Nigeria: 4 Years After, Music Firm Eulogises Late Victor Olaiya

The music legend dictated the tempo of highlife music together with his calm and ballad-like orchestration.

On Tuesday, the Evergreen Musical Firm eulogised late veteran trumpeter and highlife musician, Victor Olaiya, 4 years after his dying.

The Information Company of Nigeria (NAN) reviews that the music legend died on 12 February 2020, at 89, after a quick sickness.

The Evergreen Musical Firm is the most important custodian of Nigeria’s conventional music, starting from highlife to Juju music, Apala, Fuji and lots of different genres.

Bimbo Esho, Managing Director of Evergreen Musical Company, in a press release, recalled the late Olaiya as having a novel gown sense.

“Dr Victor Olaiya was the Evil Genius with a novel gown sense together with his golden trumpet and white handkerchief, symbolising his success.

“His capacity to pen down philosophical melodies, love songs, and songs relating socio-economic points and vanities of life stood him out.

“He was one musician capable of adapt conventional music of various tribes in his highlife repertoire,” she mentioned.

In keeping with Ms Esho, the late Olaiya, with followers amongst all socio-economic lessons and age teams, dominates the highlife music terrain, affecting generations together with his melodic and soothing evergreen songs.

She mentioned that in his energetic years, he dictated the tempo of highlife music together with his calm and ballad-like orchestration.

“It did not take him lengthy as he took centre stage in the course of the go to of Queen Elizabeth 11 to Nigeria in 1956. In 1960, his band was the official band that performed throughout Nigeria’s Independence. Additionally 1963, when Nigeria turned a republic, he shared the identical stage with Louis Armstrong.

“I’ve a few of my all-time favourites amongst his songs, like ‘Ilu Le’, first launched within the ’60s, which talks concerning the opposed austerity biting arduous on the Nigerian lots and the completely different coping methods taken to beat it.

“In ‘Aiye Soro’, he admonished these with every little thing going for them to soft-pedal as a result of no person is aware of when the pendulum can swing again. The tune ‘Gbasolode’, sung in Urhobo, is a love tune the place the lover man Victor tells his lover to stick with him by way of thick and skinny,” she mentioned.

Extra accolades

Ms Esho additionally highlighted ‘Adogan’, the place he lamented the perceived candy ache of pint-sized males who’re into relationships with fats girls, satirising their perceived struggling.

She mentioned the tune ‘Se Enjoyable Mi’, which he devoted to one among his wives, confirmed the late Olaiya professing intense love and affection to his spouse, Bimbo.

“One might really feel a scorching thrill in his Ghanaian songs like ‘Yabonsa, Anyako koro’, finished in collaboration with ET Mensah. His tune ‘Iye Jemila’, sung within the Ijebu dialect, talks about Bride Worth, and his lamentation for the lifeless may very well be felt within the dirge ‘Ewele We Ku Ewele’. One will really feel a contact of folklore in songs like ‘Pariboto Riboto’ and ‘Lekeleke’.

“Soro Jeje Enjoyable Arugbo’ is a tune that ought to prick the conscience of those that carelessly disregard the aged in society. He devoted a love tune titled ‘Omo Pupa’ to fair-skinned women and promised them ticket cash to satisfy him in London. One can by no means get uninterested in listening to his ‘Child Jowo’, sung and rebranded by completely different artistes and bands.

“It has been 4 years with out our Victor, however his reminiscence lingers on,” she mentioned.