Funsho Ogundipe
Encyclopedia
Funsho Ogundipe is a Nigeria
n pianist, Music director
and composer. He is also a writer and film maker. Ogundipe is primarily known for his work with the Afrobeat band Ayetoro . He has also written music for theatre in Ghana.
Biography
Ogundipe was born in lagos. He has an unsual background in that he studied law at both the University of ife
and the Nigerian law school and then become a stockbroker before eventually heading up the corporate finance department at Prudent Bank a Nigerian Bank which his father S Olagunju Ogundipe a Nigerian economist
and Writer
founded. But he gave all that up for the love of music. His father then chairman of Prudent Bank, at first objected to this career move, but when none other than Lágbájá
sent him a complimentary ticket to watch his son play at the famous Motherland venue in Lagos , he changed his mind. Ogundipe would later serve a Non executive Director in the same bank for four years after his fathers death.
Ogundipe currently maintains homes in London
and Accra
in addition to Lagos
.
Musical Style
Ogundipe's music is based on Afrobeat with a jazz core. As bandleader of Ayetoro he works within the Jazz
and Afrobeat
fields and is respected for both his original Piano
style and his compostions which range from straight ahead afrobeat
to the avant garde.
According to writer Chris May writing for all about jazz, Ogundipe's Afrobeat
has been cooked in a slow burning oven and has a wide and enchanting range of tonal colours.
In an interview with Rita Ray of the Shrine soundsystem for the BBC's Africa on your street website.
Ogundipe cites Miles Davis
, Duke Ellington
and Fela Kuti
as his major influences as a composer.
Robert Fox of the afrofunk forum and also bass player for the American Afrobeat inspired band Chopteeth rates Ogundipe's composition Revenge of the Flying Monkeys as one of the most important post Fela Kuti compositions.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n pianist, Music director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
and composer. He is also a writer and film maker. Ogundipe is primarily known for his work with the Afrobeat band Ayetoro . He has also written music for theatre in Ghana.
Biography
Ogundipe was born in lagos. He has an unsual background in that he studied law at both the University of ife
Ife
Ife is an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria. Evidence of inhabitation at the site has been discovered to date back to roughly 560 BC...
and the Nigerian law school and then become a stockbroker before eventually heading up the corporate finance department at Prudent Bank a Nigerian Bank which his father S Olagunju Ogundipe a Nigerian economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
and Writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
founded. But he gave all that up for the love of music. His father then chairman of Prudent Bank, at first objected to this career move, but when none other than Lágbájá
Lagbaja
Lagbaja is a Nigerian Afrobeat musician.-Name and mask:According to Lagbaja, his mask is used as an icon of man’s facelessness. Lagbaja is a Yoruba word that means "nobody in particular". It depicts the anonymity of the so-called “common man”. The mask and the name symbolize the faceless, the...
sent him a complimentary ticket to watch his son play at the famous Motherland venue in Lagos , he changed his mind. Ogundipe would later serve a Non executive Director in the same bank for four years after his fathers death.
Ogundipe currently maintains homes in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
in addition to Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
.
Musical Style
Ogundipe's music is based on Afrobeat with a jazz core. As bandleader of Ayetoro he works within the Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and Afrobeat
Afrobeat
Afrobeat is a combination of traditional Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, funk and chanted vocals, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularised in Africa in the 1970s. Its main creator was the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who gave it its name, who used it to...
fields and is respected for both his original Piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
style and his compostions which range from straight ahead afrobeat
Afrobeat
Afrobeat is a combination of traditional Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, funk and chanted vocals, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularised in Africa in the 1970s. Its main creator was the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who gave it its name, who used it to...
to the avant garde.
According to writer Chris May writing for all about jazz, Ogundipe's Afrobeat
Afrobeat
Afrobeat is a combination of traditional Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, funk and chanted vocals, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularised in Africa in the 1970s. Its main creator was the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who gave it its name, who used it to...
has been cooked in a slow burning oven and has a wide and enchanting range of tonal colours.
In an interview with Rita Ray of the Shrine soundsystem for the BBC's Africa on your street website.
Ogundipe cites Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
and Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...
as his major influences as a composer.
Robert Fox of the afrofunk forum and also bass player for the American Afrobeat inspired band Chopteeth rates Ogundipe's composition Revenge of the Flying Monkeys as one of the most important post Fela Kuti compositions.