Chris Ajilo - Eko O Gba Gbere

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Eni Obanke Music presents "Eko O Gba Gbere" by highlife legend Chris Ajilo from the album "Ariwo", available on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/al....bum/ariwo/id53292189

At the prime age of 83 years, the legendary Chris Ajilo proves in this recording that he is still as vibrant as ever. He sings gleefully (even though the voice is a bit grainy now), plays his tenor sax and directs a lot of the action in and out of the recording studio. On showcase are his strong song-writing ability, highly developed music arrangement skills, and soulful, passionate saxophone playing. Supported by some of the most experienced younger musicians in Nigeria, Ajilo’s sounds explode in many directions. Included here are two unmistakable hits of the fifties and sixties, “Emi Mimo” and “Eko O Gba Gbere”, which are regularly covered by top Nigerian artists and used as part of many traditional and social ceremonies. We also get an introduction to several previously unrecorded gems and the beautiful, haunting international hit, “Ariwo” (which was covered as “Ayiko Bia” by Osibisa, the famous British Afro-pop band).

Chris Ajilo was born in Lagos on December 26, 1929. He left Nigeria in 1946 as a stowaway, eventually arriving in England where he underwent formal music training. He formed his first band, The Cool Cats Band, in Birmingham in 1953 and played around the country before returning to a sort of hero’s welcome in Nigeria in 1955. On arrival in Lagos, he established a new band, “Chris Ajilo and His Cubanos”, and quickly became one of the frontline musicians and bandleaders of the era. He spent most of the subsequent decades producing others, including prominent artistes such as Chief Stephen Osadebe, the highlife king. He has also worked as a trade unionist and music copyright administrator. He presently resides in rustic Ijebu-jesa, Southwest, Nigeria.

Chris Ajilo had already achieved legendary status by the close of the sixties. Fifty years later and he's still going strong!