Fela Kuti, African activist musician, human rights advocate, and father of instrumental fusions and Afrobeat music, is remembered still in Harlem. “The Shrine,” on 134th Street and Adam Clayton Powell (7th Avenue), is named after the club in Lagos, Nigeria, where Fela got his start, musical generations ago. I visited this bar/lounge/restaurant/world music venue over the weekend and was surprised to be serenaded into a Sunday brunch serenity by an impromptu jazz trio: the violin, drums, and bass went perfectly with my eggs and mimosa. Then I learned this spot has something called “Funky Samurai Soul” every Thursday night. It’s not new to Harlem (rather, I am), but is tucked away enough to have a mystical reputation, if not a bit hard to find. But, if it means I can recall the spirit of socially-conscious and dynamic beats over some French toast, it’s well worth the pursuit.
