Bukky Leo & Black Egypt

Growing Up In Lagos Nigeria Bukky Was Spotted Practising His First Saxophone By The Original Afro-Beat Drummer Tony Allen. He Was Immediately Ushered Into Tony's Newly Formed Band. Bukky Went On To Play With The Great Fela Kuti Where The Seeds Of Afro-Beat Were Being Sown. After Sometime In The Band And Under The Influence Of Tony Allen Bukky Decided To Follow His Own Journey With His Distinct Style Of Jazz And Afro-Beat. In 1982 Bukky's Path Led Him To London Where He Became One Of The Forerunners Of The Acid-Jazz Scene. A Young A&R Man Called Giles Peterson Radio 1 Signed Him To The Newly Formed Acid Jazz Label. His First Release ' Rejoice In Righteousness' Was At The Heart Of The Acid Jazz World. It Went Straight To Number One In The Rhythm And Blues Dance And Jazz Charts. The Follow Up Album 'River Nile' Led Him To Being Nominated For The US African Music Awards In New York. There He Became Aquatinted With The Legendary Late Tenor Saxophonist 'Joe Henderson' Who Invited Bukky To His Home In San Francisco. Since The Acid-Jazz Days He Has Remained Loyal To His Goal Of Making Ground-Breaking Afro-Centric Grooves. This Led To The Creation Of The Source. The Band Toured Extensively And Recorded A Self-Titled Album Featured On The Club Africa 2 Compilation On Strut Records. In The Mid 90s He Embarked On The Definitive Pilgrimage To Egypt Where He Laid Down The Intellectual And Musical Foundations For The Formation Of Black Egypt. The Trip To Nile Was An Eye Opener For Him. After Four Years Of Developing Their Sound Black Egypt Have Emerged As The Most Important Afro-Beat Group Outside Nigeria. Bukky Is Still In Demand As A World Class Saxophonist. He Is Presently Touring With The African Jazz All Stars And Tony Allen's Afro-Beat Big Band. The Next Chapter Is This Collaboration With Ben Mitchell. Ben Has Produced Such Artists As Terry Callier Mr Hermano And Dusty Springfield. They Met While Ben Was Producing The Rapping With The Gods Album With Legendary Brighton DJ Russ Dewbury. The Album Featured Bukky On Vocals And Saxophone On The Track 'Living Am I Living'. The Result Of This Meeting You Have In Your Hand. Eighteen Months Of Creativity Compressed Into This Self-Titled Album Black Eqypt Featuring Some Of The Finest Afro-Beat And Jazz Musicians In The World More Info At Www.Myspace.Com/bukkyleo read less