Evan Dando at the Indigo2, London

Greetings, pilgrims!

So, I had one of those very rare moments that occurred at The Lemonhead gig yesterday at the Indig02: That moment you walk into the pit and the other photographers give you that questioning look of “Are you sure you’re at the right gig?”

Hey! I can enjoy alternative rock like the next person. I like (scratching head to come up with examples) Oh, who am I kidding: this kind of genre is not my cup of tea.  That said, I did like in very small moderation, their cover version of Simon and Garfunkel‘s “Mrs. Robinson”

Anyway, a couple of shots from the night!

Thought of the day

Ọ̀nà ò ní jìn kó má lóòpin. / A road cannot be so far and not have an end. [Nothing lasts forever; keep hope alive]

Yorùbá Proverbs

A R Rahman performing at the o2 Arena, London

Dominus Vobiscum, pilgrims!

I’ve been opportuned to photograph A R Rahman a few times now (click here, here and here!) and I have to say that I find his gigs more interesting than the last. He’s more confident on stage and it showed at the packed out 02 Arena gig last month August:

Anyway, here are a few more shots from the night.  Enjoy:

Thought of the day

Ọwọ́ ọlọ́wọ́ ò lè yó ẹnu ẹlẹ́nu /No one can be fed to satisfaction by the hands of another. [It’s what you achieve by yourself that endures]

Yorùbá Proverbs

Musiq Soulchild at the Indigo2, London. ©Akin Aworan

Pax Vobiscum, pilgrims!

So, according to the calendar, it’s been over a year since I posted anything up.  A whole year! Wow, how about that!

To be honest, I have been busy: what with breathing, and eating and all that lovely work that goes into existing. That and being prioritising stuff. But hey: live’s too short not to blog!

So now that  I’m back I’ll start off with a gig I attended a couple of nights ago at the Indigo2 that played host to a house-favourite, Musiq Soulchild:

Musiq Soulchild

with performances from The Floacist, Natalie Stewart:

The Floacist in action.

I must say, she does look good in black:

In glorious Techno-mono!

 and Raheem Bakare (top dollar, I bet he’s Nigerian, even before I google the information!) a young soul singer whom I’d never heard of until yesterday, but I’m sure he’ll go far:

I have to admit that I was very surprised to see that the gig was a seated event, and I kept thinking to myself, “Sheesh! We can’t be that old! But I know my people: the moment the show starts, people will rise up and dance!”

Boy, was I sorely mistaken!

Last year, same venue, Belinda Carlise performed to a seated audience. Or so she thought. The moment she came on stage, everyone stood up and danced and sang along.

But not my people yesterday. To be honest, they were quite reserved, all things considering.  But hey! Who am I to judge!

Musically, it was a great gig, the whole 10 minutes that I stayed for the show. Visually, though, I wasn’t wowed by the performance, but that’s just me.

Thought of the day

Omi kì í korò lẹ́nu láì ní ìdí. / Water does not taste bitter in the mouth without a reason. [There is a reason for every seeming anomaly]

Yorùbá Proverbs

I was asked how Ms O’Conner’s gig went , and for the life of me, this clip from ‘Father Ted’ came to mind, and also this classic episode!

Anyway, I’m just here to show shots from the night and not review the show, so here’s some I made earlier:

Thought of the day

Ọwọ́ ọlọ́wọ́ ò lè yó ẹnu ẹlẹ́nu/One cannot be fed to satisfaction with the hands of another

In other words: [Take responsibility for your life.]

Yoruba Proverbs

Apart from seeing Bob James and David Sanborn during the London Jazz festival, the one musician I’d been looking forward to seeing live is Marcus Miller.  It is always a pleasure to photograph him and get to hear his compositions. Unlike four years ago when we could photograph the soundcheck and main gig, this time we had restrictions of only shooting the first two songs from the stalls, but who am I to complain? I get to listen to Marcus Miller and get to take his picture with his band.

Speaking of his band, mark my words: you’ll be hearing much more each of them in years to come in their own professional right:

Lee Hogans on trumpet

Brett Williams on Keyboard

Robert Sput Searight on drums.

My one regret, though, was not being able to get a decent shot of the amazing guitarist, Adam Agati.  Maybe next time.

As for Mr Miller, I salute you!

Thought of the Day

Tí ọ̀rọ̀ ò bá tó ọ̀rọ̀ a kò gbọdọ̀ fi ìtàn balẹ̀.

In other words: If a matter is not serious enough, one shouldn’t go into excessive details about it.

Yoruba proverb.

What can I say about Ms Carleen Anderson,  pictorially speaking:  if you can’t get a decent shot of her within the first 3 minutes of her first number, then you are fresh out of luck!  She is just so visually giving as a subject.  Covering all 3 songs of her set would have been overkill, so I settled just for one track.  Great performance from her, though. I wouldn’t expect anything less from her.

Thought of the day

Àt’oore àt’ìkà, ìkan kì í gbé.

In other words:  Neither acts of kindness nor those of wickedness shall be lost. [We reap what we sow]

Yoruba Proverbs

After my last pictorial encounter with John McLaughlin, I decided that the best cause of action would be to photograph the Remember Shakti gig either from the side stalls or the back of the auditorium at a ram packed Royal Festival Hall.

