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Acting Director
General of the National Troupe of Nigeria, Martins Adaji, partially
fulfilled his promise to resuscitate the music department of the troupe
on April 4 and 5 when the organisation held a chorale as part of the
Easter festivities. Adaji had told reporters during his maiden meeting
with the press earlier in the year that reviving the moribound music
unit was going to be one of his priorities.

“I promised you
some time ago that we will give you a musical, now it is here. This
show is not the usual, we have a lot to offer you this evening. I don’t
want to waste your time with a lengthy speech so let’s get started,”
Adaji reiterated minutes before the command performance started on
Sunday, April 4 inside Cinema Hall II, National Theatre, Lagos.

The supposedly ‘not
the usual’ concert however flagged at some points as the evening wore
on. The organisers would have done well to get better sound and musical
instruments; assistants holding up music notes for the director, Femi
Ogunrombi, while playing the keyboard wasn’t professional either. The
beautifully costumed choir and guest artists including Yinka Davies,
Afresh, Biodun Olododo and others nonetheless rendered some good music.

Opening numbers

An adaptation of
‘Ise Oluwa’ by Ogunrombi, Dan Aldridge’s ‘It wouldn’t be enough’,
Bach’s ‘Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring’ and William Gaither’s popular
‘Because He Lives’ were the opening songs by the choir. Though ‘Because
He Lives’ has since become a public song, the choir added some flavours
to make their version unique and enjoyable.

The choir revved up
their performance with the next set of songs. They added a touch of
Highlife while doing ‘Yak Ikom Abasi’ by Benjamin Chukwu and a dash of
Makossa to an adaptation of ‘Onu Odum’ by Fine Face.

‘Afresh’, an a
cappella group comprising Austin David (baritone); Julius Adegoke
(second tenor); Uche Osondu (bass) and Jackson Oshile gave a good
rendition of ‘Old Gospel’, the group’s adaptation of popular Southern
gospel, ‘Old Time Religion’. The audience happily obliged when the
group asked them to join in singing Bobby McFerrin’s ‘Don’t Worry, Be
Happy’ but the quartet saved their best for the last. Their last piece
was a Twi number from Ghana which Yinka Davies joined them in singing.
Her effortless though playful mimicry of trumpet sounds while doing the
Highlife song, drew laughter from the audience who also rewarded the
group with a generous applause.

More entertainment
came in the form of ‘Masu Kudi Gurmi’ a trio of Hausa musicians from
Kano. Though the crowd didn’t hear all what they said because they
declined to use microphones in order to play their goje and drums,
their funny dances/gestures made people laugh. The occasional “Khaki no
be leather” and “Orobokibo kibo rocky” part of their chorus which
filtered into people’s ears, inspired even more mirth.

Baritone Uzor
Enemanna did ‘Our God is Real’ accompanied on the keyboard by
Ogunrombi, who also moonlights as an actor- he once played Papa Ajasco
in Wale Adenuga’s popular series of same name.

One day song

“Thank you for
allowing me mess up the stage. The choir just learnt this song for one
day, don’t be angry with us if we mess it up,” singer Yinka Davies
explained as she came on stage again with the choir. She was quite a
spectacle as she skipped across the stage like a little girl while
doing the fast tempo song. The songstress reaffirmed her rating as one
of Nigeria’s great vocalists with the solo parts she took in the song.

Saxophonist Biodun Olododo sang ‘Ponmilodo’ before the choir now
spotting beautiful Yoruba, Fulani, Efik, Igbo and Tiv costumes took the
last set of songs. They did some popular tunes including ‘Oritse Mo Be
O’ by Emmanuel Aringhinho; Fatai Rolling Dollar’s ‘Won Kere Si Number
Wa’ and Loius Armstrong’s touching ‘What a Wonderful World’. They also
sang national songs like ‘In One Accord’ and ‘Together as one’ adapted
by Ogunrombi, and Arnold Udoka’s ‘Sonayan’. On the whole, it wasn’t a
bad outing for the music section of the troupe currently being
resuscitated.