R.I.P

Fuji music will keep Ayinde Barrister's memory alive By Kayode ogunbunmi December 19 , 2010 12 :10 AM People die. However, the understanding of this finality to human sojourn on the planet never was able to remove the sense of panic or loss that usually accompany the passage of an acquaintance. It is worse when it happens to a close friend or associate. Or to an artiste whom you spend most of your growing up years adulating. Every epoch has significant milestones and, for a certain category of Nigerians, especially those from the southwest part of Nigeria who are now in their late 30 s to early forties, that defining aspect of their youth was the exciting musical rivalry between Sikiru Ayinde Barrister and Kola ‘ Kollington' Ayinla - who were locked in love-hate battle for supremacy as the authentic voice of Fuji, a music genre both claimed to have invented. His greatest fan I was always a Barrister fan, partly because he was a more accomplished singer (Ayinla has a racier band) and also because he came to my attention way before Ayinla did. Of course, they initially struggled in the wake of the larger image of two older giants in Yoruba music, King Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey, who branded their own music juju music. As opposite to Juju, Fuji is more traditional Yoruba in conception and rendition and probably hacks back to older forms of performers of Agidigbo, sakara, gudugudu, juju and Apala music. With its percussion loaded with dundun (Ayinla settled for the harsher (and harder) bata) talking drums, agogo (gong) and sekere (beaded calabash), Fuji draws its listeners to waist wriggling and feet shuffling dances that will amaze anyone raised on western music. Barrister dominates his band though; his voice cutting through the layers of the beat to deliver in message in sometimes high-pitched tone. Most of his fans love his song; a mix of evocative and pithy Yoruba sayings, wise sayings and sometimes ribald. He was also a believer in using the medium of his song to teach and his songs are usually laced with stories drawn from local lore or tales that would be familiar to readers of Arabian Nights tales. Barrister was a master story teller, a modern day griot with the gift of a dynamic band behind him. Rendition for Omowura In some ways, Barrister's music is a more grounded version of the fare served by Ebenezer Obey, whom he takes as his mentor. Ayinla was closer to Sunny Ade. But it was a mark of the vibrancy of these two men that they gradually eclipsed their mentors, as Fuji music became the dominant music form in Yorubaland, with Sunny Ade (and occasionally Shina Peters) still holding the fort for Juju music. Incidentally, Fuji music and Ayinde came onto theirs after an earlier struggle with the older Apala music. In fact, the earliest promoter ( inadvertently it must be said) of Barrister was one of the most popular Apala musicians, the late Ayinla Omowura. The eegun Magaji (big masquerade) would denigrate the upstart fuji artiste in his songs and warn him to stay in the shadows. Ayinla's death, at the hands of one of his band boys thrust Barrister into one his earliest controversies as he was accused of being behind it. His soulful rendition about Ayinla's death - and his plea of innocence - won Barrister more fans. It is also an album that fans of the recently deceased musician should listen to when they feel moved to mourn their idol. From its ajiwere days, when Barrister performed as an itinerant musician who entertains people during the music month of Ramadan, the music evolved in scope and depth to draw in from several traditions, including samba and reggae. Perhaps one of the strengths of Fuji was its inifite adaptability and power to inject other music forms in its growth. Younger Fuji artistes now rap and freestyle to attract younger listeners, thus assuring that the music form would survive for longer. Fuji soldiers Barrister, along with Kollington were former soldiers and both embarked on their career after their demoblisation. They were both civil war veterans, stories of which found their way into Barrister's songs. Name any human emotion and experience, and barrister probably sang about it in his evocative ways. Love, marriage ( and the imperative of family planning), poverty, tribulations, democracy and good governance - and death. He also drew on his deep knowledge of the Koran to enrich his music, reciting verses from the muslim holy book to underpin the message of his song. He was accepted ny all nevertheless as his fans, Muslims, Christians and traditional religionists embraced the messanger along with this message. His music ran into a little difficulty after a brief falling out with his lead drummer, Oyadolu in the 1980 s. After flirting with another Ibadan musician, Sawaba Iyanda, during which that gained a little limelight, Barrister reunited with Oyadolu and the music continued. Until death did them apart. One of Barrister's prayers was that the calabash decorator might die, but that his products do not perish. Barrister is now sadly departed. His songs lives on in our hearts and our ipods. May Alhaji Agba meet the favour of his maker.