The cynical use of the words “freedom” and “independence” made me furious during the Brexit campaign, but here’s an intriguing, mostly optimistic, album from a true independence era. The 1st of October 1960 marked the birth of free Nigeria, an event celebrated by EC Arinze in Freedom Highlife, with its chorus “Hip, hip, hoorah”. It appears here in a 23-track compilation that includes lilting highlife dance tracks and other Nigerian styles from the period before Fela Kuti mixed highlife with funk to create Afrobeat. There’s jùjú music from IK Dairo, who became a big star with his accordion work and no-nonsense lyrics. There’s percussive apala music from Haruna Ishola, who refused to use European instruments. And there’s Nigerian calypso, dressed up with twanging guitars or jazz trumpet, with lyrics on everything from finance to the murder of Patrice Lumumba. A fascinating compilation, with extensive background information included.