Apart from Zakir Hussain and Mr McLaughlin, the newer members to the group was Shankar Mahadevan on vocals, Mandolin Shrinivas on…mandolin, and finally Selva Ganesh on the mridangam. For a more comprehensive review, please read  The Telegraph’s Ivan Hewett’s review.

Thought of the day

Mímì lẹpọ̀n àgbò ńmì, kò lè já.

In other words: The ram’s testicles are merely dangling, they can’t fall off. [Don’t give up!]

You wait months for a couple of legends to be on stage at the same time, and then you’re offered  with three!

I’ve always been a huge, HUGH fan of Bob James.  Then I heard his collaboration with David Sanborn on the 1986 album ‘Double Vision‘, and I was hooked.  So, you can have an idea of the kind of anticipation I had to see these giants on stage together, touring with a new album called ‘Quartette Humaine‘ and then to also find out that Steve Gadd would be on drums. THE Steve Gadd! Yessir,  no ‘24-hour man-flu now going 48 hours‘ was not going to best me in battle to see these guys!

If you’re familiar with my blog, you know that of all the venues to photograph at, The Barbican is the most challenging.  This is due to the seating plans of the auditorium, and I think the convenience for photographers was the last thing on the architect’s mind. If I had been at the main performance, this is the kind of angle shots I would be able to get:

So, whenever possible, we try to get permission to photograph during sound-check.  It’s the only practical way to get a variation of shots, especially when it’s a quartet size and upwards.   The downside , however,  is that the musicians are dressed casually because it’s just a rehearsal. But, hey! It is what it is.

Meeting David Sanborn was a real honour.  He took the time out to talk to myself and another photographer, and he was just giving. So much so that when management wanted us not to shoot during rehearsals, he responded by saying, “Nah, leave them alone. They’re with me!” There with me?!?!? Do you know how rare it is for photographers to have a musician stick up for them??? I salute you, Mr Sanborn.

And on that light note, here are a few more shots taken during the sound-check:

Steve Gadd

Scott Colley

Bob James

David Sanborn

Thought of the Day

Bí orí ṣe tó ló ṣe ńfọ́ olórí /

In other words: As a head is in size, so it aches the owner. [Challenges are not unusual; everyone has it.]

Yoruba Proverbs

Friday saw the start to this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival.  With so many gigs to choose from, it was a no-brainer as to which show I’d want to photograph.  Step right up, South African trumpeter titan Hugh Masakela, performing on stage with American pianist Larry Willis.

It was amazing to hear their rendition of  Herbie Hancock’ s Canteloupe Island .  That said, after this track, I had to leave the auditorium immediately.  It’s no fun when there are a group of photographers  all kneeling down to get the shot and trying not to irritate the punters (we always do!), and most importantly, not put the musicians off.

For a  more concise review, have a read of John Fordman’s review in The Guardian.

Next stop: Bob James & David Sanborn.

Thought of the Day

Rírú omi òkun kò ní k’ẹ́ja má sùn, kó má han’run.

In other words:  The storms of the sea won’t stop the fish from sleeping and snoring. [Keep hope alive]

Yoruba Proverbs

I’ve just returned from the Rick Ross gig at the Indigo2 where I couldn’t figure out where the first ‘song’ ended and the second ‘track’ began.  It didn’t really matter; before I realised it, all of the photographers were chased out of the pit, as is customary.

As hard as I’m trying not to  reinforce the stereotype to the obvious, there was the obligatory plethora of wholesome choice swearing & showboating chest-thumping at such ‘hip-hop’ gathering: young whipper-snappers strutting around with a £7.50 beverage and making sure that the drink lasts; DJs’ & MCs’ screaming at the crowd to “make some noise”; you get the picture . That didn’t bother me because I have come to expect this form of  subcultured tribalism (yes, I studied a semester of Sociology at Uni!) within this genre of music at concerts.

No, what really made me mad was that I missed an approved date (sanctioned by the missus, may I add!!) with Ms Halle Berry. I’d been informed that Rick Ross would be coming on stage at 9.10. With that information, I gathered that I could catch Halle in her film ‘The Call‘ showing just around the corner within the o2 Arena.  My idea was to  book the 9.15 screening of film, probably miss the ads and trailers but will definitely be ready for the start. I was an idjit to believe Rick Ross, like any of the current generation of hip-hop artists, would come on stage at his given time slot. 9.15 my a**e (Hashtag: #takingtherick)! He finally made an appearance at 10. 10pm, thus crushing any hope to see Halle for some time to come. Oh well…

And as for 5 minutes I spent at the gig? Meh:

I will say, though,  that this dude has no scruples in showing off his rotund belly and red pants! I’ll give the show a C+ For showmanship!!

Thought of the day:

Bí a bá yin ìrèké tó dùn, ó yẹ ká yin etí odò tó ti hù.

In other words:  If we praise the sugarcane for its sweetness, so we should the riverbank as well.

Yoruba Proverbs