Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Extra Golden: Ok-Oyot System

453

Extra Golden: Ok-Oyot System

By

Sign in to view read count
Extra Golden: Ok-Oyot System
Otieno Jagwasi is the quintessential benga musician. Born in Kenya's western Luo-speaking Nyanza Province, the cradle of the local style, he was a child prodigy on the fiddle-like orutu, which, when transposed to electric guitar, became the substrate of benga. He played with Circle K, a band that split off from benga godfather D.O. Misiani's Shirati Jazz. He gigged intensively, raised chickens and led two popular Nairobi bands—Extra Solar Africa and Orchestra Hits International—scoring some local successes. And then, shortly after recording Ok-Oyot System, he died, ravaged by disease, in May 2005 at the age of 34.

Among his other accomplishments, Otieno worked with Ian Eagleson, a guitarist with the Washington DC-based rock 'n' roll band Golden, to help him research his ethnomusicology PhD on benga. That academic partnership led to Extra Golden, a band uniting members of Extra Solar Africa and Golden, and this record, recorded on Eagleson's laptop in a couple of Nairobi nightclubs during the day. As such, the record has the intimate ambiance of a jam session among an empathetic set of players, rather than a full-fledged dancehall performance. The setting makes it easy to hear all the parts, notably the deliciously economical funk of Extra Solar drummer Onyango Wuod Omari.

Simply put, the record is pure guitar pleasure. It's hard to say who is playing what amidst the overdubbed guitars, but there is one voice that is swirling, with ample use of the pedals and a crisp Latin influence (inherited from Congolese rumba), and another more likely to use a rock 'n' roll-style fuzz tone. The record is a genuine fusion, although clearly dominated by benga. When the music is at its best, as on the title track, English-language harmonies from Golden's Alex Minoff and Eagleson trade off with Otieno's sober, slightly melancholy baritone with the same groovy empathy that marks their guitar interplay.

The boys from Golden provide two rock 'n' roll numbers. "Tussin' and Fightin' is less successful in this context, but "It's Not Easy, buoyed by a fragile falsetto and country-soul beat, manages to evoke Curtis Mayfield.

"Ok-oyot" apparently translates as "it's not easy, a catchphrase employed by benga musicians to refer to the burdens of everyday life—but it could equally apply to the deceptive ease of the complex music they produce. Otieno's guitar and voice allow both interpretations. Though benga, and East African guitar music more generally, have been amply anthologized in the world music domain, Ok-Oyot System will probably provide most listeners outside Kenya with their first introduction to Otieno. His death casts a shadow over this record because it is an introduction that most listeners will want to renew.

Ok-Oyot System, situated at the marginalized intersection of two genres (world music and indie rock) themselves marginalized by the global hit-making machinery, runs a very real risk of slipping through the cracks. And that would be a great shame.

Track Listing

Ilando Gima Onge; It's Not Easy; Ok-Oyot System; Osama Rach; Tussin and Fightin'; Nyajondere.

Personnel

Alex Minoff: guitar, bass, drums, vocal; Ian Eagleson: guitar, bass, vocal; Otieno Jagwasi: guitar, vocal, bass; Onyango Wuod Omari: drums; Junior: backing vocal, animation.

Album information

Title: Ok-Oyot System | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Thrill Jockey

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.