Album Notes

Egbe Oduniyi press Release

Alto Saxophonist and Percussionist, Kevin Haynes
Releases his new Album Ajo se po Unity under his label
Egbe Oduniyi Productions

Ajo se po (‘Unity’) is the third album by Kevin Haynes and Grupo Eleguá,
following Tomorrow’s path (1997) and Ori ire (2002). One sense of the title
Unity’ is the way Haynes brings together strands of different musical traditions
from Africa and the New World.
Ajo se po\\ continues Kevin’s exploration of traditional Afro-Cuban, Nigerian and
jazz musical idioms, but it is the first Grupo Eleguá album to feature a koraplayer (Diabel Cissokho). Ajo se po reveals Haynes’s mature musical vision and
his integration of musical elements with reference to a deepening spiritual
understanding.Haynes has created a modal harmonic language sufficiently flexible to
incorporate Afro-Cuban melodies and classical kora-playing. All tracks on this
album are original compositions by Haynes, and the personal voice of his alto
saxophone is the main focus of Grupo Eleguá.
There is a Yoruba spirituality at the heart of Kevin’s musical thinking which has
both Nigerian and Cuban dimensions. This is especially reflected in the use of
recitation and in the Batá drumming. Cuban Batá drums are employed on all the
tracks, and each piece grows out of a particular batá rhythm (dedicated to a
particular Orisha or divinity)

Kevin Haynes composer bandleader
Alto saxophone, Cuban batá (iyá), Nigerian bata iya, & vocals

Ronald Thomas
Cuban batá (itótole) Nigerian bata (omeåleå abo), & vocals

Bill Bland
Cuban batá (iyá & okónkolo) & vocals

Johnathan Idiagbonya
piano

Diabel Cissokho
kora and vocals (tracks 2 & 3)

Neville Malcolm
double bass

Shane Forbes
drum kit

Lanre O|laifa Okemuyiwa
vocals (recitation)

Ilham Jalal
backing vocals

Paula Allen
backing vocals