this groove is hot: “Belema” by Easy Kabaka Brown

There’s no denying this slice of Nigerian highlife by Easy Kabaka Brown, “Belema” from a new collection, Opotopo, on Soundway Records. According to Soundway, 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.