Where Are the Music Bands?

Nigeria has often time been called The Heart of African music because of its role in the development of West African highlife and ‘Palm wine’ music which fuses rhythm with techniques imported from Congo for the development of several popular styles that are unique in Nigeria. No doubt, the Ni­geria music industry is gradually taking its pride of place in global music and this is evident in recent music video productions, song writings and other music performance. Besides, there has been an unprecedented influx of young, up and coming artiste, who are into different genres of music, but mostly Hip-Hop, Rhythm and Blues and even Fuji.

Highlife music remains over shadowed in Nigeria at present by widely popular Fuji, Juju, Reggae and Hip-hop music listened to by most of our youths.

However, the music industry seem to be losing what used to be its strength and identity from inception, that is, from the 50’s to the early 90’s – live band performance. Gone are those days, when nearly all the Nigerian musicians had their own bands as they moved about performing at various social gatherings, concerts and relaxation centers. The musicians who were mostly Highlife, Juju, Apala and Jazz musicians, could themselves play one or two musical instrument. Now legends, with the likes of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Sunny Ade, IK Dairo, Late Sunny Okosun, Steven Rhodes, Ebenezer Obey, late Fatai Rolling Dollar among others, they are not only being cel­ebrated even in death, they are now used as reference points and pointers to the fact that bands were and are still the way to go in music.

The realism of a performance from a live musical band cannot be over emphasized. The unadulterated mix of drums, saxo­phone, guitar, and other musical instrument sound, unarguably makes one enjoy music to the bone marrow.

Today, only a few musicians like King Sunny Ade, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, Ebenezer Obey, Lagbaja, Megga 99, and a crop of other Fuji stars operate with the full complement of a band. For the new generation of hip hop stars, only Tuface, Omawunmi, Flavour N’Abania, Dare Art Alade, Asa, Femi Kuti, Sound Sultan, and Korede Bel­lo can comfortably boast of having a full live band. And this is not unconnected to how lazy today’s musicians have become. Most of them depend on computer and other music producing, digital technologies, before they can per­form on stage. It is imperative that Ni­geria artistes improve on their craft to enable them return to the days of yore where live band music was what many yearned for and not the rip off concert that listening audiences have now been subjected to. Artistes should try to work hand in hand with other stakehold­ers to enliven band performances in the coun­try as this will further bring out the original­ity and inherent creativity in musical artistes. Corporate organizations and Performing Mu­sicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) should work together and promote live band perfor­mance in the Nigeria music industry.