Skip to main content

Lagos Jazz Series 2017, a Nigerian affair

Brymo has just put his glasses down
Brymo has just put his glasses down
A red carpet covered the swimming pool in the leafy courtyard of Moorhouse hotel. Long tables, with chairs on one side only, had been arranged over it parallel to the stage. The organisers had thankfully done away with the usual round tables around which half of the seats can't possibly give a decent sight of the stage.
Lagos Jazz Series 2017, the latest edition of Lagos Jazz Series, was an entirely Nigerian affair with its theme "back to the basics".
Oti B: anything else would be uncivilised
Oti B: anything else would be uncivilised
Oti Bazunu is the man that made it possible for that one night to take place. In a way, back to the basics, may have a broader meaning since the vintage and now legendary Oti's cellar is also transitioning to something new, due to open early next year.
Ed Keazor, a historian, a lawyer and a keen singer, was the MC of the evening, a perfect host never short of praise for the talent of artists (maybe it helps to be a lawyer!).
Etuk Ebong and his band
Etuk Ebong's trumpet delivered a very intimate and polished performance with his band. He managed to create an atmosphere which was somewhat meditative and in touch with tradition, especially with the opening piece representing a libation to ancestors with a calabash under a blue light. It also had its moments of energy and was full of nuances. The drummer enjoyed himself very much, especially when he was wearing a crown of bells around his head.
Brymo was magnificent with his powerful voice, he really captured the audience with his Lagos Touts (the name of his band). Not sure if it was an intentional reference to his modest background, but he was wearing large transparent glasses as he walked up on stage for his first song which gave him an air of precious okada driver. He did not fail to sing "Prick no get shoulder" (if you put the head, the rest dey enter). I enjoyed the farcical face of the bass player.
The Lagos Jazz Sextet was at his best with a new repertoire of classic jazz pieces, beside Eyo, a Lagos folklore song which Ed helped sing along.
Jazzz
Jazzz
A pretty young lady, in her twenties, dressed in a sparkling black and silver dress and yellow hat with long pheasant feathers closed the show. Jazzz is Oti's latest very promising find. Her voice is surprisingly versatile, ranging soulful and high-pitched notes as well as deep hoarse sounds, as if she had had a long career drinking whisky and smoking cigars, or perhaps sounding a bit like a female Louis Armstrong. So watch out this space for her next moves.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

tanker for sale

tanker for sale As in Singapore, many ships are crowding the horizon on the sea along the Atlantic coast of Lagos. These are patiently waiting for  their turn to come to unload or load their containers in the harbour of Apapa or Tincan Island. Most of them come and go after have completed their duty. But unlike Singapore some are just staying longer than expected, by design or by accident. Hence the coast is littered by ship wrecks which are rusting away and sinking in the sand progressively so that, in the end, they are no longer visible. once a great ship Stories point out human error as a reason for the ship's beaching. The captain went to see his girlfriends and the ship drifted ashore... seriously? More probable is that these ships are either beyond repair or the company owning her in financial trouble and therefore the ship is abandoned. from raw material to recycling One of them was a complete tanker standing ominously on the sand at the edge of the
1 comment
Read more

The Ogiamien family in Benin City: about wood and history

Roland Ogiamien in his wood-carving workshop Wood Roland Ogiamien is a renown wood carver. He is now retired in his home town of Benin City and is now in his 80s. We met him in his simple workshop, a barn opened on the surrounding greenery. A part of the studio is used to store wood pieces and make sure they are well dried. He is using a collection of german ustensils to carve and polish the wood. He spent most of his career working out of Lagos before relocating to Benin. Roland was explaining that the wood he uses today is different that the one he worked on in his early days. Ebony has become rare and wood carvers have had to switch to other types of wood. Traditional heritage is a large part of his inspiration which he translates on wood with his own particular style, exploring various techniques for the finish of his pieces. Roland Ogiamien and two of his favourite masks History Ogiamien is the name of an important royal family in Benin Kingdom. Towards the end of the
Post a Comment
Read more

The mysterious stones images of Esie

turned into Stones Chief J. Agbo Ooye had been waiting in the shade of a large tree, in front of the National Museum of Esie, dressed in ceremonial costume with a velvet hat incrusted with crystal beads sown in the shape of his title and his name. He was sitting next to his wife on a bench, expecting our arrival. His wife, he would tell us later, was his best friend and she was actually demonstrating it by guiding his frail body from one place to another and guiding his hand when it came to sign autographs of his books. Chief Agbo Ooye is the author of two booklets on the Esie Stones. The first one, called A Personal Account of the Esie Stones is giving an overview of the differences between the scientific and the traditional interpretation of the Esie Stones. The second one is called the History of Esie and gives a brief account of Esie's history from the early settlement of Yorubas in various groups (Esie, Oro, Eku Apa, Igbonla, Edidi, Igbesi, etc...) to the present day. Thos
2 comments
Read more