NIGHTLIFE/ The Jazzville Years: “The Pre-show Sessions Were as ‘Bahd’ as the Main…”

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When are we going to talk about Gulder Reacting Adversely (GRA)?

Please don’t laugh, that was the real Jazzville band – 1993’ or so.

We would start around 6pm before anyone came and end before the show would start.

Majek on keys, myself on something that said it was bass and Muyiwa Majek on drums (his feet were definitely not touching the pedals then).

To be fair one evening we sounded half decent so tay Baba Ibadan (Demola Olukotun) and Kola Ogunkoya joined us on vocals. Eric Mann was at least gracious enough to compliment us once in a while, Wille Bestmann was less so. I still remember the song ‘Oro repete’, pure magic man.

Sometimes the pre-show sessions were just as memorable, the arguments in the corner – one night Edi Lawani delivered an impassioned lecture comparing Fela and Dibango’s legacies, I forget the other protagonists now. I remember Kim Lawani and Wale Olomu … I remember Bola Johnson (BJ) holding court with this ‘new band!’ he had hyped up, Majek, Danjuma and I drove to Ogba to hear them … and saw some preterm kids … but they were 🔥 Fuzzy Sagay’s kids it turned out and they became regulars for a while … eventually without BJ, as him vex comot say him band dey outshine am.

Let’s not forget the hard times … 1994’ during the impasse, collapse of the financial system/recession etc

There was one night, we were less than 10 on a Friday night in Jazzville, self, Mohammed Damulak, Danjuma and … Efere Ozako. We still managed to have a great time, but Alphonsus was not smiling sha.

I also remember when in the same month, you had Fela drop in and then Onyeka Onwenu, a couple of weeks after. Be proud Majek, you truly influenced the social culture in a way, many today won’t even comprehend. Blessings always, and thank God we all are here to celebrate the shared experience, that too is a blessing.

Ed Keazor is a lawyer, author, historian, and filmmaker. His published books include ‘The Lagos Hamburg Line: A Brief History of German Commerce in Nigeria”, “120 Great Nigerians We Never Knew”, “The Federation Cup and Nigerian Football”, amongst others. He contributed the recollection above to a Whatsapp Chat group on the Jazzville Years.