Gospel musician, Kunle Ajayi has disclosed that Afro-beat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti influences his music.
In an interview with Channels TV Metrofile, Ajayi said Fela’s musical arrangement influences him.
His words; “When you listen to Fela, you will know that he studied music because he created his music, a voice, and a rhythm. The rhythm he created was what sells him, not what he said in his music. When you hear the horns arrangement of Fela, it’s clumsy, but it’s one of the simplest because he used most of the pentatonic scales. I studied Fela… he created something, originated something, brought out something.. he exposed Africa.”
On what led him into playing the saxophone, the reverred saxophonist explained that he has been an instrumentalist since he was a child, and a lung problem he had at a time inspired him to be a saxophonist.
“I have been playing musical instruments since I was a child. I started with shekere, then I graduated to playing drums. That was when I was 6-year-old. Later on, when I got to RCCG, I started playing the guitar, I mean all kinds of guitar. I had a lung problem and was told not to play any strenuous thing. I couldn’t even blow into a whistle, I was fainting easily. Surprisingly, God healed me. And as part of my promise to God, that if I can be healed from the lung problem, I will blow for him. So, one way or the other, God healed me, and I started blowing the sax. I use it to minister to people and bless them. And God blesses me in return for it,” he said.
