EASY KABAKA BROWN / イージー・カバカ・ブラウン / OPOTOPO / レコード

76年にナイジェリアのPHILIPSの"WEST AFRICAN"シリーズの一環でリリースされた本作。大手PHILIPSからリリースにも関わらずごく少量のプレスのみで終わった(PHILIPSの70年代のナイジェリア盤は入手困難なアルバム多い!)ため現在では「レア」なんて概念を超越した希少盤。

REX LAWSON直系のナイジェリアン・ハイライフを中心に、ジュジュやアフロ・ジャズ、ラテン的なニュアンスも加わった最高に素晴らしい一枚。当時のナイジェリアのハイライフの中でも、ここまでハイブリットなアルバムは本当に珍しいです。
 

こういった当時のハイライフがストレート・リイシューされるのはハイライフ・ファンの私にとっては本当にうれしいです。アナログ盤オンリーで重量盤、しかも世界限定1,000枚と、今回も完璧な仕事です、SOUNDWAY!(新宿本館:西原)


Soundway present a very limited vinyl-only re-issue of an obscure LP by the enigmatic Nigerian artist Easy Kabaka Brown. The LP was originally released and recorded by Philips / Phonogram in 1976 and only sold in very small numbers. Musically it's a intriguing mix of mostly Nigerian highlife with a bit of afro-jazz sung in the language of Kalabari from the Delta region of Southern Nigeria. From the bouncy good times of Belema to the deeper extended afro workout of Agboho this unique album stands out from thousands of others of its time with a sound of its own that draws on many influences, with Congolese and latin touches to jazz trumpet and psychedelic organ lines.

Easy Kabaka Brown (Opotopo was his nickname) was a versatile and eccentric musician who recorded two full length albums (this is the first) and only a couple of 45s. We at Soundway have deemed this record way too sweet to be forgotten, only to gradually ebb away and disappear with time. It's a record that will give you a golden, warm feeling. Your toes will tap, your face should smile and it certainly deserves to be heard by far more than only the few hundred people who bought it nearly 40 years ago. Strictly limited to 1000 × 180g vinyl copies and released in a rigid paste-on sleeve, these will not last long so don't sleep!