The Africa and James Brown connection is almost like the chicken egg question; who was influenced by whom? Was Brown’s sound inspired by the likes of Fela Kuti and drummer Tony Allen or was Fela mesmerized by Brown’s sound? Next week some of Brown’s former hornmen will share the stage with a couple of African artists to pay homage to the Godfather at a show put on by the Jazz Institute of Chicago. So what better way to build the excitement than by featuring the music of James Brown. Jazz Institute James Brown fanatic Dan Melnick joins Tony Sarabia for a night of rare and obscure tunes from the Brown catalogue as well as Brown covers by artists from around the globe.