Actually, if you would give me six months start on the quest to find all his albums I'd appreciate it. I am sure he could have enjoyed success beyond his homeland. In the midst of such treasures, the major find is Celestine Ukwu, who made six LPs for Philips but was killed in a 1977 car crash. Also here is probably the only piece of music recorded by Leo Fadaka & The Heroes: a charming concoction with scratch guitar, wah wah, and cool drum breaks. In contrast, "Feso Jaiye" (Take Life Easy) by The Sahara All Stars of Jos starts as a trumpet-driven highlife piece before mutating into subterranean Afro-jazz. Here Victor and band perform their take on a traditional religious ode produced for his appearance at Expo '70 in Japan. In his career he forged the Akwete highlife style, and then combined that with US soul, before he began to interpret ancient Benin court music with his quasi-psychedelic guitar. In 1965, ex-wrestler Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Melody Maestros scored the first gold disc in Nigeria. The Nigerian Police Force Band's “Asko Mi Ni” (This is my time) bursts with taut confidence and a superb highlife blues feel. The Semi Colon (the ever-eccentric and self-praising Lasbrey Colon) flits between genres, referencing Fela Kuti's vocals, a 4/4 beat and wicked guitar.
The funk of The Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination is crisp and rousing. I have spent a month with them and keep finding new favorites.
There are a huge variety of mind-blowing sounds in the 26 songs on Nigeria Special. It also reveals Celestine Ukwu, a dazzling star who would die too soon. It demonstrates a fresh national confidence and a variety beyond the juju music that most Westerners associate with the country. This two disc set explores the music of 1970s Nigeria in the period after the Biafran war.
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