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NEWEST ARTICLE . . .
QUOTES about the MAN . . .
- CROSS RHYTHMS
"Ben Okafor is the kind of counter-culture renaissance man
that denies lazy pigeonholing. Call him a reggae musician, an actor
or a political activist and you just won't catch the whole creative
sweep of this passionate, articulate communicator and musician..."
- BLUES and SOUL
"By his 14th birthday Ben Okafor had seen more death and destruction
than 50 Cent could witness in a lifetime. Rootsy Reggae for a
worthy cause"
- ECHOES
"The truth of Ben Okafor's vision needs no further explanation"
- THE VOICE
"A refreshing and sincere spirit"
- THE BEAT
"The man is a superstar, all it needs is for people to hear him and
realize it"
- THE VOICE
“Somebody must have told Okafor at some point in his life that he
shares Marley’s vocal vibe. His voice has that same husky sweetness
to it as he excels on this 4-track EP, the precursor for his
forthcoming album Coffee with Lazarus. Okafor’s music is an
affectionate mix of African and Caribbean rhythms, a beautiful
combination of continents that as of yet has never quite been fully
realised. Maybe Okafor is the man to do it.” ()
REVIEWS about the MUSIC:
- WAX
A fine album that will appeal right across the scale"
- BIRMINGHAM POST
"A richly textured album packed with infectious melodies and
excellent songs
- THE VOICE
"Its appeal is limitless"
- PRIDE
"A mixed bag of flavors"
- CROSS RHYTHMS
"Coffee with Lazarus? I want breakfast lunch and dinner! This is
excellent
- U.D.S.U.|
"Coffee with Lazarus is a shockingly enjoyable album from start to
finish filled with songs that send shivers down your spine"
- Wax Magazine
“The album, Coffee with Lazarus, has been a favourite of my
play-list for a while now. Coffee with Lazarus is the kind of
reggae-meets-African folk sound that will sit comfortably on the
stereo when you really want a moment to chill. It’s an album that
soothes rather than explodes and the subtlety of Okafor’s voice is
its main point of infiltration. The lyrics are always conscious, due
in big part to Okafor’s childhood spent in war-torn Nigeria. Tracks
such as Help Me, Give Food and You’ll be fine all hit the mark
musically and lyrically. Quite why this guy isn’t bigger is a bit of
a mystery because this really is a fine album that will appeal right
across the scale. Seek out!”
- PRIDE Magazine
Heartfelt lyrics coupled with a unique blend of folk-tinged
reggae
THEATRE PRESS COMMENTS
“PERICLES”
- “...a high quality performance and some amazing singing...”
(Manchester Evening News)
- “...it is rare to find such dynamism in the usually thankless
role of narrator as there is here by Ben Okafor, who also composed
the music.”
(Hampstead & Highgate Express)
- “Ben Okafor’s score gives a powerful and credible evocation of
magic and ritual.”
(Richmond & Twickenham Times)
- “Ben Okafor performs with gusto on drums and various African
instruments. Okafor also plays the choric poet Gower, who displays
just the right mixture of absorption in the story and
tongue-in-cheek detachment from it.”
(Times Literary Supplement)
“King Of Fools”
- “…a Passion play with a dynamic difference. This amazing
production, written and directed by Justin Butcher…should have been
staged at a major theatre, and given all the hype it so rightly
deserved.
Ben Okafor played Christ. He was black, sported dreadlocks and
portrayed a fiercely human Christ…kindness, a sense of humour, love
of humanity, and yet displayed pain, anguish and all those earthly
emotions we all suffer, including frustration.
…But it was the live music that embodied the pain and the passion,
the anger and the joy…You didn’t have to be a believer to get
something from this production, Its honest, and imaginative
portrayal of Christ’s last days on earth was both invigorating and
entertaining.”
(Oxford Times)
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