Keziah Jones
Encyclopedia
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and guitarist. He describes his musical style as "Blufunk", which is a fusion between raw blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
elements and hard, edgy funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
rhythms. Also his Nigerian roots in Yoruba music
Yoruba music
The music of the Yoruba people of Nigeria is best known for an extremely advanced drumming tradition, especially using the dundun hourglass tension drums. Yoruba folk music became perhaps the most prominent kind of West African music in Afro-Latin and Caribbean musical styles...
and soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
can be considered a major influence on his sound.
He is known for his distinctive style of guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
playing, including his percussive right-hand technique which is similar to a bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist's slapping
Slapping
In music, the term slapping is often used to refer to two different playing techniques used on the double bass and on the bass guitar.-Double bass:...
technique. He's also famous for playing most of his live shows with a bare torso.
Biography
Jones is the son of Osodolamu Sanyaolu; Chief of a Yoruba ethnic groupYoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
and successful industrialist. Jones spent his early childhood in a large family in a part of Nigeria
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...
close to the city of Lagos. From a young age he was being prepared to follow his father's footsteps and was expected to have an academic career. Therefore his father enrolled him in a Public School 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 he left Nigeria at the age of eight to be educated in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
"I had to find a way out of all that bullshit
Bullshit
Bullshit is a common English expletive which may be shortened to the euphemism bull or the initialism B.S. In British English, "bollocks" is a comparable expletive, although bullshit is commonly used in British English...
, and music was it!" By the age of 13 he discovered the old school 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...
and taught himself how to play and write songs. Three years later he switched to the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, increasingly neglecting his studies. After scraping through exams he went against his father's wishes and family tradition even more by skipping school and busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
in the streets, clubs and London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
, constantly avoiding the police, the Immigration Department - and his own relatives.
Jones led a bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
lifestyle for several years instead of the one envisaged for him. "Lose all time, love your mind, free your soul!" were words from his song Free Your Soul. Moving from London to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, accompanied by his guitar, he acquired a reputation as a talented musician and performer with a unique style. In 1991, while playing in the Paris Metro
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
, Keziah was discovered by an A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
man from the French music label "Delabel". In 1992, Delabel signed Keziah for his debut album and recorded it in Paris, Blufunk Is a Fact
Blufunk Is A Fact
Blufunk Is A Fact was the first album of Keziah Jones, released in 1993. This album was formative for Keziah's own style, called Blufunk. The song "Pleasure is Kisses Within" is sampled by Mike Posner on his track "Who Knows?"....
including the worldwide success of Keziah's first single "Rhythm is Love." Jones attributes his Parisian subway experiences as being instrumental to his blossoming career in his official biography. By 2008, Jones recorded eight albums and one DVD.
Influences
Keziah often cites Fela KutiFela 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:...
and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
as important influences, along with Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
.
Keziah is not in support of Drm ,he thinks music should be shared no matter the cost, and that people in third world countries
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
should listen to music to help them. Jones works with these people, and so plays music while doing it.
Art
Keziah Jones also paints and writes poetry. He’s a talented photographer and he produces short films, one among them entitled BLACKSPEEDTEXT This film, his music and the other facets of his artistic life reflect his experiences on the streets.Personal life
Keziah was married to Anglo-Nigerian singer Akure Wall in 1994.they separated in 1996.
Studio Albums
- Blufunk Is A FactBlufunk Is A FactBlufunk Is A Fact was the first album of Keziah Jones, released in 1993. This album was formative for Keziah's own style, called Blufunk. The song "Pleasure is Kisses Within" is sampled by Mike Posner on his track "Who Knows?"....
- (March 23, 1992) - African Space CraftAfrican Space CraftAfrican Space Craft is an album by Keziah Jones, released in 1995.- Track listing :# "Million Miles From Home"# "Colorful World"# "Prodigal Funk"# "Splash"# "Dear Mr. Cooper"# "African Space Craft"# "Speech"# "Cubic Space Division"...
- (March 27, 1995) - Liquid SunshineLiquid Sunshine-Track listing:# Hello Heavenly# God's Glory# Liquid Sunshine# New Brighter Day# Runaway# Don't Forget# Phased# I'm Known# Sunshineshapedbulletholes# Functional# Stabilah# Wounded Lovers Son# Teardrops Will Fall...
- (May 10, 1999) - Black OrpheusBlack Orpheus (album)Black Orpheus is an album by Nigerian musician Keziah Jones.-Track listing:#"AfrosurrealismForTheLadies"#"Kpafuca"#"Femiliarise"#"Wet Questions"#"Neptune"#"72 Kilos"#"All Praises"#"Beautiful Emilie"#"Sadness Is"#"Autumn Moon"...
- (April 22, 2003) - Black Orpheus Limited EditionBlack Orpheus Limited Edition-Track listing:CD1# "AfrosurrealismForTheLadies"# "Kpafuca"# "Femiliarise"# "Wet Questions"# "Neptune"# "72 Kilos"# "All Praises"# "Beautiful Emilie"# "Sadness Is"# "Autumn Moon"# "The Black Orpheus"# "Orin O' Lomi"CD2# "Cutest Lips"...
- (2004) - Rhythm Is Love - Best OfRhythm Is Love - Best OfRhythm Is Love – Best Of is a 2004 studio album released by Keziah Jones. It was released under Virgin Records, and was co-produced by Jones, Kevin Armstrong, and Ron Saint Germain. It was preceded by Black Orpheus Limited Edition....
- (November 2, 2004) - Nigerian Wood - (September 1, 2008)
Charts
The album Nigerian Wood spent 43 weeks in the French S.N.E.P.-chart, and reached number 4. Black Orpheus was in the French chart for 63 weeks, its highest position being 13. Rhythm is Love stayed in the chart for seven weeks. Nigerian Wood spent four weeks on Billboard's European Albums Chart.External links
- Official Site
- Official Biography
- MySpace Official Page
- Keziah Jones studio performance: Lagos vs. New York, HD on BBCAfrica's YouTube Channel, 13-8-2009, retrieved March 20 10
- A very extensive collection site!
- Video-Interview and Photo Gallery
- Artist Portrait by Keziah's Label
- Video-Interview at Caprices Festival
- HD Video of Keziah Jones performance in Paris Subway at Montparnasse on Sept. 4th 2008