By Emmanuel Daraloye
Nigerian Jazz has been my new go-to music genre since the beginning of 2024. Don’t get me wrong, I have always loved Afrobeats, Fuji, Apala, and Juju, however in a bid to explore other music genres, I have been in touch with Jazz while checking out its distant cousins and everything associated with the genre.
Nigerian Jazz is quite different from what is obtained in Western countries, while the core elements are retained, African Jazz accommodates another African element with the Saxophone already serving as the shining light of the instrument.
This is where Ibrahim Usman comes in. Ibrahim’s budding profile is impressive to see. On his Instagram account, he succinctly used three words as his bio: Saxophonist, Educator, and Administrator. For this review, I am more interested in the former.
His percussion sparse, reflective, and tuneful song “Echoes of Eden,” marks my introduction to the Buckinghamshire-based recording artiste.
For close to five minutes, Usmansax and his backup singers delivered magic. It starts with a long solo saxophone play, which gets splashed with strings and snares, an ideal appetizer. The song slowly enters you, and you get invited to the serenading sounds of the saxophone with the poignant drums serving as a nice addition.
The sparse vocalization on the track easily makes it a fan favorite. Ideally, Usmansax tries to give the listeners a bit of what he has. While the backup singer quietly repeats “Africa, oh nana,” Usmansax takes the listener via sonic voyage as he blows the note, perhaps to pierces. He doesn’t show off, however, he continues to make a discreet statement all through the song: I am exceptional at this, he seems to say.
With more than a decade of experience in the music industry, Usmansax has performed in Nigeria, China, and England. The journey that started in Nigeria has taken him all over the world, this way, he has been able to show the people how skillful he is. For the fans who might not be able to have a first-hand experience of what a time out with Usmansax would be like, a trip through his discography is highly advised with “Echoes of Eden,” leading the way.