eJazzNews Archive

A Review of Dele Sosimi’s “Turbulent Times”

Originally published on eJazzNews · · By John Stevenson · CD Reviews

In April 2003 eJazzNews published John Stevenson’s review of Turbulent Times, the first solo album by the keyboardist and singer Dele Sosimi, a former member of Fela Kuti’s band Egypt 80. The six-track record, issued on the London label Eko Star in 2002, started a solo career that is still active: in August 2026 the label Wah Wah 45s released new remixes from his 2015 album You No Fit Touch Am.

What the 2003 review said

Stevenson, writing from London, framed the album against the legacy of Fela Kuti, who had died less than six years earlier. He argued that Sosimi was well placed to steer Afrobeat toward jazzier, more instrumental territory, in contrast to the more openly political work of Fela’s son Femi Kuti. He compared Sosimi’s spare, economical keyboard playing to that of the South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, and warned hard bop fans not to look for bebop reference points: in his reading, Afrobeat runs on vamps and repeated motifs, while its link to jazz lies in collective and individual improvisation, which he traced to African roots. For readers new to those terms, our guide to jazz improvisation covers the basics.

The review praised the rhythm section of electric bassist Femi Elias and drummer Feyi Akinwunmi, whom Stevenson described as a possible heir to Tony Allen, Fela’s drummer and musical director in Africa ’70 and one of the founders of Afrobeat. It also named the horn players: Byron Wallen on trumpet and flugelhorn, Tony Kofi on baritone saxophone, Linus Bewley on tenor saxophone and Justin Thurgur on trombone, with Kunle Olasoju on guitar. Stevenson singled out the title track, sung by Sosimi, the drum feature “Big Cat Fat Cat,” the calmer “Di Godfada” and “I No Like,” and a Wallen solo on “Gbedu,” and closed by calling the album the leading edge of African jazz.

Who Dele Sosimi is

Bamidele Olatunbosun Sosimi was born in Hackney, East London, on February 22, 1963, and moved to his parents’ native Nigeria at the age of four. He joined Egypt 80 in 1979 and played keyboards with Fela until 1986. When Fela was jailed in 1984, Femi Kuti, a childhood friend of Sosimi’s, led the band, and Sosimi took on the work of musical director, rearranging material and training new players. In 1986 he and Femi left to form the Positive Force, again with Sosimi as musical director. His official biography dates his departure from that band to December 1995, after which he settled in London and began leading his own groups.

What happened next

After Turbulent Times, Sosimi selected the tracks for the three-CD compilation Essential Afrobeat (Universal, 2004) and released a second album, Identity, on Helico in 2007. His third album, You No Fit Touch Am, came out on Wah Wah 45s in May 2015. It was recorded in London with the producer Nostalgia 77 (Benedic Lamdin), and Clash noted lyrics that addressed ISIS and Boko Haram. A dub version followed in 2016, then Cubafrobeat with Lokkhi Terra in 2018 and a collaboration with The Estuary 21, The Confluence, in 2023 and 2024.

His official biography also describes him as an Afrobeat teacher through the Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Foundation, leading bands that range from a trio to a 15-piece orchestra. In August 2026 Wah Wah 45s issued Remixed 2026, a two-track vinyl and digital release, and the label presented it as a step toward a new album expected in 2027.

Where to start listening

  • Turbulent Times (Eko Star, 2002): the album reviewed here, six long tracks built on Afrobeat grooves with a London jazz horn section.
  • You No Fit Touch Am (Wah Wah 45s, 2015): his first album for the label, produced by Nostalgia 77 and later reissued in dub and remix versions.
  • Identity (Helico, 2007): his second album, released between the two.

For the wider family of jazz styles that Afrobeat drew on, see our overview.

Sources

This page is based on an article from the original eJazzNews archive (2001 to 2018), with background and sources added in 2026. The original text is not republished here. You can read the original as it appeared on eJazzNews via the Internet Archive.
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