Sakara music

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Sakara music
Stylistic originsYoruba music
Cultural origins1930s Lagos
Typical instrumentsGoje violin and Sakara drum.

Sakara music is a form of popular Nigerian music based in the traditions of Yoruba music. It mostly in the form of praise songs, that uses only traditional Yoruba instruments such as the solemn-sounding goje violin, and the small round sakara drum, which is similar to a tambourine and is beaten with a stick.[1] Sakara music overlays the nasalized, melismatic vocals of Eastern Africa and Arabic on the traditional percussion instruments.[2] The music is often brooding and philosophical in mood.[3]

One of the first performers of this type of music in Lagos was , who started playing in the 1930s. On his death in 1964 his place in the band was taken by Salami Alabi (Lefty) Balogun (October 1913 - 29 December 1981), a talking drummer, who released over 35 records. Other members of the band included Baba Mukaila, and Joseph (Yussuf) Olatunju.[4] Yusuf Olatunji (alias Baba l’Egba), who died in 1978, did much to popularize the musical genre and released many records on the Phillips Nigeria label. A street in Abeokuta is named after him.[5]

Sakara music had considerable influence on other genres, including Jùjú and Nigerian Hip Hop.[4] Fuji music is a mixture of Muslim traditional Were music with elements drawn from Sakara and Apala music.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ John Collins (1985). Musicmakers of West Africa. Lynne Rienner Publishers. p. 49. ISBN 0-89410-075-0.
  2. ^ Michael E. Veal (2000). Fela: the life & times of an African musical icon. Temple University Press. p. 28. ISBN 1-56639-765-0.
  3. ^ a b "History of Nigerian Music". OnlineNigeria. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  4. ^ a b "Azeez Ojutiku - Bio". MyRhythm.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  5. ^ Maurice Archibong (July 29, 2004). "Abeokuta's many minstrels and a museum". Daily Sun. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved 2010-01-31.


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