JUWON OGUNGBE : LOVE, Denouement, Life Force Music :

Juwon Ogungbe is a composer/performer who commands worldwide respect in all the many fields he chooses to work in. Composing, Music Theatre, Band Leader, Life Force Music, African roots, Art Music, Opera, Education. He has composed for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Southbank Centre and has led creative learning projects in international settings.


For information on Juwon go to his website

website

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   On Sunday 15th January 2017Juwon presented A New Year's Recital at the versatile Platform Southwark to a very appreciative and warmly attentive audience who enjoyed the diverse repertoire of songs for voice and piano from Progress Ceremony, Life Force Music, Threshold and stand alone tracks framing his incisive new work 'Denouement' and his debut single Love. Outerglobe's Debbie Golt led a spirited discussion and Q&A

 

Juwon on Galaxy Radio with DJ Freestyle

 

After a sabbatical away from his own programmes Juwon returns in great style with 'Denouement' a deeply revealing and immensely engaging suite with piano, voice and spoken word with 'my own interior world as the context' AND an exciting brand new debut single LOVE available on iTunes. Juwon Ogungbe welcomes a dynamic 2017 with more openings in the air for Singing Cultures Choir, a collaboration with equally respected writer Beverley Naidoo and possibilities of an artist residency at a major London Arts Centre. Watch this space!

 

Juwon Ogungbe's most recent previous production Progress Ceremony is an exciting innovative and highly enjoyable multimedia experience - live music, film, dance, narration ... exploration of Yoruba culture past future and present - a healing ritual for our times.Nigerian born he has made a huge name for himself in UK and internationally with productions in USA, Zimbabwe and more.   www.juwonogungbe.com

 

Bringing together his skills and talents as a singer, pianist, composer and raconteur in a solo performance, Juwon Ogungbe is presenting new compositions and old favourites at Platform – a multi-discipline temporary project space located in Waterloo, just behind Southwark Station.

Juwon Ogungbe said “I’ve been thinking for a while about the most effective way to combine my classical, world music and pop oriented performance vocabularies together in one event. Time and place also have important parts to play in such matters. I feel very lucky to have met Jessica Knight of Platform at the Royal Court Theatre, in an Artists Salon event. Jessica invited me to see the space at Platform and new vistas opened up for me almost immediately. By way of coincidence, I also have a single about to be released. This recital is a golden opportunity for me to share my musical visions for the future with an audience in a suitable setting for ground breaking creativity”

www.juwonogungbe.com

www.youtube.com/juwon5jimvon

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UP!COMING: NAMIBIA MUSIC EXPLORATIONS; SING YOUR VOICE ... NEWS SOON

 

Lately Juwon Ogungbe has been applying his immense considerable talents to producing music theatre and performing in and composing for events presented by some of the organisations he is part of . He is devising some outstanding projects of his own which will be revealed later in the year. 


26th JUNE Swan Yard 1-3pm Free - just Roll UP! - behind the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre, Stratford on Avon CV7 6BB Juwon Ogungbe is part of 'Midsummer music - love' - interpretations of Shakespeare by composer and multi-faceted artist Derek Nisbet with whom he has collaborated before tho previously on visuals for Progress Ceremony - it sounds to be both fascinating and brilliant - see this link for more information! 

 FRIDAY 1st JULY UNION CHAPEL, ISLINGTON, LONDON £25 from here

JUWON OGUNGBE AGAIN TAKES THE ROLE OF CANTOR AND SINGER IN HIS WONDERFUL DEEP BARITONE FOR 'ENLIGHTENMENT' IN THE SPIRIT OF JOHN COLTRANE's LOVE SUPREME. Straight No Chaser in Association with AGMP COMPOSED BY ROWLAND SUTHERLAND AND ARRANGED BY ORPHY ROBINSON WITH SOME OF LONDON'S FINEST JAZZ AND TRADITIONAL MUSICIANS. 

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A look at some previous brilliant doings.

Coming up on Monday 21st December: 

  • A Christmas Concert at St Mark’s Church Clerkenwell, Mydellton Square, London EC1 1XX at 1.00 pm on Monday, 21st of December, 2015. JUWON OGUNGBE will be singing songs from oratorios, song cycles and other Christmas themed art songs, accompanied by Thomas Kell (formerly of leading African Theatre group Tiata Fahodzi) on piano and organ. The St Mark's Church website is as follows stmarks-clerkenwell.co.uk ; You can buy tickets in advance from info@juwonogungbe.com

Enjoy and take note of the Stand up for Nigeria video - which Juwon has highlighted anew from last year 

Juwon Ogungbe has been composing for some very fine shows recently - something he does often - news soon and news of new project soon as well

IT GETS BIGGER! JUWON OGUNGBE was at GLASTONBURY! JUNE 26th 4.45pm & JUNE 28th 11am - at the Glastonbury Cabaret Stage. Lots of you checked this out with great pleasure! 


