I Started Playing Drums in the Church at the Age of Six

Samson Olawale is percussion personified. He moves, talks, plays percussion. His creative genius with sound has led him around the world, performing with renowned musicians or teaching them. As a recording studio percussionist for about 25 years, he has p

Samson Olawale, Nigerian, Iroko as he is fondly called, is a well-travelled and globally acclaimed percussionist of international repute. He has toured extensively and performed with some of the very best acts in the world, including the legendary jazz guitarists, John Scoffield and Karl Denson, in the United States of America. His drum skills, innate creativity and improvisation ingenuity have taken him on tour with renowned acts all over the USA, Canada, Brazil, the Caribbean, South Africa, Japan and the United Kingdom.

He began performing at the tender age of six and has explored the world of rhythm with his mastery of most percussive instruments including the conga sets and Djembe drum which are his specialties. Olawale is a liner-note legend. He plays the Djembe, Congos, bongos, triangles, tambourines-you name it-to give other people’s music shimmer and life. Since becoming a studio musician as a kid, he’s played on a string of hits from Lagbaja to some of Nigerian renowned acts such as Femi Kuti, Aiyetoro, Ikenga, Heavy Wind, Kola Ogunkoya among others and lately, D’banj . He is indeed a true ambassador of Africa drum.

On his unique name, Iroko, he says: ‘‘it is a big tree in the forest that all smaller trees bow down to. Meaning all other musical concepts are still coming to bow down for African music concept. More so, the entire percussions family-drum was carved from the tree called Iroko tree. I directed my passion towards the African rhythm and style by constructing my projects more on African music vibes and gospel. From this experience emerged the Iroko Percussion of Africa; an African percussion group that plays African instru- and teaching has thought me many things. The most profound of them is learning. I keep on knowing what I don’t know. I practise almost every day and as I do it, I keep getting better on my solo and percussive techniques.’’

When asked if there is a different feel playing with records compared to live musicians, he was quick to interject saying ‘‘oh yes, there is a difference between a recording percussionist and live performance percussionist. In music, there are different experiences to this approach.’’

Iroko, who is presently working on a video which comprises teaching and techniques in playing drum for upcoming percussionist in Nigeria and Africa, reckons that listening and not playing is an alternative way of playing and listening. He says the two are good, but playing and listening is better.

There are very few artists today who are equally engaged as composers and performers and are successful in both fields as Samson Olawale. This consequent duality of his artistic work exists for over 15 years and has resulted in more than 30 pieces composed for percussion. Most of these compositions now form a part of his standard repertoire across the world.

Some of his works for percussion may be played by percussion beginners and some by highly educated and skillful performers whose skills and dexterity are indispensable for solo recitals. That’s exactly why the works by Iroko often fit variety of styles.

This special kind of manner of the creative work of Samson is a result of the post-modern approach to the music without code of conduct. In his work you can hear the influences of various stiles including romanticism, impressionism, expressionism and the extreme avant-garde of early 80s music; not to mention

his special affinity to the folk music of his Nigerian heritage that occupies him the most.

According to the composer himself, honesty is one of the most important priorities during all his creative work. That could be the reason why his compositions always sound so familiar, so close to everyone’s ear and soul unceasingly emotionally charged whether written in cantabile tonality or ‘rough’ atonality.

Honesty that colours Samson’s reality: the poetry he plays to, the people he meets, the sounds that surround him. The composer uses the ultraavant-garde sound of pure atonality. The extensive use of “one-hand-rolls” is brought to the topmost point which sometimes makes the listener feel like if there were two Djembe’s playing instead of one. The presence of “interval composing technique” as termed by the composer himself in certain places has common points with strictly determines twelve-tone technique. His playing technique is combined with freely composed expressive music content.

Olawale’s composition tends to show a special kind of perfection of wildness in an archaic ritual cult. His playing is a music and scenic competition of the performing skills where voices and hands are in an irresistible play of sounds where the rhythm has the main role.

On listening to his performances, which are somewhat imaginative, they picture the musician’s sound castle where, behind the walls, the listener discovers the chambers of rage, torture, joy, longing, laughter and those in which it is almost forbidden to enter.

Iroko strongly feels the differences between Nigerian and international artiste are time, environment and support. He feels if Nigerian artistes can get enough time to practise in a good environment and are supported with necessary materials, they will be the best.