Vanessa Obioha
The Afrobeat/jazz band from Paris in France will be headlining the Inspiro Productions and The Lekki Coliseum inspired NAIJAZZ Afrobeat Tribute Concert.
The band is an orchestra from Paris that mixes old and modern ‘muddy’ grooves and genres into a unique signature.
International bands like Afro Latin Vintage Orchestra, The Smith Brothers, Los Tres Puntos, No Water Please and Sax Machine all have members in the orchestra and have been playing together for a decade.
Made up of experienced musicians in the Afrobeat and the hip hop scenes, they joined forces in a novel style while adding a French touch to the Afrobeat rhythms of Nigeria and West Africa. Roforofo is the Yoruba word for ‘mud’ and a reminder of Fela Kuti’s song ‘Roforofo Fight’.
“Roforofo Jazz is not muddy because it is stagnating, but because it jumps about the beats,” the band says, adding that it sees jazz as an undertone in all musical genres.
The tribute concert is yeh organisers way of celebrating the legacy of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti whose week-long festivity will kick off on October 14.
“Everyone has a Fela story and I also have mine growing up listening to the maestro as his music blared in private homes and public spaces. This tribute comes as a result of the impact his musical creation is making globally and the many fusions it has birthed. Afrobeat has given Nigerian music an identity, moving it from the general world music category to being in a genre of its own like reggae and others. Fela with music alongside strong activism has ensured and shaped that. We use this concert to recognize that strongly,” said the CEO inspiro productions and founder/organizer of the Lagos International Jazz Festival, Ayoola Sadare
Roforofo band will be playing alongside Nigeria’s Seun Olota, Lufemi, De Funmi, YBNL Princess Temmie Ovwasa, Poshryna, Muma Gee and a host of others.