Juwon Ogungbe sets the scene and talks about his career in this clip from the Big Ben Show on Ben TV . Check in for Juwon at 27'40"

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Juwon Ogungbe's life affirming album draws on his Yoruba heritage, African funk, jazz and his lifelong commitment to classical music with seamless ease. Life Force Music is available at all events and via his website www.juwongogungbe.com

No stranger to interviews here is Juwon Ogungbe being interviewed on Gateway to Africa ahead of his exciting performance at the rare London showing of 1927 silent movie SILIVA THE ZULU for which he composed the score


April 17th  7.30pm Juwon Ogungbe reprieved his very successful piano, marimba and mbira performance of his composition to animate the remarkable silent film Siliva the Zulu for South Africa at 20 at Wilton's Music Hall, 1 Graces Alley, London E1 8J

More info and tickets here
                                                                           

 

On FRIDAY 17th APRIL at WILTON'S MUSIC HALL, 
1 Graces Alley, London E1 8JB

Juwon Ogungbe reprieves his immensely successful piano composition performance for SILIVA THE ZULU the rare silent film as part of South Africa at 20. See more here

A print of the 1927 film was only discovered a few years ago and it has been restored .  Juwon’s score was composed for piano, African marimba (xylophone) and Mbira (thumb piano).  

“I wrote the score to accompany the film for its entire duration,” says Juwon.  “My aim was to follow the tradition of piano accompaniment to motion pictures in the silent movie era.  The music is very much influenced by folk, township jazz, popular and art music genres from South Africa.”

 Juwon Ogungbe  is a hugely respected musician, singer, composer and band leader from London, of Nigerian heritage.  Placing African music at the heart of his work, Juwon also incorporates pop, jazz and classical music into his expressive range.  Juwon’s concert and music theatre compositions consistently attract interest from theatre and dance practitioners: commissions include music for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Union Dance and the Southbank Centre, amongst many others. 


 Here is a clip from his recent SOLO concert at Green Note London as part of the 12th London African Music Festival filmed by Rockumentally  "Don't Play Games With Me 

Here's the flyer for Juwon Ogungbe's next date on Friday 30 Jan

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Juwon recently played a brilliant solo concert - Juwon Ogungbe, a mic, a grand piano - and lots of you! It was at The Vortex, 11 Gillett Square London. 

Flyer from Progress Ceremony below ... ready to tour - contact
Outerglobe for news and how to book Progress Ceremony - do scroll to the second part of the flyer to find out more about Juwon! And do check out his website too!





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On Sunday evening the  11th May  the only place to be is  the Vortex, Gillett Square, Dalston, London N16 8AZ  for Juwon Ogungbe & The Life Force Band.  The most recent time world acclaimed composer Juwon Ogungbe  & Life Force Music played their African popera  tinged jazz funk at the Vortex  it was standing room only and  the appreciative audience was vociferous in their request for encores. 
Tickets are £12.50 and are available from the Vortex  Box Office on 020 7254 4097 and online via  We Got Tickets .
Juwon Ogungbe‘s  music is a rich tapestry of so many strands as he draws in Western Classical, Art Music, Yoruba cultural heritage and the Life Force of Funk, Jazz, Blues and Latin beats topped with his mellifluous deep baritone voice.  Juwon’s music is finely composed with scope nevertheless for his widely experienced, supremely talented musicians to contribute their own improvisations and special styles.  There is always a narrative in his songs, something he gives full range to in his music theatre productions as well and so skilfully conveys in his opera roles.  The Vortex evening promises a feast of sounds to listen to and be seduced into dancing to as well.
On Sunday 11th May the music presentation is unusual . Juwon Ogungbe will be solo for the first part of the evening sharing voice and piano in music that will be classic, classical, funky, jazzwise, supremely vocal  and African rooted. Then the band will go full tilt in the second half.  

Between them Juwon Ogungbe’s musicians have played with a festival ‘s worth of top artists. Each one brings unique elements to The Life Force Band and together they make a tight and lyrical whole. Juwon Ogungbe comes to this event hotfoot from University of Richmond, Virginia where he composed music for ‘Threshold’  - a musical inspired by one of Nigeria’s most intriguing writers, Amos Tutuola’s ‘Palm Wine Drinkard’. His major current project is ‘Progress Ceremony’ – an artistic exploration of his Yoruba roots placed in a simultaneously ancient and futuristic context with a message of hope for our times. What influence will all that have?  The only way to find out is to attend!

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 JUWON OGUNGBE AND LIFE FORCE MUSIC IN PROGRESS CEREMONY is Upstairs at The Ritzy on Friday 10 January 2014 - see below and is also at the heart of a residency at Coventry University involving students and staff from several arts related faculties. Dance and a choir will be added alongside the latest fabulous development with the visuals and of course Juwon and the band.

