91st birthday of Eric Dolphy

(Born 20 June 1928, Los Angeles, US)

Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe

MULTIINTRUMENTALIST genius whose compositions, recordings and evocative soloing with any of his chosen instruments (alto saxophone, bass clarinet, flute, bassoon, oboe...) in his multicombo-led settings and across a range of collaborative ensembles (especially those headed by drummers Chico Hamilton and Max Roach, alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman, pianists George Russell and Andrew Hill, alto and tenor saxophonist Oliver Nelson, tenor and soprano saxophonist John Coltrane, and bassist Charles Mingus) have a distinctly recognisable Dolphyian signature that has impacted the jazz repertoire most profoundly

(Eric Dolphy Quartet, “Softly as in a morning sunrise” [personnel: Dolphy, bass clarinet; Herbie Hancock, piano; Eddie Khan, bass; JC Moses, drums; recorded: live, University of Illinoi, Champaign, Illinoi, 10 March 1963])

(John Coltrane Quintet, “Brasilia” [personnel: Coltrane, tenor saxophone; Eric Dolphy, alto saxophone; McCoy Tyner, piano; Reggie Workman, bass; Elvin Jones, drums; recorded: live, at The Village Vanguard, New York, US, 1 November 1961])

(Charles Mingus Sextet – with Eric Dolphy, Cornell University 1964, “Meditations” [personnel: Mingus, bass; Johnny Coles, trumpet; Dolphy, flute, bass clarinet; Clifford Jordan, tenor saxophone; Jaki Byard, piano; Dannie Richmond, drums; recorded: live, Cornell University, 18 March 1964]) 

******Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe is the author of The longest genocide – since 29 May 1966 (2019) and co-author, with Lakeson Okwuonicha, of Why #DonaldTrump is #great for #Africa (2018) 

Twitter @HerbertEkweEkwe

101st birthday of Kenneth Onwuka Dike

(Born 17 December 1917, Oka, Biafra)

Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe

HISTORIAN, okaa amalu, doyen of the Reconstructionary School of African Historical Studies in the aftermath of 400 years of the pan-European enslavement, dispersal, conquest and occupation of the African World: lays the foundation of this restoration of the African as subject and agency in history in the 1956 publication of his classic, Trade and Politics in the Niger Delta, 1830-1885; inaugurates a stretch of an encompassing African peoples’ heritage archive and becomes the first African vice-chancellor (president/rector) of the University of Ibadan, and later, May 1966-January 1970, travels the world as one of the envoys of eminent and resolute Biafra resistance intellectuals who campaigns tirelessly against the Igbo genocide (phases I-III) waged by Fulani islamist/jihadist-led Nigeria and its suzerain state Britain, under the premiership of Harold Wilson, in which 3.1 million Igbo people, 25 per cent of this nation’s population, are murdered between 29 May 1966 and 12 January 1970 in this foundational genocide of post-(European)conquest Africa.

THE Igbo genocide continues unrelentingly (phase-IV, launched on 13 January 1970) and the genocidists have murdered tens of thousands of additional Igbo during this phase – including the 3000 murdered since October 2015 whilst Nigeria has been run by génocidaire Muhammadu Buhari, a fiendish operative in this campaign since July 1966. Buhari was imposed on Nigeria as head of regime in March 2015 by ex-British Prime Minister David Cameron and ex-US President Barack Hussein Obama, the first African-descent president of the United States in 233 years of the founding of the republic. Professor Dike would be most horrified by Obama’s support of the Igbo genocide.

(Eric Dolphy Quartet, “Softly as in a morning sunrise” [personnel: Dolphy, bass clarinet; Herbie Hancock, piano; Eddie Khan, bass; JC Moses, drums; recorded: live, University of Illinoi, 10 March 1963])

*****Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe is the author of African Literature in Defence of History: An essay on Chinua Achebe (2001) and author, with Lakeson Okwuonicha, of Why Donald Trump is great for Africa (2018)

(https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Donald-Trump-great-Africa-ebook/dp/B07KFQHXKV/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1542585950&sr=8-1)

Twitter @HerbertEkweEkwe

100th birthday of Kenneth Onwuka Dike

(Born 17 December 1917, Oka, Biafra)

Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe

HISTORIAN, okaa amalu, doyen of the Reconstructionary School of African Historical Studies in the aftermath of 400 years of the pan-European enslavement, dispersal, conquest and occupation of the African World: lays the foundation of this restoration of the African as subject and agency in history in the 1956 publication of his classic, Trade and Politics in the Niger Delta, 1830-1885, inaugurates a stretch of an encompassing African heritage archive and becomes the first African vice-chancellor (president/rector) of the University of Ibadan, and later, 1966-1970, travels the world as one of the envoys of eminent and resolute Biafran intellectuals who campaigns tirelessly against the Igbo genocide (phases I-III) waged by Hausa-Fulani/islamist-led Nigeria and its suzerain state Britain, under the premiership of Harold Wilson, in which 3.1 million Igbo people (25 per cent of this nation’s population) are murdered between 29 May 1966 and 12 January 1970 in this foundational genocide of post-(European)conquest Africa

(Eric Dolphy Quartet, “Softly as in a morning sunrise” [personnel: Dolphy, bass clarinet; Herbie Hancock, piano; Eddie Khan, bass; JC Moses, drums; recorded: live, University of Illinoi, 10 March 1963])

Twitter@HerbertEkweEkwe

89th birthday of Eric Dolphy

(Born 20 June 1928, Los Angeles, US)

Multiinstrumentalist genius – alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, bassoon, oboe… – whose compositions, recordings and evocative soloing with any chosen instrument in his own multicombo-led settings and across a range of collaborative ensembles (especially those led by drummers Chico Hamilton and Max Roach, alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman, pianists George Russell and Andrew Hill, tenor and soprano saxophonist John Coltrane and bassist Charles Mingus) have a distinctly recognisable Dolphyian signature and impacted the jazz repertoire most profoundly

(Eric Dolphy Quartet, “Softly as in a morning sunrise” [personnel: Dolphy, bass clarinet; Herbie Hancock, piano; Eddie Khan, bass; JC Moses, drums; recorded: live, University of Illinoi, Champaign, Illinoi, 10 March 1963])

Twitter@HerbertEkweEkwe