Joromi exponent and legendary highlife musician, Professor Victor Uwaifo has given reasons why he is neither happy nor listen to contemporary Nigerian music.
Speaking on Channel Television’s The Chat with Mani Onumonu, the veteran musician, writer and sculptor known professionally as Sir Victor Uwaifo, while denying being angry at the turn of music business in Nigeria insisted that the current trend leaves a lot to be desired.
According to Uwaifo who was the first Nigerian musician and Benin man to receive the National Award, Member of the Order of the Niger, (MON) in 1983 said: “I am not happy that everybody wants to jump into something they do not understand because there is already a platform that will promote them and make music out of nothing. It is the computer that is composing and playing the music. Everybody knows how to play ball but that does not make you footballer that can play for a country or a team. It is the same thing. But music has become a freefall thing, everybody is just jumping into it whether they know the rudiments or not…”
He explained that he only listens “classical and real music, not computer music where you put everything together and the computer does it for you. I like music produced by a band, music that give symphony”
Speaking further, Uwaifo said that most of the music churned out in Nigeria now would add no value to him not just because they exist in the same environment without any chance of impacting on his art but also because “our present-day music is not actually real. I have a school music, so I know what I am saying. Most of them do not even know the rudiments of music, a lot of them cannot even play one musical instrument. They don’t understand music but they play music. Computers do it for them…”
Asked how he feels that the current crop of Nigerian artistes make the millions despite what he thinks about their skills or lack of it, Uwaifo said: “I don’t know about that. I don’t know what they are making. If they are making millions and making waves across the world it is fine. Let them establish institutions to employ people and reduce employment in the country.”