Obatala -

Obatala was an American soul-funk band that released a 1977 album on Dash Records.

Members: Rahiim Taalib (vocals, percussion), Alonzo Hentz (bass), Michael Micara (drums, horn/string arrangements), Frank Vento (guitar), Bob Maniscalco (keyboards, vocals)

Background

Obatala formed circa 1975 when drummer arranger Michael Micara teamed with guitarist Frank Vento.

Micara hailed from Bullet, a New York pop-rock band that cut three singles in 1971/72 on Big Tree Records, including the Top 30 hit “White Lies, Blue Eyes.” Vento played in Danser’s Inferno, a Latin jazz-funk ensemble that released the 1973 album Creation One on the Brooklyn-based Lirs label. He also played on Bette Midler‘s eponymous second album. They assembled Obatala with singer/percussionist Rahiim Taalib, bassist Alonzo Hentz, and keyboardist/singer Bob Maniscalco.

In 1976, Obatala linked with producers Howard and Ron Albert (Fat Albert Productions) for a standalone single on the Miami-based label T.K. Disco: “I’ll Remember April,” a 1940s jazz standard backed with “Shades of September,” co-written by Micara associate John Lagana.

Obatala (1977)

Obatala released their self-titled album in 1977 on Dash, a subsidiary of T.K.

The album contains both sides of their prior single and two songs (“In & Out of Love,” “Tight-Rope”) by Michael Micara, who co-wrote one song each with Rashida Shah (“Funk-a-Fried”) and co-producer Louis Valdes (“Disco Party”), who co-wrote “Work It Out” with associate John Lagana.

A1. “April” (3:55)
A2. “In & Out of Love” (3:58)
A3. “Shades of September” (5:24)
A4. “Disco Party” (5:24)

B1. “Funk-a-Fried” (6:34)
B2. “Tight-Rope” (4:20)
B3. “Work It Out” (4:10)

The Albert brothers produced the first three tracks. Micara co-produced the rest with Valdes and Lagana. Sessions occurred at the House of Music in West Orange, NJ, and Electric Lady Studios in NYC.

Obatala appeared in an olive-green sleeve with an illustration of a hybrid monkey/bat in platform shoes.

After Obatala

Micara, Vento, and Taalib also played on the 1977 self-titled album by Sunshine, a soft-rock band with Deliverance banjoist Eric Weissberg on the tax-scam Roulette label.

Michael Micara played in the early Eighties live band of Sixties soul singer Gary U.S. Bonds. He also wrote the theme to the 1982 Animal House sequel Class Reunion. Years later, he studied classical composition at the College of New Jersey.

Discography: