LAGBAJA
LAGBAJA, Lagbaja is a Yoruba word that means somebody nobody anybody or everybody It perfectly depicts the anonymity of the so called common man The mask and the name symbolize the faceless the voiceless in the society particularly in Africa Once you see Lagbajas mask you are reminded of your own facelessness This symbolism is so powerful that Lagbajas mask has popularized the use of the mask concept by other artistes both in Nigeria and beyond Though the concept was developed long before that his first album entitled Lagbaja was released to National acclaim in 1993 Over the years and more albums later the music continues to fascinate with its unique focus on a core of African drums His music is a product of various influences ranging from traditional Yoruba music to Jazz Often the music is purely instrumental an interplay between traditional Yoruba percussions drums chants and western instruments especially the saxophone When there are lyrics they are primarily sung in Yoruba English or a blend of the two as is colloquially spoken in Yoruba cities Many of his songs dwell on serious social issues while others simply entertain Some are dance inducing while others pass serious messages in humourous ways One thing that links all the songs together is his use of traditional African drums Traditional Yoruba drums are the most prominent Four families of these drums are employed in creating different grooves and moods The dundun/gangan family is the most prominent and at times up to five drummers combine all the various components to create the polyrhythms The bata ensemble is led by two musicians who alternate between soft high toned driving rhythms with their omele bata and thunderous loud talk with their mum drum iya ilu The general percussionist leads the sakara ensemble The fourth family used as the backbone of the groove is the ogido a derivative of the ancient gbedu The ensemble of drummers constitute the larger part of the band Vocalists and western instrumentalists make up the rest Lagbajas groovy fusion has been refered to as afrojazz afrobeat higherlife and afropop until now that he himself has christened the music AFRICANO alluding mostly to the central role of African drums and grooves in his music In March 1997 Lagbaja established his club Motherlan in the heart of Ikeja in Lagos Motherlans design is influenced by the traditional African town or market square where people gather under the moonlight for ceremonies and artistic events like dance music story telling wrestling etc True to this function over the years it has become a place for many comedians to polish their act in front of a demanding audience With a serene gorge of beautiful trees and greens as background the venue merges traditional Africa with the contemporary creating the ambience of the countryside in the urban city Lagbaja performs at Motherlan every last Friday of the month to a full house of faithfuls Lagbaja is fast emerging in the forefront of contemporary African music rich in the traditions of the continent while cosmopolitan in attitude He has started to take his music beyond the shores of Nigeria performing in festivals and venues around the world Lagbaja is out now on Blue Pie for the world You can find out more on Lagbaja by visiting www bluepie com au or by searching lagbaja at all leading digital retailers on the planet