Etuk Ubong & The Etuk Philosophy (NG) at ALICE på Stairway at Alice cph

Weaving together a unique combination of not only afrobeat, highlife and jazz, but also the ritualistic drumming of Ekombi, the result is urgent and highly energetic, yet spiritual; his compositions reflecting his heritage and life philosophy of goodwill, peace and love for humanity. Ubong’s music is so vibrant and propulsive that one can easily make comparisons with leading lights of the UK scene, such as the Shabaka Hutchings-led Sons of Kemet, but at the same time it is distinctly Nigerian. Hailed by none other than Seun Kuti as “one of the best things to come out of Lagos”, Nigerian trumpeter, composer and bandleader Etuk Ubong has developed an original style he calls “Earth Music”. Much of the music is incredibly fast-paced, and politically charged, with Ubong featuring on both trumpet and lead vocal, leading a five-piece brass section over the percussion-heavy rhythm section and soulful keys Etuk uses music to address not only injustice but also humanity and spirituality....

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Weaving together a unique combination of not only afrobeat, highlife and jazz, but also the ritualistic drumming of Ekombi, the result is urgent and highly energetic, yet spiritual; his compositions reflecting his heritage and life philosophy of goodwill, peace and love for humanity. Ubong’s music is so vibrant and propulsive that one can easily make comparisons with leading lights of the UK scene, such as the Shabaka Hutchings-led Sons of Kemet, but at the same time it is distinctly Nigerian. Hailed by none other than Seun Kuti as “one of the best things to come out of Lagos”, Nigerian trumpeter, composer and bandleader Etuk Ubong has developed an original style he calls “Earth Music”. Much of the music is incredibly fast-paced, and politically charged, with Ubong featuring on both trumpet and lead vocal, leading a five-piece brass section over the percussion-heavy rhythm section and soulful keys Etuk uses music to address not only injustice but also humanity and spirituality.

Den nigerianske trompetist Etuk Ubong er synonym med blæserbåret afro-jazz med samfundsengageret lyrik. Afrobeat, highlife og jazz kobles spændstigt sammen med energiske rytmer fra den rituelle musik ekombi. Resultatet er en tempofyldt og sjælfuld liveoplevelse, der sætter kroppen i bevægelse.

Etuk Ubongs musik er så vibrerende og dynamisk, at den er blevet sammenlignet med den britiske jazzgruppe Sons of Kemet. Samtidig rummer et umiskendeligt lokalt nigeriansk karaktertræk i kraft af ekombi-rytmerne, der løber som en puls igennem de lydlige kraftudladninger. Ekombi stammer fra efik-folket i Cross River-regionen i Nigeria, hvor Etuk Ubong selv er født. Selveste Seun Kuti har lovprist Etuk Ubong som “noget af det bedste, der nogensinde er kommet fra Lagos”. Selv kalder Etuk Ubong sin lyd for 'earth music' - en organisk og fremadstormende musik kendetegnet ved hurtige tempi, kraftige horn og stærkt socialpolitisk ladede tekster.

Etuk Ubong er baseret i Lagos. Han lægger sig i slipstrømmen af en længere række afrobeat- og hard bop-influerede trompetister i stil med Tunde Williams, som var med til at danne Fela Kutis banebrydende band Africa 70. Ubong debuterede i 2017 i eget navn, da han udgav Tales of Life. Før da slog han sine folder i The Positive Force, et afrobeat-ensemble ledet af Fela Kutis ældste søn, Femi. Hans nyeste album “Africa Today” gør sig bemærket ved socialpolitisk bevidste tekster og et ikke mindre end 11 mand højt band. Resultatet er magisk, energisk og yderst dansabelt!

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