For di joy of jazz
Olakunle Tejuoso stand for di middle of im record store, Di Jazzhole, im wear one turquoise modern 'buba' and 'sokoto' as im dey tok to staff wey dey rearrange books ontop shelves.
Olakunle Tejuoso at his record and book store in Lagos Im start to tink about tins wey im love to do during e childhood. "Well, first of all I don dream of to own my own record store... I dey always collect music wen I be small boy. "I see am as natural way to go afta I leave school to continue di hobby of my childhood," na so Tejuoso tok. The Jazzhole Di Jazzhole, wey currently dey for Awolowo Road for Nigeria commercial capital, Lagos, first open business for 1991 for smaller space elsewhere in di city. Nowadays, for time wen Afrobeats dey enjoy airplays for radio and for nightclubs, Di Jazzhole position imself as custodian of a different type of music. As a result, di record and book shop na one of Lagos favourite hideaways to go back in time and enjoy old school records through contemporary ears. Di Jazzhole house dey keep jazz music from different eras "We open primarily to sell jazz and African music essentially, black music essentially with an emphasis on." Vibrant jazz scene bin dey for 1990s, but e don now give way to oda types of music. "[My customers] na men wey get money and CDs bin dey new den. Dem bin no dey just buy, dem also understand di music becos dem don actually see a lot of di musicians. "Dem don travel go abroad before and get enough money to go to festivals." Tejuoso say dis days pipo get more appetite for jazz funk and smooth jazz. "Di younger generation dey a bit different from wen we bin dey grow up." Despite say na di period of music streaming, di Jazzhole still dey sell hard copies of records in di form of vinyl and CDs Live events Di Jazzhole na also di venue for live performances. Tejuoso say di live events start as way to sell di music. "You get to remember say we bin dey operate before internet come. Dat time di only way to sell records na either you use radio or you find ways to draw pipo into di shop. So you get show and den you sell di records and den you spread di word." Nigerian singer Nneka's performance set at The Jazzhole in August 2019 Di Jazzhole don welcome many performers wey include Asa, Brymo and most recently Nneka. While Tejuoso tink about di memorable events of di 90s, im call e wife, wey be co-owner of di shop, to ask for her own. "For me na still di [Fatai Rolling] Dollar days. In terms of musicianship, na those old guys," na so she tok. Tejuoso look back on wen one of di pioneers of highlife music, Fatai Rolling Dollar, share stage wit singer Keziah Jones. "Just di interaction or di combination of someone from dat period [di 1950s] wit musicians from di 90s. Nigerian musician Fatai Rolling Dollar dey perform for stage for di Cargo on June 14th, 2009 in London. "I find am interesting and also di audience too, di fact say we dey work wit older generation musician and dey able to actually attract younger audience." "Di Asa one I no go forget am. I no go forget am becos many pipo bin dey dia, di shop bin dey bubble," na so im wife tok. Jazzhole Records As di demand for music by African artists begin grow, Tejuoso see am as duty to not just be pesin wey dey keep music but also as producer. Dis wan make am to start e own label for 1995. "In di 90s, most of di stuff we bin dey get we dey import African music from Europe or somwia abroad. "I just wake up one day and say at least we suppose get our own wey we dey produce and export too. Dat na how we take start wit label." Albums wey Jazzhole Records produce Despite say di iazz scene now dey different and dey exist side by side with more popular types of music, Tejuoso believes say room dey for Jazz to do well for dis market. "If jazz go get any future here, e go need to turn into our own language. We go need rework am into our DNA in a way." Artists and ogbonge pipo like Malian singer Salif Keita, Black Panther actors Lupita Nyong'o and Danai Gurira and King Mohammed VI of Morocco don visit di store. Wit plenti books, CDs and vinyl records, di scent of coffee wey dem dey make and di sound of jazz for di background, Di Jazzhole don position imself as di spot for lovers of jazz. "For me, jazz dey more serious wia pipo dey actually come to listen to di music and not smoke and drink over di music. Jazz na different way of just receiving di vibe of music".