frankfurt

MEETING ORLANDO JULIUS

~ Che ~ Leave a comment

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Back in 2008 when I used to work partly in Nigeria, partly in Ghana and partly in Equatorial Guinea, the late great Sir Maliki Showman – the wonderful man who taught me how to play the saxophone (that’s a tale I’ll tell another day) – told me that if I ever had the chance , I should pay a visit to and say Hello to the pioneer of Afrobeat music and one of the greatest living Nigerian saxophonists of all time, Orlando Julius, who had at that time temporarily moved from Nigeria to the Ghanaian countryside, to a quiet village on the outskirts of Accra.

So one weekend in Accra, I chartered a Taxi and drove over, where I met the maestro himself, Orlando Julius Ekemode, and his incredibly gracious and beautiful wife and dancer, Latoya Aduke Ekemode. I have seldom experienced greater hospitality than they showered to me on that day. They took me as their son, we ate together, drank together and the great man regaled me with funny and touching and inspiring tales from the good old days of Nigerian music long before I was born – just like his friend Maliki Showman always used to do too.

Finally Orlando brought out his tenor sax and asked me to unpack mine which I had brought along. And after I showed him how far Sir Maliki had already brought me as at that time, Orlando Julius proceeded to lovingly show me new tricks on the Tenor sax and to expand my knowledge of the instrument and of African and Jazz music, like a father would. These are precious memories I‘ll never forget.

And last night, in Frankfurt, more than a decade later, and many years after the death of my friend and teacher Maliki Showman, it was such a joy for me to see Orlando Julius and his wife Latoya and his whole band again on stage, slamming out one great old hit after another. At 74 he is still going strong and the tunes are still as irresistible as ever.

To crown it all, they saw me in the crowd and they remembered. Latoya told the crowd how I had come to visit them in Ghana years ago. And then Orlando asked me to dance with them on stage. New precious memories. Great great people.

Highlife, Afrobeat, Funk, Jazz – they all originate from okdschool African Music… and Orlando Julius remains among the greatest of all time.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije

INNENSTADTBLUES

~ Che ~ 11 Comments

So, ich war wieder in der Stadt
Einkaufen gegangen und wieder am Rande
Des Wahnsinns zurück
Nach Hause gekommen.

Niemand hat mich beleidigt oder geärgert
Niemand hat mich angelabert
Niemand hat mich verletzt oder angegriffen
Niemand hat mich wahrgenommen oder ignoriert
Doch war ich wund
Als ich wieder zu Hause war.

Die Musik holt mich langsam runter
Blues, Innen wird’s sanft bunter
Musik macht mich munter
Geschlossene Türe kurz genießen, aber
Die Innenstadt ist wie ein Liebhaber
Den wieder zu treffen ich mich freue
Den wieder zu verlassen ich mich freue
So was nennen Verrückte wahrscheinlich die Treue.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

AM MAIN

~ Che ~ 3 Comments

Ich verschwinde manchmal
In meine schwimmende Reflektion
Mein ungewisses Mahnmal
Aufs Neue lallend Denk mal
Am Wasser neige ich zur Konfession.

Ich bin dann fremder Gast
In meiner eigenen Seele
Andere Passanten ahnen fast
Den schweren Strom der Last
Der gewürgten Beichte in meiner Kehle.

Aufschauend durch die Flusswellen dieses Gewichtes
Empfange ich die gebrochenen Strahlen des Lichtes
Empfange ich die gebrochenen Strahlen des Lichtes.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

PASSING LOOK

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A blind man walked into the busy tram
His cane tapped audibly on the wall
Of many a closed mind –

There was an unsteady way he shuffled about
Stumbled, and then clutched the railing
Without letting go of his staff, still swaying

In his other hand three polyethylene bags
Full of his grocery – I tried but
Could not read the look on his calm face.

I hate it when the conversations die,
He must be thinking, I’m thinking
As the whole tram stared at him

But he could not stare back.
Two stops later, he gingerly tapped his way
Out of the tram, his face calm, illegible.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

RETIREMENT

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His pride is on sale
And his shame
And on his broad frame
You can see him bearing his fate
With a brave face on display

Seventy years of age
All his fears have come of age
His hopes, dreams, plans, crumbled
But now he’s picked himself up again
And sits at the south train station

Easel, paint-brushes, stool, low table
But he holds his head up high
Give him a smile and a coin
And he’ll paint a portrait of you
That will stand the test of time

He: You speak good german
I: Can I write something about you?
He: Yes, but no names please. I
Have a granddaughter in Darmstadt, who
Doesn’t know what I do to survive.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

IN THE NAME OF MUSIC

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Broken chords
Broken locks
The open is gate
The soft is music
The lost is world
Lost and found
In the name of music
In the name of love.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.