“Thanks so much for writing this, great to hear more about Tafa. I played trumpet with Oduduwa from 1986 to 1990. He was a great mentor to me when I was starting out in improvised music, and raised the level of anything he played. I think the band was reformed in 1986 after he'd been ill for a while, and it was pretty ropey to start with, but he gradually brought in better and better players till it was really cooking. We played lots of gigs around Manchester - for the Nigerian ambassador at one of the big hotel ballrooms, the Green Room, regular Band on the Wall slots, as well traveling to Canterbury in a council mini bus to play at the cathedral at an inter-faith event.
I remember him playing what he called "authentic" rhythms at his home with a Jamaican drummer called Joe (maybe the Harlem Spirit player?), Tafa said "once while I was playing this rhythm a spirit appeared before me, but I just kept playing." I couldn't figure the rhythms out, there didn't seem to be any barlines or regularities, just like a fast flowing and never stopping river of energy, I've still never heard anything quite like it.
He was always great to listen to, never a dull moment, a great listener who could always come in with something that would uplift what was going on.
Tafa was very kind to me and some of the others in the band (though he had no qualms about sacking people also when he wanted to move on).
He had a leg amputated in 1989? after a severe foot infection, but he had no trouble playing and driving drums and instruments around, but he died in 1991, I always thought it was to do with complications from the infection but I never heard for sure. Tafa was a warm and talented man.”
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I remember him playing what he called "authentic" rhythms at his home with a Jamaican drummer called Joe (maybe the Harlem Spirit player?), Tafa said "once while I was playing this rhythm a spirit appeared before me, but I just kept playing." I couldn't figure the rhythms out, there didn't seem to be any barlines or regularities, just like a fast flowing and never stopping river of energy, I've still never heard anything quite like it.
He was always great to listen to, never a dull moment, a great listener who could always come in with something that would uplift what was going on.
Tafa was very kind to me and some of the others in the band (though he had no qualms about sacking people also when he wanted to move on).
He had a leg amputated in 1989? after a severe foot infection, but he had no trouble playing and driving drums and instruments around, but he died in 1991, I always thought it was to do with complications from the infection but I never heard for sure. Tafa was a warm and talented man.”