Dance is choroegraphed and trained by Corinne Bougaard of Union Dance and the visuals are by Derek Nisbet of Coventry's Talking Birds 

It takes place on Wednesday 11th December at 7:30pm and will be documented. If you are at the University and want to attend the performance please email   ....

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COMING SOON - PROGRESS INTO THE NEW YEAR WITH POSITIVITY AND HOPE - on FRIDAY 10 JANUARY 2014 - PROGRESS CEREMONY IS UPSTAIRS AT THE RITZY, BRIXTON OVAL, LONDON SW2 4JG - TICKETS ARE £5 EARLY BIRD TIL 5 JAN FROM HERE
£6 thereafter. Event starts at 8:00pm - £8 / £6 concs & members



 
JUWON OGUNGBE AND LIFE FORCE MUSIC IN PROGRESS CEREMONY WAS POSTPONED . READ ON FOR FULL INFO ANYWAY!
SEE ABOVE AS YOU WILL ALREADY HAVE DONE FOR NEW DATE ON FRIDAY 10 JANUARY 2014 IN BRIXTON ....





JUWON OGUNGBE & LIFE FORCE MUSIC in 
PROGRESS CEREMONY on 
THURSDAY 14th NOVEMBER @ FAIRFIELD HALLS, Croydon

On Thursday 14th November African Divo Arts In association with New Variety Lives and Outerglobe.co.uk presents Juwon Ogungbe & Life Force Music in PROGRESS CEREMONY, A Ritual for beneficial social change, at Fairfield Halls, Croydon, CR9 1DG. The event starts at 7.30pm and tickets are available from the Box Office on 020 8688 9291 and www.fairfield.co.uk

Whenever composer/performer Juwon Ogungbe announces a new production, it is a compelling invitation to experience an intriguing and multifaceted highly musical event. PROGRESS CEREMONY is a contemporary music theatre ritual inspired by invocations praise and worship, song, dances and gestures from the Yoruba belief system. The work aims to present new perspectives on some African heritage values especially the potential for tolerance and change with a healing narrative. 

The piece comes alive with Juwon Ogungbe’s Life Force Music, described by the New York Times as ‘a flowing bridge between the worlds of pop, soul, classical and African music’, performed by some of London’s finest musicians. In a cantor styled role Ogungbe leads on keyboards and illuminates invocations and tales about Yoruba deities with his bass baritone voice. 

The experience is developed with visual digital interactions created by Derek Nisbet of Coventry’s acclaimed Talking Birds, which draw on worldwide ancient and contemporary Yoruba inspired imagery to magnify the ritual.
At this stage audience will be seeing both a consummate polished piece of work and also one in progress. Ogungbe’s plan for Progress Ceremony is to introduce new elements in an evolving process. Earlier this year Progress Ceremony began as a short evening’s music with guide images. At Fairfield Halls following an open rehearsal process and collaboration with multimedia artist Derek Nisbet of Coventry- based Talking Birds,  a sequence of images directly related to the music, song and narrative on stage will be revealed. Later in the year following a residency at Coventry University Yoruba/Santeria dance will become an integral part of the performance.


Juwon Ogungbe is a composer/performer who commands worldwide respect in all the many fields he chooses to work in. He has composed for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Southbank Centre and has led creative learning projects in international settings. In 2012 his music led Merchant of Venice premiered at the Harare Arts Festival and he wrote for a large scale community choir for the Olympiad. Ogungbe recently composed and performed a piece to depict the history of Black people in Canning Town and his debut album Life Force Music on Second Generation Records has received worldwide airplay. Progress Ceremony is a new departure for Ogungbe combining music, digital visuals and eventually as it grows, movement and dance.

Juwon Ogungbe said “Progress Ceremony is a music driven theatrical piece rooted in a very specific African tradition. Sometimes I feel that UK African expression is limited to broad brush strokes, as if all Africans experience things in the same way.  I want to make a statement that can resonate with audiences of any background in an intimate and personal yet simultaneously global universal level “ He added “I read  several Nigerian blogs regularly and I feel there is a need for a subliminal healing process for people of my heritage – and indeed everyone else – on a global scale. I hope the music, invocations, affirmations and prayers in Progress Ceremony will somehow help to make a difference through forging new creations, creating trust and understanding amongst us all”

Progress Ceremony, is presented by African Divo Arts  with Arts Council funding and support from New Variety Lives and Outerglobe.co.uk, 

For more info and interviews please contact Debbie Golt, Outerglobe.co.uk  info@outerglobe.co.uk
 



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JUWON OGUNGBE
LIFE FORCE MUSIC and more

As per the front page Juwon has 2 great classical concerts coming up in May - so please go to the front page to check those - on 5 MAY and 15 MAY

He is working on a major new piece called PROGRESS CEREMONY which will be shown in progress itself at 2.30pm on SUNDAY 21 JULY @ RICH MIX Bethnal Green Road.  More details very soon - Yoruba ritual, new music and creative visuals are all part of the very fine mix. Subscribe to this blog to be kept absolutely up to date!

