I went out last night to downtown Seattle with the Delightful Jeni Garber to see the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, based out of Brooklyn. One of Jeni's key features is that she loves music, probably more than I do. Truly, a frightful prospect. Like me, however, Jeni's interested in a wide and eclectic style of music. Hence the Afrobeat.
The Antibalas folks are a skilled and cohesive unit. Eleven men took the stage, armed with the tools of art. We're talking three guitars and a bass on one side, along with an organist and conga player. We're talking two saxophones, alto and baritone, a trumpet and a trombone. We're talking drums. We're talking here of a full on ensemble of musical talent.
They were good. They were (dare I say it?) dancable. Not much for singing along to (there were minimal vocals), but as far as it goes they're great music to move to or to put on in the background and steadily ignore. If you've been paying even marginal attention to my musical proclivities you'll have already come to the conclusion that I bought one of their albums. In this, you would be correct. I'm enjoying it immensely. Without my own cd collection, I've been very music deprived lately. So, thank God for the Delightful Jeni Garber and the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra.