Ch! Nonso is an Afro-Soul artist from Nigeria, and with his seven-piece band he transforms the Ponsonby Social Club into the Land of a Thousand Dances. New Orleans to Ju-Ju. Slow, slow Twist and the Chicken’s in the pot!
Emmanuel Chinonso Nwachukwu came to New Zealand in 2015 from Enugu, Nigeria. He has a cultured Londoner’s English accent, but that’s a product of his hometown.
He has played in several groups here, including the covers band Ijebu Pleasure Club, as well as New Telepathics and Mazbo Q.
His goal was to produce his own music and his first single Ka Home is playing as I arrive.
A big band is fitted around the admittedly smallish Social Club stage, the largest number I have seen here.
Along with Ch! Nonso lead vocals are Thabani Gapara baritone sax, Andrew tenor sax, David trumpet, Mavs Adegbite hand drums, Adam Tobeck drums, Anesu electric guitar and Dave on bass.
His EP Kola Nuts and Chardonnay was released three months ago, and Forever O’Clock from that is second song in.
He has described his music as a melange or melting pot of many styles. This one has the warm Soul style of early Seventies Motown when Stevie and Marvin were kicking off the tight control of Boss Gordy and doing their own Black Lives Matter music. But still keeping tabs on the essential Lovesexy.
The voice is classic warm Soul tenor with some vibrato. He raises the heat with some grandstand emoting, smooth and never forced. The three-piece horn section adds Soul and old school Skatalite elements. Always a thrill when you see a horn section on stage.
The hand drummer then lays it out on triple bongos (not quite big enough to be congas) and blends with the Western drums to produce a nice fluid, rolling percussion.
Interestingly, the hand drums have two separate mikes. The sound mixer has achieved the superb sound that this venue is known for.
Third song in is a mash-up of Ascension by Maxwell and Crazy by Gnarls Barkley. Great seductive rhythmic pull, and the singer comes into his own as this one lifts off and soars.
Liar is played at a slower and more deliberate tempo. There is a nice liquid glass guitar break and a defining baritone sax solo from Gapara.
Nke Iru Ka is the demo run of a brand-new song. The hand drums are dominant at the beginning, and the rumbling stealth bass leads it out. Afro-Soul laments transform to Funk, aided by the trumpet. It is verging on Desert Blues and the sinuous rhythm likely owes a little to the Kuti’s, Fela and Femi.
Site Taa also begins with the heavy ominous bass, and the guitar electrifies it with sparkling lead lines. The closest to the Ju-Ju style of the great King Sunny Ade. The band stretches out on this, and the horns add some nice Jazz accents.
How Many Times is fast. The hand drums sound like tablas. Horns do the Rocksteady dancehall swing. The packed-in audience are loosened up and letting the backbone slip.
They finish on a jam with, But Do They Know and Ch! Nonso could keep this up all night. But all good things should end abruptly. Kill ‘em and leave!
Rev Orange Peel
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