Whether you’re an Afrobeat diehard or an American R&B fan, this collaborative album from Nigerian dynamo Fela Kuti and American vibraphone groover Roy Ayers managed to confuse everyone in both camps when it came out in 1980 (reissued in the U.S. in 1986). Fela was critical of government corruption and power structures; Roy wondered if his astrological sign would align with that of his lady friend. Through most of the 1970s, Fela was operating at a peak few recording artists have ever matched, releasing raw, relentless funk albums every six months without fail. While Ayers had started off in a soul jazz bag, by the end of that decade, he slid towards the silky end of pop R&B. But their bands combined into a powerhouse on Music of Many Colours. Ayers takes the vocals on one side while Fela punctuates with his sax, while Fela shouts with rippling vibraphone from Ayers on the flip. Both men abetted the other’s vision and offered compelling visions for the future of Black music on both continents.