11. Fela KutiShakara
He released so many amazing albums but in Africa this is the one we danced to most. He was singing in Yoruba but we sang ‘Shakara’ in Bambara. We didn’t know what he was singing but it sounded so good that we made up our own words in Bambara and danced to it.
And you worked with Tony Allen on Mogoya.
It was incredible working with him, he’s a maestro, a walking library, and he’s a delightful person. And he’s a genius. And when you play with him it’s as though he’s the same age as you. And he’s present in the moment, and yet with all that history in him. Incredible. And it’s real afrobeat.
Selected in other Baker’s Dozens: Sean Lennon
