By Mallam Okwechime Abdul
FELA never made pretences about horns. They were not his first love in Music however. The keyboards were. But that is understandable. Son and grandson of renowned Reverend gentlemen, he had no choice, as the piano became his father’s regular measure of keeping him away from childhood pranks. He became fond of the keyboard as a child and by the time he was going to the University in the UK, he was already quite proficient on the keyboards. But no one can say exactly how and when the magic of the horns started for him.
Fela
However, back in his Trinity College days, he majored in Classical Music with specialisation in the HORNS AND PIANO. His earliest foray into forming a band “KOOLA LOBITOS”, in his University days in the UK paraded a barrage of sonorous horns. And this instantly marked him out from the other musicians. So, long before his creation of Afrobeat, the FELA HORNS were unique and distinct and were the trademark that set him apart from the others.
Back home in Nigeria and in the post University KOOLA LOBITOS, the FELA horns were indeed the only things that found space for him in the music scene that already had horn maestros like The Great Rex Lawson, Legendary Zeal Onyia, Eddy Okonta, indefatigable Victor Olaiya and a host of other accomplished horns men. What perhaps, singled him out was his horns compositions and arrangements.
When he created Afrobeat in 1970, the horns came out as the music itself. As his genre progressed so the horns session became deeper. At a stage, the horns session became music on their own and could stand alone. The call and response style of FELA’S compositions, were indeed deep rooted in the horns arrangements, where the soloist creatively calls to the responses of the backing horns. FELA’S backing horns is in assortment : trombone, trumpet, tenor,alto and baritone saxophones. Even when other instrumentalists took solo performances, the horns made the responses.
With time he created a platform for world renowned hornsmen to emerge. Igo Chico one of the greatest tenor saxophonists, found expressions in the AFRICA’70. Tunde Williams, ace international trumpeter discovered himself playing with FELA. Lekan Animashaun popularised the baritone saxophone and FEMI KUTI, His son learnt the rudiments of the horns playing with FELA’S EGYPT’80 band.
Femi, in modern times, made the horns very energetic, short and sharp. But never lost the essence.
In the beginning FELA only played the trumpet and they were inseparable. Igo Chico then, was the centre of all saxophone solos. When Igo Chico moved on, FELA picked up the saxophone and by his death he has created a globally distinct FELA tones on the various horns he played : the tenor, alto and soprano saxophones. When he died, that FELA TONE Died. These horns became his first love and part of his dressing as it were.
Today in KALAKUTA CHRONICLES On iGROOVE RADIO, Between 1-3pm Nigerian time, LET’S TALK HORNS. FELA’S HORNS.
IT’S GONNA BE FUN.
