Femi Kuti breaks world record with saxophone performance

Femi Kuti attempted a new world record for the longest single note held on a saxophone, on Sunday at the New Africa Shrine. Femi Kuti attained the feat and the news was broken by his sister, Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti on her Instagram page @yenikuti; “This evening 7th May at the New Africa Shrine, Femi Kuti broke the world record for the longest single note on a saxophone note set in 1997 by Kenny G. The record stood at 45mins 37 secondS, Femi did 46mins 38seconds!! Give it up, we have a world champ.

This was witnessed by a large audience that included Sen Ben Murray-Bruce, the deputy high commissioners of Netherlands and The United Kingdom. “The record was previously first set in December, 1997 by legendary saxophonist Kenny G when he held an E-Flat for over 45 minutes. Kenny G was reported to have used a technique called Circular Breathing, which keeps a steady stream of air flowing through the saxophone even as the player breathes.

When asked how many hours of rehearsal it took him to achieve such feat, the son of the Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti said, ‘It took me three Sundays, I tried it consecutively for three weeks.’

Kuti continued, ‘Holding your breath is very boring. It’s not an easy thing to do, all your organs and muscles will want to give up. At a point you get lost in the performance and you don’t even know where you are again.

‘It’s about slowing the tension in your body as well, your mind must also be focused, or else one will be thrown off balance.’

According to media reports, Femi awaits an official recognition by the Guinness World Record.