A flagrant marijuana smoker and bridegroom to 27 women in one day, the gloriously rebellious African musician Fela Kuti led a life as tumultuous as the history of his native Nigeria. Jailed several times, Kuti became a voice of dissent against the successive military dictatorships that ruled the land

Ebullient, Hypnotic, Improvised, Juju/highlife, Open-ended, Rhythmic

When Al Green drew himself a bath on a troubled night in 1977, he had no idea his life was about to change. All of a sudden his girlfriend, with whom he'd just had a row, burst through the door and slung a bowl of sizzling grits across his body. As he screamed in agony, she put the butt of a gun to h

Ecstatic, Pop, Religious, Rhythmic

Herbie Hancock isn't easy to pin down. From bebop to free jazz, fusion to jazz-rock, instrumental pop to hip-hop, funk to world fusion, an entire spectrum of musical forms has felt the Hancock hand. With an agile sense for diverse styles, he has continuously modulated his mood and his sonorous archit

Bright, Cool, Cool jazz, Fusion, Improvised, Lush, Pioneering, Rhythmic

On certain streets of Northern India it is not the classical sitar of Ravi Shankar that spills from markets and open air restaurants: it's the music of Najma Akhtar. For those who want more juice than the old-school Shankar offers, Akhtar represents the next generation. She backs up classic ghazal

Eclectic, Layered, Modern pop/dance, Pioneering, Rhythmic, Sensual