Home again home again jiggedy jig
Looking back, those two weeks in Kenya having all those adventures with Ayub Ogada just flew by, yet I felt I lived a whole lot more while I was there in 2012. Back in the UK that summer, the overdubbing/post production process began. Although we had the basic tracks – Ayub’s voice, my guitar, Isaac’s voice and guitar and the sounds of Kenyan wildlife – I knew I had a lot of work to do to make a coherent album. I spent a day or two in Sussex putting down some more guitar and vocals. Then a visit to Rob Bozas in Bath to play the album to him. He agreed to fund some more musos to add some rhythm section.
I visited my friend Tim Watson who lives in nearby Holt and we spent a day laying down various percussion. It was through Tim that I met Ayub so it seemed right that he was involved. He played some lovely talking drum, congas and various other bits and bobs. When this was finished, I hightailed it back to Sussex to add bass to Kodhi (Track 3) with the help of the estimable Dom Lawrance.
Rob Bozas put me in touch with the fabulous Egyptian percussionist, Hossam Ramzy. We met and spent three glorious days putting down various drums, karkabous, angel bells and goat hooves (!).
Next to Highgate in London to the home of the wonderful Dill Katz and his kitchen recording studio, and there we lay down the virtuoso bass of old friend Dudley Phillips. A very productive two day session with mandatory curry thrown in.
I was supposed to do a gig in London with Ayub who was going to fly in and play first with me in a club and Gary Barlow at the Queen’s 60th Jubilee bash at Buck House. Sadly there was a problem with Ayub’s visas so he couldn’t make it. Some red tape can’t be cut, even by the Queen.
Over the following months there was a lot of editing and mixing by me in Spain, and then Stuart Bruce did his magic remixing and mastering Kodhi.
This blog is a record of my adventures with Ayub Ogada, out of which came Kodhi. May there be many more adventures and musical collaborations to come. We all hope you enjoy the album. Trevor Warren, 2nd May 2015
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