The result of the Session

TUESDAY, 10 MARCH 2009
Intermission: ライブ風景３

My mistake: I had posted something entirely different earlier - about a swiss conman who made a failed attempt at blackmailing Germany's richest lady. I have to confess, that must have been posted whilst at work and before having my lunchtime coffee, as correctly spotted by my Australian (MCL), Italian (Michelle) and French (Iso) friends. I have now had my coffee and things are much clearer. :)

As mentioned in the preceeding post, I am in the process of converting a video featuring Ayetoro and Asa.

In the meantime, I would like to present a short clip of a lovely band, Poco band. My Japanese friend (AO) brought this to my attention.



More here
Posted by THE Y RIVER at Tuesday, March 10, 2009 4 comments
Labels: Poco Band etc
TUESDAY, 3 MARCH 2009

Intermission: "Money is not everything"
This post includes two videos at the moment however I am in the process of converting and including the third. In the third, you will see Asa join in with the girl in the first video in a session with Funsho Ogundipe. In the second video, recorded in 2004, you will see the leading members of Fela Kutis band play (unlike they knew Afrobeat) one of Funsho's compositions - a yoruba tune 'Labe Igi Orombo'.

Funsho graduated with a law degree at the age of 19 and qualified as a barrister before joining Prudent bank (our late dad founded Prudent Bank in the late 80's and had the most noble of intentions) where, he was unable to pursue his love for music.

Having risen to a position - head of the corporate finance department - that appeared to be stiffling his creativity, he resigned to follow a natural calling - music.

His pet project, Ayetoro ("world of peace" in Yoruba), was launched in 1996.

Funsho (Ayetoro) has inspired a lot of the younger generation.

Stay tuned for the 3rd video featuring Asa with Funsho in 2004, before she signed with UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP...Asa isn't a composer but she certainly is gifted and you can imagine how her voice compares in the video with Funsho which I am about to post - with that on the album produced by Universal. The practical difference lies in the advanced digital technology - it enhances your voice output.

I'll post the third video shortly.





Posted by THE Y RIVER at Tuesday, March 03, 2009 12 comments
Labels: Money is not everything


そして、どろろんぱ幽霊製造装置で、現れたAsaです・・・

SUNDAY, 1 MARCH 2009
Intermission x 11: Asa on Universal



A Yoruba blog and another infectious yoruba tune, by Asa.



Posted by THE Y RIVER at Sunday, March 01, 2009 16 comments
Labels: The Yoruba Tongue


SATURDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2009
Intermission x 10: My Yoruba Tongue...
Dear reader,

To tell the truth, the extraordinary thing is that it is the lovely readers who will continue to chart the direction of this blog. For example, I was hoping to write about Black Orpheus, Africa's first serious literary magazine but whilst I was scribbling, a reader, AO, raised a very big question below on the identity of Asa, having watched her (yoruba born) on stage in Tokyo.

Moreover another reader K also kindly drew attention to the fact that there was a period in the evolution of the Music of Miles Davis when he was 'unappreciated and least understood'.

And in the end I thought it best to change the subject slightly but still focus on African literature, especially my spiritual roots.

So, yes, it is true that Asa is Yoruba. She confirms it in the following video:



She is a pop singer like Seal (partner to Heidi Klum). Seal is also Yoruba and from the same town (Osun) as Funsho. I am sure we are all familiar with pop singer Sade Adu whose Dad is Yoruba and the list goes on but the significance of Eye Adaba (the dove) is deep rooted (like in Judaism - when Noah called upon the dove and sent it forth) in the religion of Yorubaland.

You may listen to the tune Eye Adaba as sung in yoruba by Asa in the video below. The dove as we all know is the symbol of peace. In 2004, Funsho sang 'la be igi orombo' as well in yoruba in the video at the very bottom of this blog.



Ojumo ti mo ojumo ti momi
ni ile yi o
Ojumo ti mo.. mo ri re o

Ojumo ti mo ojumo ti momi
ni ile yi o
Ojumo ti mo.. mo ri re o

Eye adaba eye adaba
Eye adaba ti fo lokeloke
Wa a balemi o
Ojumo ti mo.. mo ri re o

Ojumo ti mo ojumo ti momi
ni ile yi o
Ojumo ti mo.. mo ri re o

Ojumo ti mo ojumo ti momi
ni ile yi o
Ojumo ti mo.. mo ri re o.. o ya
Eye adaba eye adaba eye e e e
Eye adaba ti fo lokeloke
Wa a balemi o o o
Ojumo ti mo.. mo ri re o.. o ya

Eye adaba eye adaba eye e e e
Eye adaba ti fo o n fo n fo
Wa a ba lemi o
Ojumo ti mo ..mo ri re o

E wi kin gbo se
Eye adaba eye eee
Eye adaba ti fo lokeloke loke ode orun
Wa ba le mi o o...
Ojumo ti mo mo ri re o

O o o o ye e
Eye adaba eye eye... oo
Eye adaba ti fo n on fo o nfo
Wa bale mi oo
Ojumo ti mo.. mo ri re o

O o oo oo ooo
O o oo o
Ewi kin gbo se
O o oo o
Aah o o o oo o
Oo mo ri re o
O o o o ooo o
Mori re o
Ire ire ire ooo

O o o o o
Mori re o
Slow: eye adaba eye adaba
Eye ti fo lokeloke ode orun
Wa ba lemi o
Ojumo ti mo mo ri re o

At any rate, the yoruba language is an interesting one. Miles Davis' 'birth of the cool'

honours the yoruba concept of
'itutu'
which denotes coolness. Another word is
'omi'
which translates in English to water. Now, let us return to a variation 'tutu' of our original word 'itutu'. This translates in English to cold and I am sure the reader can now easily compute the yoruba translation of the following English expression: cold water, which would look thus in yoruba:
'omi tutu'
Finally, another simple and most familiar concept is that of the 'shade'. Miles Davis signature glasses honors the Yoruba conception of "shade" as a cool place where one builds communal relationships. Funsho can also be seen (at about 2:37 minutes into play) in shades in an earlier video 'open your eyes'



Posted by THE Y RIVER at Saturday, February 28, 2009 5 comments
Labels: symbol of peace, White dove



AO said...

yoruba land

Yoruba land is Asa's home town in Nigeria?

Asa is a musician who loves Bob Marley, Nina Simone and Marvin Gaye, maybe.

I like her. I saw her at the live concert in Tokyo.[

Aoyagi YoSuKe



yé àdaba

Lyrics Asa



Oju mo ti mo Oju mo ti mo mi Ni le yi o o

Oju mo ti mo - mo ri re o


Eye adaba Eye adaba Eye adaba ti n fo lo ke lo ke

Wa ba le mi o o Oju mo ti mo mo ri re o



I wake up at dawn

As it dawn’s upon me

I wake up to the sun Shining upon me


I see doves in the sky

Birds flying high

Then in silence

I pray for peace For my people

Saturday, February 28, 2009 4:19:00 AM