Are you familiar with Yemi Sax, Nigeria’s “No.1 Sax Boss?” Well you probably should be. For those not yet in the know, Yemi is Nigeria’s answer to Kenny G-- but now imagine a dreadlocked Kenny G, playing a bright pink saxophone. Born in the early ‘80s in Lagos, he is the son of one of Nigeria’s first gospel musicians and currently serves as both CEO of his own record label, Sax Records and a UN ambassador for world peace.
Yemi is best known for his covers of recent Nigerian pop hits. Have you ever heard a song on the radio or dance-floor and thought, 'You know what would make this better: if the entire song was re-recorded by a beloved saxophone maestro?' Enter Yemi Sax, who like King Curtis before him, is the answer to your saxophone prayers. Last year he released the Exclusives (Vol 1) compilation, a collection of sax remakes of afrobeats hits like “Oliver Twist” by D’Banj and “Chop My Money” by P-Square. Improvements on the originals? We’ll leave that to the listeners, but when you're in the mood for pink saxophone jams, go with Yemi. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/57303341" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
Recently, Yemi performed with the legendary Juju singer Chief Ebenezer Obey at the Metropolitan Club in Lagos. Inspired by that experience, Yemi released a cover of Obey’s 1987 hit “Aimasiko.” The result is a faithful reinterpretation of the familiar classic, but with the addition of Yemi’s smooth sax sound.
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