Saxophonist Orlando Julius has been buried, as veteran musicians, Yinka Davies, Tony Okoroji, Tee Mac Omatshola, Dede Mabiaku and filmmaker, Tunde Kelani, pay tribute to him.
Julius, who died at 79, was buried on Saturday, in Ijebu-Ijesha area of Osun State.
Tee Mac performed alongside Yinka Davies and David Iyiola Timileyin during the church service and he also shared moments from the service on Instagram.
In a short tribute to Orlando, the flutist wrote: “Saturday May 28th was the goodbye day of Chief Dr. Julius Aremu Orlando Julius. I had the honor to perform with Yinka Davies (voice!) and David Iyiola Timileyin, keyboard during the church service.
“Orlando Julius will be missed but like every superstar, he left many great compositions and recordings behind which have established his legacy. Rest in perfect peace Orlando Julius.”
Tunde Kelani also posted photos from the service of songs held the previous day.
Born in Ikole in Ekiti State, Julius was a native of Ijebu-Ijesha in Osun State.
He was a contemporary of the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, even claiming that the latter learned to play the saxophone because of him.
Orlando relocated to the United States of America in 1974 where he met his Chicago-born wife through Ambrose Campbell.
The couple returned to Nigeria in the late 90s, settling in Lagos before moving to Ilesa.
Julius was born on 22 September 1943 and died 14 April 2022.
Apart from being a saxophonist, he was a singer, bandleader, and songwriter closely associated with Afrobeat music.
The veteran musician began by playing drums or flute with juju and konkoma bands and learned saxophone to play highlife music, eventually playing with musicians Jazz Romero, Rex Williams, and Eddie Okonta.
He began experimenting with combining traditional music with horns, guitar, and American genres, a fusion which came to be known as afrobeat.
Julius had his first hits with 1965’s “Jagua Nana” and the 1966 album Super Afro Soul. In the 1970s, Julius moved to the United States, forming a band with Hugh Masekela and later working as a session musician before returning to Nigeria in 1984.
