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The first Lagos
Jazz Series, held at three Lagos venues from November 5 to 7, lived up
to its billing. Jazz aficionados savoured performances from great
artists including Karen Patterson, Jimmy Dludlu, Somi, Chinaza, Bez,
and Morrie Louden at The Sofitel Morehouse, Ikoyi, on Friday; Federal
Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, on Saturday; and Muri Okunola Park on
Sunday.

Conceived by Oti
Bazunu to give Lagosians a unique experience of live outdoor Jazz
performances, the crowd that attended the three shows couldn’t have
wished for more. It was bliss soaring on the wings of great Jazz.

A natural

Patterson, Somi,
Chinaza, and Louden opened the series on Friday at The Sofitel
Morehouse. They took turns to entertain the guests, most of whom defied
that evening’s rain to attend the show.

The artists allowed
their music to speak for them, for the most part. They strummed their
guitars; blew the horns in soulful tunes; beat the drums; played the
piano, cello, and other instruments to create mellifluous sounds that
warmed the crowd.

Enamoured by
Friday’s opening event, guests returned early on Saturday to share in
the fun at Federal Palace Hotel. Somi, the first act who was
outstanding the previous day, didn’t disappoint. By the time the
Ugandan-Rwandan singer and her four-piece backing band finished, the
audience couldn’t resist applauding.

“Somi is a
natural,” said Tomiwa Aladekomo, one of the Lagos Jazz Series team. “I
so looked forward to this, and am happy Nigerians are easily connecting
with her.”

“This is a good
start already. And I have no doubt that this will become West Africa’s
answer to the Cape Town Jazz Festival,” noted a guest after Somi’s
performance. “It’s unbelievable that this is happening in Lagos.”

Saxophonist, Mike
Aremu, is a toast of Nigerian music fans and they duly applauded when
he came on after Somi. Aremu confirmed himself an excellent stage
performer with his delivery. Feet shorn of shoes, he sang hits from his
albums and engaged his three back-up singers in a call and response
routine to the saxophone. He also exchanged banters with the audience
and invited two guests to a ‘dance duel’ in the heat of the performance.

The 50-year-old
Louden was next. The star of the New York Jazz scene took over Lagos
the rest of the night together with his band, cleverly using horns and
strings to serve a sound that made many marvel.

Fusion

Ayetoro, led by
returnee musician, Funsho Ogundipe, was the opening act on the last day
of the Jazz series. The band, which has played well received gigs at
Lagos venues including the Oriental Hotel, proved its class on the big
stage in Muri Okunola. Television presenter, Oyiza Adaba, a major
enthusiast of the band, watched the performance from the audience at
the al fresco concert.

Adaba said of
Ogundipe and Co, “Being the first band in Nigeria to fuse Hip-Hop with
Jazz in 1996 with the track, ‘JT’s Tale’ (with the late JT West),
Ayetoro’s performance at the Lagos Jazz Series demonstrates the
maturity of the band’s music over the last 10 years.”

She observed that
the appearance was indicative of the next level for the band: “a fusion
of certain elements in different genres on their upcoming album.”

Award-winning South
African guitarist, Dludlu, was also on the bill at the well attended
series. The artist, who featured in the MUSON Jazz concert last year,
joined Ayetoro and others at Muri Okunola Park on Sunday to give Jazz
fans a memorable parting gift.

Up and coming act,
Bez, closed the show. For those who had seen him bring the house down
singing Fela’s ‘Water No Get Enemy’ at Keziah Jones’ Terra Kulture gig
months back, it would have been no surprise that Bez held his own after
Dludlu’s electrifying performance.

New ground

“We hope the
success of Lagos Jazz Series at Muri Okunola Park paints a different
picture on security in Africa’s most populous city,” said Bazunu.

Though security is
a major concern in Lagos, the Muri Okunola Park segment of the Jazz
Series ran from Sunday night into the early hours of Monday morning
without any incident. The successful mounting of the show out in the
open air, turned out to be an endorsement of the park as a viable
entertainment venue.

On air personality,
Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi of Beat FM, praised the concert in the park. “We
keep complaining that there are not enough concert venues in Lagos, but
I think the organisers have just shown us that we need to be more
creative with how we choose our venues,” she said.

Mike Aremu was one of those who gave the artist’s viewpoint at the
end of the show: “Our artists keep looking for big stages to display
their talents at different festivals in Europe, America, and even South
Africa. I’m so glad that events like the Lagos Jazz Series are
happening. This is similar to any standard you’ll find anywhere in the
world.”