I’ll play saxophone till my last breath – Donald Duke

A former governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke, takes us into his world of music, where he admits that playing the saxophone or any other musical instrument could ‘transport’ an artiste to a higher realm. Excerpts:

Daily Trust: When I saw you deliver a public lecture at the Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu recently, I remembered when you visited NiteShift, off Allen Avenue in Lagos where you performed with your saxophone when you were governor. Do you still play the sax? Donald Duke: Yes, I do. Last year, in April, I was on it. I did a work we call the Runway Jazz in Lagos, and we also played at the Government House. Then, barely two weeks ago, I played at a cousin’s funeral service because she was a very public person. So before she died she requested a party after death, and we had a party for her (laughter). I still play sax but not as often as I would like. I play once in a while. Daily Trust: Do you have a band now?

Donald Duke: Yes, I do have a nine-man band and very gifted musicians in each of their fields, from the keyboardist, the drummer, to the core saxophonist, I have an excellent vocalist and I have a world-class guitarist. We have a great team and we do play. They play occasionally but I only join them on request. Nobody wants to pay my bill.

Daily Trust: I was going to ask if it would cost a fortune to get you to play at an event...

Donald Duke: Not that, but really, as long as it is something I want to do, and as long as they are ready to pick the bills of other band members, it’s fine with me. Daily Trust: Do you have an album yet?

Donald Duke: We have so many songs but we have never gone to a studio. We have a lot of recordings. I don’t see it as a professional thing. For me, it’s just a part time thing. But we have a lot of materials, so we can just go into a studio and in a day or two we will come up with an album if we want. But it’s not done yet.

Daily Trust: Doesn’t it bother other members of the band that you don’t have an album, though you have songs and materials?

Donald Duke: They want it, but I think I’m the one slowing them down. Daily Trust: How did you get into music?

Donald Duke: It’s been a life-long passion. I started playing music at the age of three. My parents got me a piano and sat me down, then I had a music teacher. But after the piano, the first instrument I played was the flute. From the flute to the guitar, from the guitar I did a lot of vocals. Then I tried the saxophone and I found out that it was actually my first instrument. But the better musician in my family is my daughter. She plays the piano, the guitar, saxophone, drums. She scores music and right now, even though she has an LLM and a Masters in Business, and has also been called to the Lagos and New York bar, her passion is music. So, she is doing music more than anything else. She is following her passion.

Daily Trust: How do you feel when you are playing sax, because some other artistes say the instrument takes them to heaven. What’s your own experience?

Donald Duke: It transports you, that is true. Any instrument, not just the saxophone. You see, when you play these instruments it’s your fingers that find the notes even without your brain working. But it transports you. It’s the only time where I’m truly myself. Every other period, I’m guarded, but when I’m playing music, I’m just myself. I can play from now till the wee hours of the morning and I’m not tired because I enjoy doing it. And it’s only when you enjoy what you are doing that your passion comes out.

Daily Trust: Besides music, how else do you relax? Donald Duke: I used to play basketball in school. But as you get older, your limbs can’t take those things any more. So music is really my passion now.

Daily Trust: Do you still blow the sax with the kind of vigour you handled it many years back? Donald Duke: Oh yes. It’s one of those instruments which you get better at with time. You know, I can listen to a song and will just transpose it on the sax immediately, without even thinking, because my fingers will find the notes, and that takes experience. That’s where age comes in.

Daily Trust: What’s the name of your band? Donald Duke: That’s another problem we have. When I was governor, we called it the Governor’s Band. I’m no longer governor, so they said OK, Mr. Duke’s Band.

Daily Trust: Since when have you been playing the sax? Donald Duke: Since 1992. Daily Trust: So when are you retiring from playing? Donald Duke: Until there’s no breath in my lungs.

When I was governor, we called it the Governor’s Band. I’m no longer governor, so they said ok, Mr. Duke’s Ban