of gifted musicians like Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Sonny Okoson, I. K. Dairo and Ebenezer Obey, who were on the verge of gaining world renown. And, as with the better episodes in the series, "Konkombe" immerses us in the local societies--with all their joys, sorrows and contradictions--that give birth to such engrossing music.