Gentleman cover

Gentleman

Released

“Gentleman” is one of Fela Kuti’s angriest and most masterful songs. Originally released in 1973, the lyrics decry African men who wear European clothing, in line with the cover image: a monkey’s head pasted onto a suit (likely worn by a child, as the clothes fall loosely in a pile). Musically, it’s a killer jazz-funk workout, with Kuti blowing a fierce, almost King Curtis-esque sax melody over electric piano, multiple guitars, a raucous horn section, and Tony Allen’s complex rhythms for the first nine minutes of its 14-minute running time. The two shorter tracks on the album’s flip side, “Fefe Naa Efe” and “Igbe,” are a looser, jazzier meditation and a taut, James Brown-style workout, respectively.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Fire Illuminations cover

Fire Illuminations

Wadada Leo Smith, Orange Wave Electric
Synchro System cover

Synchro System

King Sunny Adé and his African Beats
Congotronics cover

Congotronics

Konono N°1
Gratitude cover

Gratitude

Earth, Wind & Fire
Hand Jive cover

Hand Jive

John Scofield
Flood cover

Flood

Herbie Hancock
Hearsay cover

Hearsay

David Sanborn
Love Bug cover

Love Bug

Reuben Wilson