By Michael Chiedoziem Chukwudera
I became interested in Dhanny Jazz after watching his collaboration with Patoranking in the artiste’s live performance of his hit song, “Abobi”. The saxophone carries the opening, creating a beautiful cadence which ushers everyone in the room. By the time Patoranking joins his voice in the rank of the instrumental, the music begins from a new crescendo and ends with a saxophone outro.
DhannyJazz began playing the saxophone in 2016, during his undergraduate years at Bowen University, inspired by the community of talented instrumentalists he encountered there. By 2018, he had won the Bowen Got Talent Show, a milestone that propelled him to take his craft seriously and explore its full potential. Reflecting on this pivotal moment, DhannyJazz remarked, “[Winning the competition] seemed like where it all began for me. He became more confident, began to build his artist profile, and structured his career in a way that could help express himself the way he wanted to, which was part of his original vision.” Following this feat, he recorded his first song titled “Ireti”, which means hope.
Dhannyjazz has also worked with Patoranking in another of his popular songs titled, “Woman of the Year”, and was no newcomer in the industry, having worked with other musicians like Ayra Starr and Ruger in their tours. In Patoranking’s “Woman of the Year”, again, his performance struck me in the same way that his performance in “Abobi” did. The saxophone doesn’t just enrich the music, but it gives weight to the story being told in the music. His style of play consists of a temperate alternation with which he plays back up, and also a crescendo which is capable of taking the lead in the singing. In this way, the saxophonist is able to achieve profound collaboration with the musicians he works with.
His catalogue includes his live session EP, which cuts across Afrobeats, R&B, and Highlife. The performances are not just done exclusively with saxophone. They are a band performance which includes other instruments, and sometimes a backdrop singer, with the sax playing the lead role in the music. Dhannyjazz’s music is like an instrumentalist reinvention of the songs he performs. It aims to bring out a fresher quality in the music, to draw attention to the heart of the sound.
In his Highlife Medley with his band, he performs a group of contemporary highlife music which includes Timi Dakolo’s “Iyawo Mi” and Simi’s “Duduke”. His performances have a celebratory air to them. This is in part because Dhanny is dedicated to the art of magnifying the ecstatic quality of the songs he plays. It is also partly due to the kind of songs he selects on the playlist. Sometimes, the music begins on a relatively sober note, and then the crescendo increases. This is seen in the Afrobeats mix which begins with Libianca’s “People”, a relatively sober song, and then moves to songs like “Xtra Cool” by Young Jonn, and “Who’s Your Guy” by Spyro. This progression in his selection is capable, as he says, of creating an ecstatic feeling. But more than that, it is to create an immersive experience.
There is also his RnB Live Mix which samples songs like Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You”, which sets the atmosphere for mushiness. There’s also Daniel Caesar’s “Best Part”, which is an unabashed confession of love, performed with the band. Another song in the medley is Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud”. The whole performance of this medley remains steady-going, intense, and introspective as a romantic atmosphere is supposed to be.
Dhannyjazz’s excellent performances and collaboration with mainstream artists like Ayra Starr and Ruger (which can be seen live on YouTube and various social media and distribution platforms) is an indication that he is well on his way to achieving his goals of becoming a global sensation and sort after saxophonist.
Michael Chiedoziem Chukwudera is a writer and freelance journalist. Follow him on Twitter @Chukwuderaedozi.