In the mid-1960s, Nigerian bands were listening closely to the soul records coming from America. James Brown, Otis Redding and others had huge followings in Lagos. Orlando Julius, a young saxophonist and singer, took those sounds and fused them with highlife and Yoruba rhythms. The result, sometimes called Afro-soul, was fresh and exciting. His 1966 recordings remain some of the most celebrated of the era.
Early life and Super Afro Soul
Orlando Julius Ekemode was born in 1943 in Ekiti, in south-western Nigeria. He learned music as a young man and played with bands in Ibadan and Lagos. He formed his band, the Modern Aces, which became popular in the 1960s. His song Jagua Nana, inspired by Cyprian Ekwensi’s novel of the same name, became a hit and is still remembered.
His album Super Afro Soul, released in 1966, combined highlife, soul and funk.
America and the Heliocentrics
In the 1970s, he moved to the United States, where he worked with South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and other musicians. His fusion of styles influenced other Nigerian musicians, and some writers have argued that his sound fed back into American funk. He later returned to Nigeria and continued performing and teaching. In 2014, he recorded an album with the British group the Heliocentrics, introducing his music to younger listeners.
He died in 2022. He is remembered as a pioneer of Nigerian popular music and a bridge between African and African American sounds.
Reissues and 1960s Lagos
His 1960s recordings have been reissued by labels specialising in African music. His saxophone playing remains a model for Nigerian horn players. Lagos in the 1960s had a busy club circuit, with bands playing late into the night for dancers in hotels and nightspots. Bandleaders competed for audiences by adding new sounds, and soul records arriving from America gave them fresh material to work with. Orlando Julius was one of the first to make that blend his trademark.
A working bandleader and Jaiyede Afro
Running a band in that era meant handling musicians, instruments, transport and bookings as well as the music. Julius kept the Modern Aces working through the decade, recording singles and touring across south-western Nigeria. That experience made him a respected figure among younger players. The 2014 album with the Heliocentrics, called Jaiyede Afro, was released by the London label Strut. Reviewers noted how comfortably his voice and saxophone sat alongside the band’s heavy, modern production.
Orlando Julius heard American soul on Lagos radio and answered it with a Nigerian sound of his own. Decades later, collectors and DJs abroad are still discovering those answers.
