Àpàlà Music
Music is a special form of art that serves as a kind of cultural activity, with sound as its medium. Different genres of music project their style, message, and structure in a unique way. On today’s Saturday Small Chops, we explore a truly indigenous genre – the Àpàlà music.
Àpàlà is sung by the Yoruba people of Western Nigeria. The musical genre is a percussion-backed singing style that developed in the 1930s, during the colonial period in Nigeria. With influence from other genres like Cuban music, Àpàlà grew more complex and became popular in Nigeria. Àpàlà was developed as a form of cultural resistance to the colonial rule by the British Empire.
The music is sung without western instrumentation with the accompaniment of local instruments like rattle (sekere), thumb piano (agidigbo), a bell (agogo) and two or three talking drums. The influence of Afro-Cuban music, however, led to the incorporation of instruments such as the Ogido (a local representation of the conga drum), claves and maracas.
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Àpàlà gained popularity and wide acceptance as a result of its deep philosophical and profound lyrics as well as the complexity of its rhythmic patterns. However, due to its style, it shares Islamic roots with other traditional kinds of music such as Waka, Sakara and Etike.
A notable performer of Àpàlà was Haruna Ishola, who also played a vital role in popularizing the genre. Àpàlà musicians mostly perform with backing vocalists, who are responsible for maintaining the standard Yoruba call-and-response structure throughout each song.
Recently, the Àpàlà music from the 1960s was collected and released in a new compilation titled Àpàlà: Àpàlà Groups in Nigeria 1967-70, by London’s Soul Jazz Records. The new compilation comprises of tracks that were originally released by Decca and EMI Records, including a variety of independent labels in Nigeria. This new compilation and celebration of Àpàlà by Soul Jazz makes the first collection of Àpàlà music to be released out of Nigeria. It also includes a booklet with text and photography.
Some of Nigeria’s popular Àpàlà musicians include Haruna Ishola, Ligali Mukaiba, Ayinla Omowura, Adebukonla Ajao, Rapheal Ajide, RA Tikalosoro, Adeleke Aremu, Kasumu Radio, Ayisatu Alabi and others.
Tell us what you find interesting about the Àpàlà music.