By Benjamin Njoku
A memorable night at Freedom Park, Lagos recently, reimagined the legendary Cardinal Jim Rex Lawson’s highlife music with a brass band twist. The event, conceptualized by Bimbo Manuel, blended Rex Lawson’s melodies with Lagos street and carnival rhythms, creating a unique cultural fusion.
Actor Wale Ojo recreated Rex Lawson’s iconic song “Yellow Sisi” on stage, getting everyone dancing. The performance was a dialogue between cultures, regions, and traditions, showcasing Lagos meets Buguma.
“It was an experiment in musical imagination, and it left a mark,” Manuel said, adding “The goal wasn’t to imitate Rex Lawson but to translate his essence into a distinctly Lagos sound – fresh, stylized, and contemporary, honouring the originals while innovating .” Manuel emphasized that conceptual clarity made the project exceptional, achieving “informed divergence, not mimicry.’
Music critic and singer, Osezua Stephen-Imobhio described the event as a huge success, giving kudos to actor Wale Ojo and himself for the quality of work achieved on these songs.
“Upon reviewing the event footage, it became evident that our interpretation of Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson’s repertoire involved a major structural reconfiguration. Specifically, we removed both the indigenous rhythmic framework and the string-based ostinato patterns that traditionally function as the principal rhythmic drivers of Rex Lawson’s music. These interlocking string figures—often operating in close synergy with indigenous percussion—normally generate the cyclical grooves upon which his melodic contours and harmonic progressions are anchored,” Stephen-Imobhio echoed.
With pulsating bass lines, driving snare rhythms, and horns carrying unmistakable Lagos Island swagger, this was high life reimagined through the lens of a brass band..
A highlife maestro, Rex Lawson died on January 16, 1971, after a tragic accident in Umunede, Delta State.
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