How do you define a saxophonist? What pedigree do you use to assess someone who takes music as a profession? These and more are some of the questions I have been asking myself since I discovered the music of Adedoyin Oseni early this year. The Nigerian-born, United Kingdom-based saxophonist’s Spotify and YouTube page have been my favorite channels since I got to know him.
In one of the oldest videos on his YouTube page, the lanky dude clad in National Youth Service Corps uniform, alongside some other corp members, blew saxophone to the NYSC anthem. The mastery it took for them to get the note was inspiring, likewise the coordination with other saxophonists on the stage.
Born over three decades ago, Adedoyin Oseni has always been surrounded by music. From attending a pentecostal church to being led to a music school. Music from artistes like Tope Alabi, Senwele Jesu, Funmi Aragbaiye, and others seeped into his artistry.
The ten songs he released so far had input from these musicians. On the cover of Paul Play Dairo’s early 2000s record “Mo So Rire,” Oseni added his flavour to the content with a rapturous saxophone note.
Adedoyin Oseni leans more toward gospel music. His discography is filled with new twists to old gospel tunes. His performance videos at iconic gospel concerts within Nigeria and the United Kingdom are scattered on YouTube.
Reputable saxophonists in Nigeria are scarce, until recently, they worked behind the scenes. In the gospel realm, evangelist Kunle Ajayi of the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG), also comes to mind. One of the things that stand out Oseni from this renowned saxophonist is inimitable dexterity with the use of saxophone, and his innate ability to command ethereal sounds.
On “Victory Praise,” Oseni’s oldest song on Spotify, he combines talking drums, saxophone, and exceptional chorister. They sang for more than 20 minutes. While it was not the cleanest of audio, however, the hard work expended on this effort was commendable. It shows Oseni was a star in the making.
The Theophilus Ogaga’s assisted “Incense” finds both artiste leveraging on each other’s strength to score a hit. It slowly starts with a dark piano chord, this gets heightened as the song stretches from seconds to minutes. Long before he brought up the saxophone, the piano chords did magic. This time around, the song lasted for thirteen minutes, seven minutes shorter than the previously released single. The early records of Oseni were longer, it makes you think that they are cuts from gospel concerts.
Aweni Elewi, a popular Yoruba chanter, was on hand to lead her years of artistic experience on “Elu Agogo,” which means to beat the drum. In the opening twenty seconds, Aweni Elewi takes this mantle of leadership as she chants in Yoruba, the gong was struck before this happens. It is a call to everyone to join in the celebration. The call-out ends with a joyous end as the people join Aweni Elewi in her call. There was an abrupt end to this, quickly followed by some vocal solo belts by Adedoyin Oseni.
The twangy beat is helmed by Adedoyin Oseni’s Soprano saxophone, it is heavy and fills the eardrum, slowly the shakers and snare drum collide to form a beautiful combination of sounds on this song. One beautiful thing about this track is the way all the beats come together, none of it is so fast, it slowly aligns, and it makes the whole setting organic and pleasing to hear. Oseni over a decade of experience in music comes to a place as he attempts to balance things up on this song.
At the mid-section of the song, Aweni Elewi’s sultry vocals come up again, this time around the chant is longer, richer, deep, and insightful with the chanter easily flowing alongside the beat. While this was on, the beat slowed down, this allowed Aweni’s message to seep in.
The combination of Adedoyin Oseni and Aweni Elewi might have been what the Nigerian gospel industry has been mixing. The duo latched on to each other’s energy to score a beautiful song. For me, it is gospel meets poetry. Poetry has always been part of Yoruba culture, this time around, the chanter goes through the Christian arch, and on his part, Oseni comes through with his saxophone.
Revered gospel minister and pastor, Joshua Banjo and Adedoyin Oseni expertly collaborated on “Devotion,” on this song, which is a live recording that might have been mistaken for a cut from a gospel concert. Banjo’s vocals help in amplifying Oseni’s notes.
His latest song, released in June 2024 is a two-packed song aptly titled “An Evening of Worship.” A medley of the plethora of popular Nigerian songs. It starts with a mid-tempo tune. The tempo of the song changes as Oseni and the accompanying chorister switch between songs.
Reflecting upon the layers of intentionality, originality, and craftmanship embedded within Adedoyin Oseni’s discography, it is noticeable that he would be around for so long. The journey between the years 2022 and 2024 might have been tasking, nevertheless, Oseni continues to come through with his best effort, if anyone is still in doubt, a spin through his work would obliterate such thought.
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