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Duro Ikujenyo: Keeping Up the
Aquarian Dream Through Afrobeat
Aquarian Dream Through Afrobeat
Duro Ikujenyo is a
musical troubador,
ever roaming in
search of sounds,
their history and
their meaning.
Often playing
one-man, two-man
or three-man bands
and the occasional
ensemble, Ikujenyo
is forever seeking
musical troubador,
ever roaming in
search of sounds,
their history and
their meaning.
Often playing
one-man, two-man
or three-man bands
and the occasional
ensemble, Ikujenyo
is forever seeking
out possibilities in tonal harmonies between his favourite instrument, the
keyboard,and other instruments: drums, kongas, guitars, horns, flutes and
even the sounds of the streets. Periodically, he assembles a full band,
giving voice to a wide range of instruments and musicians, as happens in
his latest album titled Ase.
With Ikujenyo playing the keyboards and doing the lead vocals in his
halting, voice-fading style, and still taking turns at the shekere and clefs,
there's still enough space for 15 musicians to put in appearance. These
include Keziah Jones on rhythm guitar, Ayo Kilani on drums, Abiodun Oke
on konga, Joe Femi on alto saxophone, Daniel Bankole on tenor
saxophone, Sunday Asinde on trumpet and Amechi Sam on bass guitar. Jimi
Solanke does the Yoruba oriki chant on one of 13 tracks.
keyboard,and other instruments: drums, kongas, guitars, horns, flutes and
even the sounds of the streets. Periodically, he assembles a full band,
giving voice to a wide range of instruments and musicians, as happens in
his latest album titled Ase.
With Ikujenyo playing the keyboards and doing the lead vocals in his
halting, voice-fading style, and still taking turns at the shekere and clefs,
there's still enough space for 15 musicians to put in appearance. These
include Keziah Jones on rhythm guitar, Ayo Kilani on drums, Abiodun Oke
on konga, Joe Femi on alto saxophone, Daniel Bankole on tenor
saxophone, Sunday Asinde on trumpet and Amechi Sam on bass guitar. Jimi
Solanke does the Yoruba oriki chant on one of 13 tracks.
The result is a wide range
of styles principally
issuing from the Afro-beat
mould, now raucous, next
slow and thoughtful and
suddenly playful, with
generous salutations to
Afro-Latin and
Afro-Cuban idioms. Which
is not surprising given his
antecedents.
Ikujenyo was already a
young musician who had
passed through Sierra
Leonian-born music
teacher Kobina Creppy,
(whose roll of students
of styles principally
issuing from the Afro-beat
mould, now raucous, next
slow and thoughtful and
suddenly playful, with
generous salutations to
Afro-Latin and
Afro-Cuban idioms. Which
is not surprising given his
antecedents.
Ikujenyo was already a
young musician who had
passed through Sierra
Leonian-born music
teacher Kobina Creppy,
(whose roll of students
Ikujenyo on keyboards with drummer Wura
Samba and a guest at Bogobiri House, Lagos.
Samba and a guest at Bogobiri House, Lagos.
include Victor Uwaifo, Segun Bucknor and Fela Anikulapo-Kuti) before he
joined Fela as a political activist in 1976 as secretary of Young African
Pioneers, Fela's political party. Two years later he joined the band as a
pianist and was to play with Fela on many international tours and more
than a dozen albums including Unknown Soldier, ITT, Power Show,
Original Sufferhead, Authority Stealing and more.
Political activism and research into African music history never ceased to
be his passion. He was a founding member of the Movement of the
People, the political party Fela founded in the early 1980s. He always
accompanied Fela during his lecture tours of university campuses in the
1980s, providing him book sources to which he referred the students
joined Fela as a political activist in 1976 as secretary of Young African
Pioneers, Fela's political party. Two years later he joined the band as a
pianist and was to play with Fela on many international tours and more
than a dozen albums including Unknown Soldier, ITT, Power Show,
Original Sufferhead, Authority Stealing and more.
Political activism and research into African music history never ceased to
be his passion. He was a founding member of the Movement of the
People, the political party Fela founded in the early 1980s. He always
accompanied Fela during his lecture tours of university campuses in the
1980s, providing him book sources to which he referred the students
for "authentic African history."
In recent years, Ikujenyo had
dedicated himself to
researching Nigerian highlife
music, taking time in between
to play with the Age of
Aquarious. Those efforts
have translated into Ase's
joyful and authentic African
sounds.
Title: Ase
Publisher: Jazzhole Records
Reviewer: Achukata Isiugo
In recent years, Ikujenyo had
dedicated himself to
researching Nigerian highlife
music, taking time in between
to play with the Age of
Aquarious. Those efforts
have translated into Ase's
joyful and authentic African
sounds.
Title: Ase
Publisher: Jazzhole Records
Reviewer: Achukata Isiugo