It’s all about his bass
SOPHIATOWN – With a live recording concert of his quintet to take place at the Trevor Huddleston CR Memorial, local bassist Amaeshi Ikechi, reflects on how music has filled his life with meaning.
Imagine finding something you are completely enamoured with at 13-years-old and knowing from then on this was something you wanted to do, perfect and find glory in for the rest of your life.
This was the case for Nigerian-born bassist Amaeshi Ikechi, who, along with his quintet, performed a live recording concert at the Trevor Huddleston CR Memorial Centre on 9 June. They form a typical jazz ensemble made up of Marcus Wyatt on trumpet, Sisonke Xonti on the tenor saxophone, David Cousins on piano and Peter Auret on drums. But, who is Ikechi, and why has his life been about that bass?
He grew up around music, church music specifically, as his family was part of the choir. Music came to his life as a life-line from God when he was a depressed little boy. “I remember going to cry by myself in seclusion as I felt a strong sense of incompetence and failure in everything I tried to do,” he said.
Young musicians out there, Ikechi implores you to see past your ability to play an instrument, “They should instead see their skills through who they hope to become and are becoming, in the process of time.”
