Monomono - 1973 - Give The Beggar A Chance

Monomono

1973

Give The Beggar A Chance, The Lightning Power Of Awareness

01. Give The Beggar A Chance
02. Ema Kowa Lasa Ile Wa
03. The World Might Fall Over
04. Eje'A Mura Sise
05. Find Out
06. Lida Lou
07. Kenimania

Acoustic Guitar – Kelvin (tracks: A3)
Organ, Piano, Lead Vocals, Percussion, Synthesizer – Joni Haastrup
Backing Vocals – Eppi Josef, Jenny Jackson 
Bass Guitar, Vocals, Percussion – Keni Okulolo
Congas, Vocals – Friday Jumbo
Drums, Percussion – Candido Obajimi
Electric Guitar – Berkely Ike Jones (tracks: A1, A2, B1 to B4)

Led by keyboardist and singer Joni Haastrup (himself a scion of Nigerian royalty), the band MonoMono was one of the most popular funk-rock acts in West Africa in the early '70s. Give the Beggar a Chance is the first of a set of three reissues from that decade, two by MonoMono and one by Haastrup as a solo artist. Although the sound quality is marginal at times (these CDs were mastered from audibly damaged vinyl records), the music itself is fascinating and sometimes deeply compelling. Of the band's two albums, Give the Beggar a Chance is the most consistently fun and interesting. This was a period when Afro-pop was coming into its maturity, and the endlessly repetitive grooves of Fela Kuti were starting to give way to influences from British and American traditions -- listen closely to the title track and you'll hear more than a hint of Ray Manzarek in Haastrup's organ playing, while "The World Might Fall Over" hints at a Santana-esque blues-rock and "Find Out" segues abruptly from a jaunty, swinging jazz-reggae groove to an even jauntier and sauntering 6/8 feel. It must be said that Haastrup is a good singer but not a great one; he often struggles to hit his high notes, which can distract from what are generally pretty good songs and ferocious grooves. But his arrangements are brilliant, dense, and busy without ever feeling ponderous. Surface noise notwithstanding, this album is a genuine gem that should be welcomed back to the commercial marketplace.

Joni formed MonoMono in 1971 with his friend and bassist Baba Ken Okulolo, guitarist Jimmy Adams and percussionists Candido Obajimi and Friday Jumbo. The band recorded seven original tracks for their debut LP, a drastic departure from the soul covers of the 60’s groups in Nigeria but a logical progression from the jazz-rock fusion saturating the London scene. Joni’s keys on the lush, meandering title track ‘Give the Beggar a Chance’ reminds one of Ray Manzarek (The Doors) while on ‘Kenimania’ he wails like an African counter-point to the Skatalites’ master organist Jackie Mittoo. Written in London and recorded in Lagos, the album was released in 1972.

Nigerian multi-instrumentalist Joni Haastrup may not be the household name Fela Kuti is, but he is as indelible a part of Afro-beat and Nigerian music as the Black President is. Haastrup was the vocalist on O.J. Ekemode and his Modern Aces' 1966 album, Super Afro Soul, which was one of the early, formative Afro-beat records -- an album a then-unknown Kuti played trumpet on (before he picked up his famous saxophone). He also toured with Cream's Ginger Baker in 1971, replacing some guy named Steve Winwood, and then went on to form his own band MonoMono before moving on to his own solo work.

Soundway Records has now smartly reissued the first two MonoMono records -- 1971's Give the Beggar a Chance and 1974's The Dawn of Awareness -- and Haastrup's 1978 solo album, Wake Up Your Mind. They come on the heels of their reissue of Remi Kabaka's great Afro-jazz soundtrack Black Goddess, where Haastrup played keys, and these albums further prove that his nickname -- they called him the "Number One Soul Brother" -- suits him quite well.

These three albums are all brief -- each clocks in under 40 minutes -- but they show a heavier soul mix in Haastrup's vision of Afro-funk and rock music. If James Brown was a huge influence on Afro-beat in general, then Haastrup is his closest musical student. These are tighter compositions than Kuti's, but they still manage a similar dichotomy: they are dynamic and shifting and yet build tension and inertia on insistent repetition.

Give the Beggar a Chance is a sweet and soulful debut that highlights Haastrup's voice -- his honeyed vocals are a far cry from Kuti's gruff, spare singing and keyboard work. Playing with guitarist Jimmy Adams, bass player Baba Ken Okulolo, and percussionists Candido Obajimi and Friday Jumbo, Haastrup's work with MonoMono doesn't always feel much like the sound of a band. His vocals are mixed way high, as are his keyboards, and his larger-than-life charm nearly overwhelms the songs. Still, if you sift through the layers, the band is a tight outfit. They shift carefully, but effectively, tone and tempo throughout the record. "The World Might Fall Over" moves from Haastrup's keyboard vamps to a bright and sped-up group jam, before settling into a smoldering soul number. "Find Out", one of many strident calls to action on these albums, has a similar push and pull. The shifts are subtle, but in such relatively short compositions, they catch you off guard and keep you interested.