“…the first of a series of top-class events with artist lineups showcasing the best African jazz artists from across the African continent, side-by-side those from Nigeria, as part of our mission to bring African Jazz closer to the jazz listening community in Nigeria, and the continent at large,” stated Peter Fisher, the lead initiator of the event.”
FEBRUARY 21, a rain of jazz sounds will descend on Victoria Island Lagos axis, as PF Music, a leading and resilient promoter of the genre, presents its first concert featuring top acts from Nigeria and Ghana.
Slated to take off at 7 pm, the concert, is described as “the first of a series of top-class events with artist lineups showcasing the best African jazz artists from across the African continent, side-by-side those from Nigeria, as part of our mission to bring African Jazz closer to the jazz listening community in Nigeria, and the continent at large,” stated Peter Fisher, the lead initiator of the event.”
Fisher aka The Bassman, and Managing Director of PF Music, continued: “The line-up for this first concert will include a group called Gh Jazz Collective, a Ghanaian Afro-Jazz Fusion band that blends traditional Ghanaian rhythms and melodies with contemporary jazz. The collective is known for its genre-blending music and innovative sound that pushes artistic boundaries. The band is based in Accra, Ghana and is hosted at the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill.”
The band members are: Bernard Ayisa: Leads the band on tenor saxophone | Victor Dey Jr.: piano, synths, and keyboards | Frank Kissi: drums | Gaddiel Amoah: bass
Also featuring is the AFRO4 from Lagos, which gained popularity last year as it was invited to perform at the Jazzahead Festival in Bremen, Germany. It has a special interest in projecting the diverse African genres that reflect the continent’s traditional music, though jazz-influenced. They are focused on the various sounds of Africa as a whole, taking you on an African ‘sonic journey.
The band members are; Bright Gain leads the band on Bass | Victor Ademofe – Horns, percussion & vocals | Adeyemi S. Adewale, Yamaha Brand Ambassador on drums | Luyanda Madope – Piano & keyboards (SA)
In narrating the inspiration for the concert, and especially tracing the trajectory of the promoters of the event, Fisher, the Jazz aficionado states:
“The event is being held in collaboration with +233 Jazz Bar & Grill from Accra, Ghana. One of the aims of the collaboration with +233 organization, is to have a twin city venue concept, whereby any group visiting Accra or Lagos through this venture, will have a 2nd gig in either Accra or Lagos.
It is proposed that;
- Initially, this will be a quarterly one-day event with performances by both groups
- Tickets will be priced from around $30 & $50 (VIP/VVIP)
- The concert will be 90-120mins long (each group performing for 45-60mins each)
This will be the first of a series of top-class events with artist lineups showcasing the best African jazz artists from across the African continent, side-by-side with those from Nigeria, as part of our mission to bring African Jazz closer to the jazz listening community in Nigeria, and the continent at large.
…On the PF Music
The PF Music, is the owner of the brands Jazz and Conversations (an African Jazz Radio show), Jazz and Conversations: Live (for live events) and the OAP, The BassMan (the host of Jazz and Conversations radio show)
The mission of PF Music is the promotion of Jazz by African musicians based on the African Continent & abroad in the Diaspora.
The Radio show has been running since October 2016, and now boasts an audience well beyond Nigeria’s shores. The first live event we held started in 2017, and was a weekly jazz night on Thursdays at The Scotch Bonnet Restaurant, in Victoria Island, Lagos, a venue seating approximately 70-90, and featured jazz musicians from within the Lagos environ. This event revived the live jazz scene in Lagos which had been dead since the mid 1990’s – https://scotchbonnetjazz.com/
The event, though no longer run by PF Music, still runs to this day, and spawned spin-off’s all over Lagos including the now popular weekly roof-top event at the Turaka restaurant on the top of EbonyLife Building in Victoria Island, Lagos – https://youtu.be/sferNTq3z_4?si=25BCJTd4HNmiiLWk
In November 2019, the first Jazz and Conversations: Live event was held in Freedom Park, Lagos as part of the Lagos Book and Arts Festival (LABAF), which was organized by the CORA Art & Cultural Foundation. The concert was partly sponsored by Umutu Restaurant, Scotch Bonnet restaurant, C.D.S.S. (Nig.) Ltd and others. This clip is from the event – https://youtu.be/Uz3CkI6_7qs.
After the event in November 2019, the first of what would be a quarterly event was planned for February 2020. The COVID pandemic put paid to this.
In April 2024 after a successful outing at the Jazzahead 2024 Trade Fair and Festival, PF Music was tasked to organize a mini tour in West Africa with Senegalese musician, Alune Wade and his band. This was a three-concert, 2 city tour, with a performance at +233 Jazz Bar and Grill in Accra, Ghana on 13th October 2024, and two performances in Lagos during Felabration 2024; one at Freedom Park, Lagos, and the other at The New Afrika Shrine, on 19th and 20th October respectively. The tour was sponsored in part by Alliance Francaise, and other entities in France. The clip below is from the event at Freedom Park on the 19th October 2024, which included performances by Kunle Ayo (Nigeria) and Alune Wade (Senegal); https://youtu.be/2rzoSeCTuF8
With the success of this mini tour, the quarterly event was revisited, and it was decided to reboot the idea with an event planned for February 2025. The first event is proposed to be held at the purpose-built Arena at Terra Kulture, Lagos, which can seat up to 400 guests. https://terrakulture.com/terrakulture-arena/
The Terra Kulture Arena, which is located in highbrow Victoria Island, Lagos, has facilities to host VIP and VVIP guests, and even has secure entry and exit options for those wishing to attend unannounced.
