Bukky Leo, one of the most prolific UK jazz innovators, returns with a strong musical and intellectual
statement. His new album "Anarchy" is not only a convincing, fresh translation of afro-beat for the 21st
century, but these thirteen new songs also close a very personal circle for Bukky Leo, spanning nearly 30
years. Musically "Anarchy" digs deep in afro-beat's foundations, expertly laid down by Dennis Bovell at the controls: "When I toured with Fela and then with Roy Ayers I met Dennis. I am very honoured to have him
as a producer." Apart from being one of the originators in modern British reggae with Matumbi, Bovell
worked with everybody from The Slits to Bananarama, from Sade to Edwyn Collins. With Gilles Peterson
and DJ Simbad on remix duties for the first single "Skeleton", "Anarchy" features two other protagonists of
highly innovative music. "It was a long process though. I recorded the first demos with my keyboard player Kishon Khan (a key figure in the British Bangla-Afro-Cuban-Jazz circle), we tried various studios and ended
up in this great place in Battersea." The result is a refreshingly flowing, instantly accessible but still tight and edgy album with a nononsense, highly musical approach. The topics Bukky Leo touches on "Anarchy"
are universal. While "Fella Fella" is an observation of everyday street life in Britain with a parodique twist,
''Man's Dilemma'' touches a common theme in gender relationships. Bukky explains with a big smile on his
face: "Sometimes you have to be a mind reader to know what your partner is up to. Funnily, I think women
play this game more often than men." "Rhythemic" and "Don't Gag Me" drop as powerful pleas for the
freedom of body and mind. ‚Jahfrobeat' (recorded with London DJ Koichi Sakai, known for his unique style between jazz, reggae, house and afro) actually is about African and Japanese cuisine, a plea for a more life sustaining, nourishing diet. "We tend to forget the importance of these things," Bukky puts the message of "Anarchy" in a nutshell and adds a simple truth impossible to ignore: "The power of music can't be ignored!"
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