Life and times of famous saxophonist, Orlando Julius who died at 78

The music industry and music lovers across the country and beyond woke up to the news of the death of veteran legendary singer and saxophonist, Orlando Julius on Friday.

Born in 1943, Julius was born to a merchant family and had his first contact with music through his mother.

He would later drop out of school in 1957 after the death of his father and left for Ibadan where he began to pursue a career in music.

The ‘Jagua Nana’ singer celebrated his 60 years on stage last year and was said to be looking to celebrating his 80th birthday in grand style next year.

Famous Julius as he loved to be called , was a saxophonist, singer, bandleader, and songwriter whose genre is closely associated with Afrobeat music and had albums including

Disco Hi-Life, Ololufe, Love, Peace and Happiness; Dance Afrobeat and more to his credit.

The wife of the legendary highlife-cum-jazz musician, Latoya Aduke, who confirmed  his death to R on Friday said her husband breathed his last peacefully in her arms.

According to Latoya, Julius passed away naturally on Thursday night in his home in Ilesha, Osun State.

Speaking to R in a phone conversation, Latoya said, “Orlando has gone oh”, as she sobbed.

“He died in my arms at night. I thank the Lord”.

The musician, aged 78 years, performed at different shows within and outside Nigeria for several years and had release popular tracks including his famous song, ‘Adara’, which earned him awards and recognitions from different parts of the world where he toured.

He was said to have become inactive and could not perform since the year since 2020. While he was said to have retired to his country home in Osun, the singer lived a quiet life and contributed the development of music in Nigeria immensely till he breathed his last.

The renowned saxophonist was known for his exceptional stage performance and his relevance goes beyond four decades and in three continents (Europe, North, and South America, and Africa).

His death was received by many of his fans and colleagues with shock as they mourned his passing and described him as a musician of repute and a talented instrumentalist who paid active attention to his craft and earned the respect of the global audience.

Orlando Julius’ musical career was described by muisc veterans including Evangelist Ebenezer Obey as gigantic and adventurous, having travelled across many continents and promoted the Afro high life music genre to what is known as Afrobeat music today. The native of Ikole -Ekiti contributed greatly to the funk jazz music of the 70s and 80s performing with great bands.

Aside from performing and recording in his native home Nigeria where his hit tracks such as Adara, Jagua Nana and others still enjoy relative airplays, he spent many years in the United States and had collaborations with Lamont Dozier, the Crusaders, and Hugh Masekela.

His 1966 effort, Super Afro Soul, made him a national celebrity in Nigeria and even went so far as to influence music in the US. The record’s dramatic, highly melodic incorporation of soul, pop, and funk was very much ahead of its time, and some say that Super Afro Soul helped shape the funk movement that swept over the US in subsequent years.

After Super Afro Soul, Julius released a long list of records exclusively in Nigeria and from them received a great amount of local fame. He went largely unnoticed by the international community until 2000, when Super Afro Soul was re-released on Strut and distributed throughout the world to wide critical acclaim.

In 2011, his 1972 album Orlando Julius and the Afro Sounders was reissued by Voodoo Funk, and the artist increased his live activity at home and abroad. In early 2014, the Heliocentrics brought him to their all-analog studio in North London, where they backed him in a series of recordings that featured vintage tunes that had never been recorded as well as new compositions.

He spent time as a session musician in Los Angeles, even taking an acting role in Roots: The Second Generation, before moving to Oakland in 1978. He had always been interested in film production, and once in the Bay area attended film school. He did not stop playing music, however, and met up with others regularly at a small bar, Michael’s Den. Even while in the US, he released music on Nigerian labels, such as Disco Hi-Life in 1979, which John Doran called an “exquisitely balanced hybrid of languid disco and serotonin-drenched highlife”.

He began teaching his style of playing to local musicians and formed Ashiko. Though it gained a following, he got tired of being in the teacher role, leading an African band that did not have other Africans, and returned to Nigeria in 1984. He quickly began recording tracks for the album Dance Afro-Beat, leading him to put together the 18-person Nigerian All Stars band.

The group started to go on a US tour with the Lijadu Sisters, but it was canceled after just one show because of a misunderstanding that led to the Lijadus never arriving.

Reacting to his death, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, condoled with the family, friends and fans of the late highlife musician,  saying his death robs the music industry of another trailblazing legend and the nation of another giant star.

In a statement, the minister described the late Orlando Julius as an all-rounder in his field, noting that he made his mark as a singer, songwriter, saxophonist and performer.

‘’Despite a larger-than-life image, he remained a decent gentleman and a good family man. His passion for music was unparalleled, hence he excelled in his chosen field.

‘’By dint of hard work, he and others like him laid the foundation and helped to nurture Afrobeat to global prominence,’’ he said, adding:’’It was, therefore, most fitting that he lived long enough to witness the moment in which Nigerian music has taken the world by storm.’’

Alhaji Mohammed urged the family of the late music legend to take solace in the good and remarkable life of their patriarch and prayed for repose to the soul of the departed.

Reacting to the death of the renowned saxophonist and veteran highlife musician, Ekemode, legendry musician, Evangelist Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi, and Buga crooner, Jesse King have mourned the death as well as expressed that he would be greatly missed.

Obey described the death of Ekemode as a huge loss to the entertainment industry and unfortunate to have lost a beloved brother.

He added that the ‘A dara, a dara’ crooner was a very peaceful and talented music icon, adding that, “Though we are aware that he has been ill for some time now, but we don’t wish to leave our loved one, yet we all have to pay the price one day. His wife told me Friday morning that he died peacefully in her hands. All we need to do is to appreciate him for what he lived for. He was a very peaceful person and always happy with people around him.”

“I recalled when he gladly performed with the Olabisi Onanbajo University (OOU) music students rendering my music when I was conferred the professor of music at the institution years back. His performance thrilled everyone at the event,” he added.

Speaking about his relationship with the late musician, Obey recalled that Orlando has been ingenious right from the 60s and that they have kept a smooth relationship since the 60s as well as collective enjoyed a steady rise in the music industry as popular musicians.

“We are very good friends; I am just a year older than him. He will be greatly missed and sympatised with his wife and the entire family. I pray God grand his wife and the entire Ekemode family fortitude to bear the great loss,” Obey added.

In his reaction, Buga crooner, noted that the passing of Orlando was a sad moment for every Nigeria artiste to have lost a great music legend who has made Nigeria proud beyond the shores of the country promoting its culture and rich traditions.

“Personally, I will miss him greatly, because we had plans for a collaboration, but the pandemic didn’t make it feasible. It is so painful that he is gone now.  I pray God will comfort and uphold the family at this trying time,” he added.