Show Review

New musical styles tend to blossom like flowers. First the bud of a revolutionary new band is formed, making music so differently it starts a revolution. The Grateful Dead started the jam band scene riding on the wave of electric music. Bill Monroe invented bluegrass, the hyper-realization of the country hill music of his youth. Miles Davis pulled out of jazz to create fusion. From each of these new forms, bands sprang out like petals, stretching out into new territory, sometimes even more artistically successful than the originals.

One of these proto-super bands was championed by a young African named Fela Kuti. Like Jam, Bluegrass and Fusion, his movement had a name: Afrobeat. Afrobeat is the synthesis of Jazz and driving African rhythms which Kuti used as the musical score for his political and social revolt. Afrobeat and world politics have come a long way since the seventies, but the formula remains the same, big brassy bands with lots of horns and plenty of anger.

Antibalas not only plays in the style of Fela Kuti, but also with the spirit. It is that driving spirit that helped to propel their live musical success. Any fan of jam music will instantly be attracted to their danceable music and primal beats. Museum members were disappointed when their view was blocked by the dancing hordes, which made the event that much more enjoyable. They were rebuffed from the stage by the band: “Down in front? Up in back I say!” Many left after that.

Here’s the rub. These musicians have the chops. They play technical music where many instruments are required to solo and improvise on the spot. In a way it’s like listening to a music school recital. It can be very complicated and involved. The grooves (the word was almost invented for this kind of music) go on for a long, long time, but they always have a clear direction. There is no ambient jamming or spacey music here, nothing but driving beats and horns.

On this tour, Antibalas is supporting their new album Who is this America, featuring songs like “Big Man” and “Indictment,” which were meant to be performed live. And they certainly rocked the museum courtyard.

I find the politics of most Afropop, and especially Anitbalas, to be a bit comical. It’s less funny when they do it to the Bush administration, but they used the same angry form to attack Bill Clinton. If Bob Marley rose from the dead to become president of the United States, they'd probably rally against his policies as right wing extremism. But in the end, the anger fuels the music though, and that’s what counts. So if politics and music doesn’t mix for you, this will turn you off faster than it took the stuffy museum members to walk out of the show. It’s ironic that the liberal Boston patrons didn’t mix with the liberal angry performers.

If you like your politics in the Sunday paper and not on stage, you might be a bit put off. But if you just like to groove (and who doesn’t) Antibalas is the band for you - as they carry the Afrobeat flame with all of the venom and anger of the master.