Baker;Ginger in Africa

Considering that this film documents a 1971 event, it's amazing that it took so long for "Ginger Baker In Africa" to be released to the public. In the early 1970's, Ginger Baker was one of the first westerners to appreciate West Africa as the rhythmic capitol of the world. This film documents Ginger Baker's road trip from Algeria to Nigeria. To the percussionist, this is a holy pilgrimage of rhythm. Baker's tribulations in the desert are well documented. Animation makes up for the lack of film. Baker's expressive stoner poetry narrates the drive across the Sahara Desert. Once the Land Rover drives into Nigeria, the music begins. Most of Ginger Baker's playing consists of avant-garde Afrobeat. In other words, Ginger Baker plays free form improvisational jams with musicians well versed in the Afrobeat school of music. The real gem in this consists of watching none other than Fela himself playing live with his group. We actually get to witness Fela's legendary group play during their glorious heyday! If you adore vintage African music as much as this reviewer, the Fela scenes pay for the price of admission ten fold. Traditional African drumming is also well represented. At one point Ginger Baker describes the dynamics of the talking drum. While this DVD has much going for it, there are drawbacks. For starters, the audio is mediocre. Ginger Baker's narrations are awful in terms of the audio quality. With this movie, asking for 5.1 surround sound would be absurd. The original video work is decent and Tony Palmer's editing is good. This is one of those films that you will either love or hate. If you approach this as a Cream fan, you'll hate it. If you grew up with the "Fela-Ransome-Kuti and the Africa 70 with Ginger Baker" CD, you'll love seeing a video version. This experience will better appeal to the Afrofiles and ethnomusicologists long before it resonates with those from the Classic Rock camp. While dated, "Ginger Baker In Africa" has irresistible charm.

I almost didn't buy this DVD because of the horrible reviews it received. However, I did buy it, and am glad I did. It's very interesting- Ginger narrates the entire thing. There is some really cool footage of them driving across the desert, and some even better footage of him playing with some local groups. Basically, this is an edited home movie of his adventure. If you are looking for a professional "movie", this is not it. However, if you're looking for a cool piece of music history, then by all means buy it. Overall, I was very very happy with this purchase. If you're not a huge Baker fan, you might not like it. I love anything with Ginger though, so it was definately worth 4 stars.

A friend of mine bought this DVD on a whim and told me it was great. I looked it up online, saw that the average rating on Amazon was 3 stars, so I didn't know quite what to expect. When I finally saw the film, I was blown away.

The basis of the film is Ginger's seemingly stoned safari across the African continent. Ginger was probably one of the first rock musicians to realize the greatness of African music. Along the way, he plays with an assortment of African musicians. For anybody interested in African music or world music in general, this DVD is a treasure. Not only is the music brilliant, but the DVD also provides a fascinating look into Africa at the beginning of the 70's. The shots of the African cities and music clubs make the music come alive. This DVD is valuable both musically and anthropologically.

The music is undoubtedly the best part of the DVD, but the parts that showcase Ginger's travels are pretty interesting. Ginger narrates the movie through what sounds like a Leslie speaker, giving his voice a very psychedelic tone. One scene features a hilarious piece of narration- "Anyone for tennis?" You'll have to watch the movie yourself to see how it fits in.

The footage of Fela Kuti is truly amazing. I own the "Music is the Weapon" DVD, but it doesn't feature any footage as early as this. At this point, Fela was not an international star. However, his music was as good as ever. During his performance, it is pouring down rain. The band is laying down a monster groove. Fela's dancers (probably a few of his wives) are on fire. I'm sure a few people in attendance probably went into trances of ecstasy. It really is that good.

One of the previous reviewers made a good point: if you are checking this out because you are a Cream fan, you should know that the music is very different from Cream. However, anybody who loves music, especially Fela Kuti, world music in general, or just wild party music, will enjoy the performances on this DVD. It is a documentary rather than a regular concert DVD, so don't expect two hours of music. However, if you like to learn and have an open mind, this will entertain you.

Invite a few friends over and watch this DVD. You'll be glad you did.

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