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#kingsunnyade

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dj zenn

1000 Day Album Challenge (#88) King Sunny Adé & His African Beats: Juju Music (1982) [28.03.24]

call me darling, that's my number / tell me anything you want from me
only you have to give your love to me / 365 is my number now…

King Sunny Ade’s Juju Music was my first foray into African music. his sound is sweet, gentle, and compelling. I ended up buying all three of the albums he released in this period on Mango, an Island Records subsidiary. the other two were Synchro System (1983) and Aura (1984). I think because it was my first this was the album I’ve returned to the most often.

I saw King Sunny & His African Beats live in NYC sometime during this period. I believe it was in the summer of 1984 at either The Ritz or Irving Plaza, two venues that I’ve seen more shows at than any others. it was a very long show. I’m not sure if my memory is exaggerating the length, but I believe it was three to four hours.

years ago, I remembering reading an article about King Sunny in which he as quoted as saying that the band’s shows in the West were quite short compared to their shows back in Nigeria. he said something to the effect of “back home we are just getting warmed up around the four hour mark.”

what I remember clearly is that it was hypnotic. the band size was 20+ and a rather large number of members were drummers and percussionists. I had never experienced the power of talking drums in person. I don’t specifically recall, but I imagine I spent a great deal of time with my eyes closed. with that many people I stage one loses the need to focus on what individual players are doing.

just before I typed that line my eyes were closed as I got lost in Ma Jaiye Oni, the lead track on side two of the vinyl version of Juju Music. (which is not to say I’m listening to it on vinyl. I’m streaming it on YouTube Music.)

cover art for King Sunny & His African Beats - Juju Music (1982).
#1000DayAlbumChallenge#KingSunnyAde#KingSunnyAdeAndHisAfricanBeats
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jesse jarnow

- catching up on @doomandgloomfromthetomb posts i missed & vibing to in new haven, 7 february 1983, 40 years ago next month. it's an early date on the band's first american tour & near as i can tell is the earliest circulating live king sunny recording. (i would be absolutely delighted to be proven wrong.) not the most pristine tape, but enough by demola adepoju cuts through to still make it a somewhat holy document. doomandgloomfromthetomb.tumblr

WHAT'S NEW King Sunny Ade and his African Beat will perform Feb. 7 at Toad's Place in New Haven. King Sunny Ade fronts a 19-piece band from Nigeria, where he is a super- star. His African shows last be- tween four and six hours. The length of his first U.S. tour will depend on the audience and the King. His Juju Music, which de- rives from the sounds of the Yoru- ba tribe, has influenced such mu- sicians as Talking Heads and Peter Gabriel.
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