Tonight: Felabration! Salutes Afrobeat Father Fela Kuti at the Flat

Ernest Barteldes October 12, 2009 2:00PM

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Nigerian-born Fela Kuti's legacy lives on more than a decade after his untimely passing from AIDS in 1997. His unique fusion of jazz, funk, rock and his own native African sounds brought his continent's melodies to mainstream audiences in an unprecedented manner, thanks to his audacity and creativity, which is carried on by his son Femi and many of his followers around the globe.

His contribution to World Music is being remembered in the musical Fela! that opens on Broadway later this fall and in addition to this, his entire remastered catalogue is scheduled to be reissued later this month. It might not raise as many ripples as the Beatles did last month, but it is sure to please his many fans.

In celebration of all this - and of what would have been Fela's 71st birthday, several events dubbed Felabration are happening across the country. In Houston, DJs Sun and DJ Chicken George will be giving their own take on what the master's work means to them. This is recommended both for die-hard fans and those who have never heard of Kuti's work or what the Afrobeat phenomenon - his brainchild - is all about.

9 p.m. tonight at The Flat, 1701 Commonwealth, 713-521-3528 or www.barflathouston.com.