Juwon is also working with African cultural performance company IROKO  on a new commission - news soon of its revealing. And he goes back to Richmond to complete the musical and oversee its first performance next year - 2014. That's the thing with Juwon - always light years ahead!

LIFE FORCE MUSIC will be on sale at all events where Juwon is performing. ENJOY!

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Juwon is currently working on a commission to bring a classic West African novel to life with music and flair. He is based in Richmond Virginia for this and will be doing selected US Performances whilst he is in the States - and is open to new bookings. Contact Outerglobe


Juwon flies high in all his chosen fields - classical, opera, voice, music theatre, composing and LIFE FORCE MUSIC where all strands of the finest African, Black and beautiful music meet and fuse with his classical and mellifluous roots......

LIFE FORCE MUSIC his debut album is available online - iTunes - and via his website www.juwonogungbe.com
And you can catch some brilliant live tracks on Juwon's Youtube

Accolades pour in especially from Rainlore's world of music  This is a remarkably fresh and refreshing album that has great charm. Not to mention a really remarkable booming voice! And those grooves really get into your dancing feet. An altogether fabulously enjoyable listen. 

and  Dorothy Johnson Laird on About Music - through the New York Times 
A highlight of the CD is "A Taste of Pepper."  On this track, Juwon's sense of theater and play shines through. His grandmother's wisdom is captured in the vocals, "My Grandmama say, you must to taste some pepper every day, make una mouth no dey water! Pepper soup e dey sweet for mouth, pepper soup dey do good things for body!"


“... a rich textural experience - part social commentary, part personal sharing – showcasing Juwon Ogungbe’s mellifluous baritone and innovative compositions” 

....  where Western Classical and Contemporary Yoruba soul meet. Well out of the box!   

Try a Taste of Life Force Music here



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Basking in the likes of BBC R3, Colourful, Reading4U, ResonanceFM, VoxAfrica, Playvybz, 
OH! TV and more  radio and television oxygen - 
including Princess of Arize on BEN TV at 10.30am 
THIS SATURDAY  (28th) Sky Channel 194
composer, keyboardist and singer Juwon Ogungbe's  CD "Life Force Music" Second Generation Records is available on iTunes and via  juwonogungbe.com   with his Life Force Band, featuring the finest handpicked young African & Caribbean musicians. 

“... a rich textural experience - part social commentary, part personal sharing – showcasing Juwon Ogungbe’s mellifluous baritone and innovative compositions” 

....  where Western Classical and Contemporary Yoruba soul meet. Well out of the box!   

Try a Taste of Life Force Music here

NEXT EVENT: 
SAT 28th JULY: UPSTAIRS AT THE RITZY, 
BRIXTON, LONDON SW2 1LG
7pm-1am  JUST £5 on the door
VENUE INFO HERE
Presented by DJ Freestyle and Colourful Radio 


Previous event at Cotton's Rhum Jungle Islington 19th July



Previous event: at The Lost Theatre, 19th May 2012


  
Juwon Ogungbe  on Radio , on TV .... follow the links for interviews and live slots
or go straight to Outerglobe's Soundcloud

Colourful Radio
Life With Rosemary - Juwon's interview from 23 Feb 2012      Here 
DJ Freestyle special - from 08 March 2012 - soundcloud link coming soon - meantime listen at DJ Freestyle and scroll to the 8th March slot in the Listen Again part

Resonance FM
'Is Black Music' - Juwon's interview & session with Art Terry   Here
(Resonance FM 104.4Fm  London / resonancefm.com )

African Connection on Greenwich Kasapo Radio (GKR) 87.7FM locally   Here

Vox Africa Shoot the Messenger - highlight from Juwon's interview    Here

 More soon .... watch this space

Juwon Ogungbe launches ... Life Force Music ... at The Africa Centre
Saturday 9th March 2012  7.30-11pm   £10 /£8 advance

Advance tickets are available at £8 from Eventbrite


Birth of Sound ... A Sensibility :  A “Meltdown” styled evening.

Acclaimed Composer/Singer Juwon Ogungbe launches his debut Album “Life Force Music” with an exciting evening of live music, ceremony and discussion. Juwon’s band  - comprising some of the UK’s finest young African and Caribbean musicians - will play album highlights; a distinguished panel will explore Juwon’s musical vocabulary and influences – partly stemming from long association with the Centre encountering musicians from throughout Africa, and formal blessings will  be offered. 

In Association with the Africa Centre & Outerglobe