Zeal Onyia - Trumpet King Returns (Tabansi Records 2014)
Zeal
Onyia was a fine jazz musician with trumpet in the 'mainstream' mould.
If you like the Music of Louis Armstrong, you will love this Album.
Louis Armstrong Approved of Zeals Music. He is regarded as one of the
Grand Patrons whose influence led to the spread and popularity of Hylife
Jazz Music. Zeal recorded many Songs but is widely known for this
Special recording of "Zeal Anata,'' a 6 Track vigorous rhythmic sound
for Tabansi Records. The Album includes major hits like - "Zeal Anata -
which means Zeal has Returned", "Nnata Na Aso Uso - Meaning Home coming
is sweet", "Eluem Asaba - Meaning I've Reached Asaba", "Zealingo Nno -
Means Zealingo Welcome", "Egwu Olili" and others. Through the years, he
maintained acquaintances and played alongside many of Africa's Hylife
Jazz Musicians including Bobby Benson, E T Mensah, Art Alade, Osita
Osadebe, Chris Ajilo, Bayo Martins, etc and developed a special
friendship with American Jazz Musician Loius Armstrong who when he heard
Zeals welcome Tune for him on visiting Nigeria, described Zeal as the
"Hip Cat" Trumpeter. Such friendship led to many other collaborations
between them. Academically, Zeal studied music in Germany, the home of
great composers such as Beethoven, Bach and Handell, but rather than
allow this orientation to change his love for highlife and African
music, the knowledge strengthened his melodic inventiveness in terms of
writing highlife songs such as Zeal Anata, Nata Na Aso Uso, Eluem Asaba
and other Songs in this Album. Zeal played with E T Mensah and was able
to introduce a good sense of harmony, which he imbibed from the culture
of Ghanaian highlife into Nigerian highlife. His trumpet was always
heard as being more forceful, more exciting, more powerful and more
relaxing than any other. If you love Hylife Jazz, Buy this Album -
You'll be so fond of it that you'll recommend it to friends, relatives
and others. Happy Listening.
