Michael Olatuja primarily does work as a sideman, but one that’s in-demand from the likes of Shakira, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and Terence Blanchard. The composer and bandleader sides of this uber-talented, New York-based bassist from London and Nigeria only come out in his solo projects, and until now he hadn’t put forth any since 2011’s The Promise. His debut disc Speak came out two years earlier, one I opined then that “[t]he style of music is a spicy soup of neo-soul, gospel, jazz and African music.”
Olatuja is still making that spicy soup, Lagos Pepper Soup, to be precise. In addition to all the hallmarks of that earlier record — which saw Olatuja handing the production, arranging and most of the compositions — Olatuja takes his aspirations even higher this time. For five of these cuts, there is orchestral backing and to make sure it’s done just right, Olatuja brought in top guns David Metzger, Jason Michael Webb and Joseph Joubert to handle the conducting and arrangement tasks.
Olatuja also enlisted a rich cross-section of talent to guest star on nearly every track, from fellow West African-born ace guitarist Lionel Loueke and sax giant Joe Lovano to violin eminence Regina Carter and top jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves. All of the featured players fit into the leader’s vision like hand in glove; Olatuja must have wrote and arranged these song with these particular players in mind.
“Lagos Pepper Soup” is an infectious blend of African folk dance music and contemporary soul, led by Angelique Kidjo commanding lead vocal and Olatuja playing everything from the lead lyric lines to finger-tapping to firmly holding down the groove, Marcus Miller style.
In place of a lead vox for “The Hero’s Journey” is Olatuja’s bass displaying all the attention to the beauty of a melody that Pastorius was renowned for, over an orchestral that puts his sinuous, carefully-constructed song in its best light, as does Carter’s violin.
The strings are deployed in a much different way on “Soki,” firmly embedded in a Fela Kuti rhythm. To hear Olatuja and Loueke both bring their considerable prowess together on this song is enough of a treat, but then there’s Reeves easily nailing the Yoruba-language lines. “Brighter Day” kicks off with lush orchestration but soon settles into an Incognito vibe with Laura Mvula ably handling all the vocals. Gregoire Maret, arguably the heir to the late Toots Thielemans, lends a hand to “Bola’s Song,” and even here, Olatuja adds an African flavor that complements the harmonica and the stately strings.
“Shadows Fade” is a Quiet Storm ballad fronted by Onaje Jefferson’s vocals, where Aaron Parks puts in a tasteful piano solo. “Home True” leans toward folk-jazz, most probably because Becca Stevens is singing this one, but Olatuja lays in a busy rhythm that contests the main easygoing cadence of the song and during the instrumental breaks Stevens is scatting right along to it. It’s that push-and-pull of the song that gives it a special dynamic.
Some songs call for sparer arrangements, such as “Ma Foya,” where Olatuja creates a very effective rhythm section from his bouncing, acoustic bass and handclaps, letting Brandee Younger’s harp fill out the melody.
Loueke’s third and final appearance is on a song he wrote, “Mivakpola,” where Terreon Gully’s hyperkinetic drums drive Olatuja to likewise cause a ruckus. Lovano harmonizes in unison with Camille Thurman’s wordless voice over a festive beat on “Leye’s Dance.”
“Grace” ends the program elegantly with an all-acoustic jazz quintet spotlighting Parks’ piano once again.
The music of Olatuja is the music of celebration, hope and joy, brought out with craftsmanship and drawing from some of the best music heritage of three continents. After a long layover from a lead role, he makes Lagos Pepper Soup well worth the wait.
Lagos Pepper Soup is now available, from Whirlwind Recordings.
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